Belleville: the painted walls and the view east
The multicultural high street, the rue Dénoyez street-art walls, and the best free view of Paris from the east. This is a Claude-drafted route awaiting the editor's walk.

1. Carrefour de Belleville
Start at the crossroads where four arrondissements meet. The Chinese restaurants, the North African groceries and the Tunisian-Jewish bakeries all begin here — buy something to eat in your hand before you climb.

2. Rue Dénoyez
The street where the walls are repainted constantly — layers of spray paint, paste-ups and tags, never the same two weeks running. Walk it slowly; it's short, and the point is the churn, not any single piece.

3. Rue de Belleville
The spine of the neighbourhood, climbing the hill. Vietnamese *phở*, Wenzhou dumplings, couscous, kosher delis, all on one rising street. The higher you go, the better the city behind you.

4. Parc de Belleville
The terrace at the top has the best free panorama of Paris from the east — the whole skyline laid flat, the Eiffel Tower small in the distance. The park steps down a slope with a little vineyard and a waterfall channel.

5. Maison de l'Air / parc summit
The high corner of the park, quietest in the afternoon. Sit on the top terrace; this is where you came for. The view is better here than from anywhere you'd pay for it.

6. Place Édith Piaf
Towards Pyrénées, a small square with a statue of the singer who was, by legend, born on these streets. A quiet end after the climb; the M11 is a short walk on.

Belleville: the painted walls and the view east