Paris’ most un-Parisian pocket

Walking through the park, eyeing the quirky modern apartments rising either side of it, you could be forgiven for thinking you’ve been transported to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Copenhagen or another European city famed for its contemporary design skills.

With few of the obvious ingredients that make Paris so quintessentially “Parisian”, this feels far removed from the French capital of your imagination. But it’s one of the most impressive pieces of urban regeneration I’ve seen of late, transforming a previously unloved patch of land in Paris’ 17th arrondissement, in the city’s north-western corner, where tourists rarely tread.

Completed in stages between 2007 and 2021, with an onus on eco-friendliness, inclusivity and sustainability, Parc Clichy-Batignolles—Martin Luther King is a bit of a tongue-twister. While the second part of its name honours the American civil rights hero, the first part refers to the two neighbouring districts beside which the park sits, just east of the suburban railway tracks that lead in and out of Gare Saint-Lazare, a busy Parisian transport hub a few kilometres to the south.

Strolling along the paths and boardwalks of this 10ha park, passing oncoming joggers, ponds, lawns, gardens and flowers, you’ll notice the slick and eclectic parkside apartments, whose fluid, curvaceous tiers and jutting balconies contrast with the more sober mid-19th century Haussmann-style apartments that dominate so much of Paris’ urban fabric.

Also demanding your attention as you stroll is the Paris Courthouse, a 160m-tall skyscraper that looms to the rear of the park. Designed by Italian “starchitect” Renzo Piano, it houses the city’s law courts across stacked storeys with different dimensions.

You can book walking tours with local guides who’ll teach you more about the local area’s new architecture and design, but it is a pleasure to mosey around the park at your own pace, pausing to soak up the way it has been cleverly stitched together.

It’s also nice to look out for the water lilies, irises, reeds and other aquatic plants that flourish by the water features. What you’ll also realise is that, on closer inspection, the park is more Parisian than it initially appears, as it has petanque facilities and a bistro serving modern French cuisine.

In good weather, the park is aflutter with French conversations — and other languages — with groups of sun-bathing and picnicking friends and families commonplace.

Simple to reach, the park is on the doorstep of Pont Cardinet station — one stop from Gare Saint-Lazare on the train — and it’s also on Line 14 of the Paris Metro, so you can be here in just 10 minutes from, say Gare de Lyon or Chatelet, in central Paris.

There are other reasons to stick around. Heading in the opposite direction from Pont Cardinet station is Square de Batignolles, which is actually a neat little park, created in 1862 on a disused freight yard. Inspired by the trend at the time for English-style gardens, it has meandering, tree-lined paths and a duck pond fed by a mini cascade. You can exit from the park onto Place du Dr Felix Lobligeois in the historic heart of Batignolles, which was incorporated into the city of Paris in the same decade (and given a Haussmannian flourish).

Shaded by lime trees, flanked by the pretty little neoclassical church of Saint-Marie des Batignolles, this square is served by neighbourhood eateries whose chairs and tables spill out onto the pavements. It’s an alluring setting for a long, leisurely lunch. And oui, it also feels very much like your classic Parisian village.

fact file + For more information on visiting Paris, see parisjetaime.com