Atypical, mysterious… The town and the woods have a few surprises in store. Expect the unexpected! Ready to leave the beaten track?
Did you know?
The Bois de Vincennes hosted the 1907 colonial exhibition and a few traces of the event still remain. The Jardin d’Agronomie Tropicale (tropical agronomy garden) invites visitors to enjoy a real change of scene on a mad journey through time that you can try on your own or with a guided tour.
Let’s rewind! Travel through time with a guided tour, “Vincennes et le cinéma muet” (Vincennes and silent films) to relive the great adventure of the beginnings of the 7th Art in the company of the Pathé brothers whose film studios have left their mark on the town forever!
A stroll in the Street Art
If you like graffiti and other modern wall paintings, you’re in the right place! A free street-art itinerary, which you can download via the Izi Travel app, plunges you into the colourful world of C215, Ardif and other street artists. Lovers of urban art will flock to admire the Space Invaders on Rue des Vignerons and at the intersection between Avenue de la République and Avenue Aubert. For another arty adventure, try the guided tour “une oeuvre d’art s’invite au déjeuner” (a work of art comes for lunch) which focusses on a sculpture or a decorative fresco on one of the town’s buildings.
Art in the woods
Vincennes really is an open-air museum, with artistic displays to be found even in the woods. Art enthusiasts will love the works carved directly into the tree trunks… and so will sports lovers! Because this trail is designed with cyclists in mind. What a great idea! Why not help your budding young artists to make their own dream-catcher from natural materials found during your walk in the woods. It’s magic!
An alternative tour
Make like a mouse and explore the attic of the Sainte-Chapelle or the Hôtel de Ville (town hall). Now that does sound exciting! Unless you”d rather play a lonely princess imprisoned at the top of the Donjon (keep), or the brave knight come to free her?
Unique moments
If your curiosity is endless, don’t miss the one-off tours of the Pagoda where you’ll find a 9-metre statue of Buddha, Europe’s biggest! Not forgetting the famous INSEP campus which produces Olympic medallists such as Elodie Clouvel and Teddy Riner. Worth noting: the guide-dog training school on the edge of the Bois de Vincennes also opens its doors to visitors regularly. A unique opportunity to see how these loyal companions are trained to guide their blind owners. Fascinating.
