The 13th arrondissement holds the highest concentration of murals in Paris, gathered since 2014 under the name "Boulevard Paris 13." Rather than a simple list of streets to wander at random, here is a step-by-step itinerary to follow the thread of this open-air gallery from one end of the neighborhood to the other, in a little over an hour's walk.
Boulevard Vincent-Auriol, the starting point
Coming out of the Place d'Italie metro station, this wide avenue running beneath the elevated tracks of line 6 marks the start of the walk. It is here that Galerie Itinerrance and the 13th arrondissement town hall launched the "Boulevard Paris 13" program in 2014, covering facades with around thirty monumental murals by international artists such as Shepard Fairey (Obey), Invader, C215 and Seth. Follow the boulevard eastward, eyes on the buildings rather than the pavement.
Avenue d'Italie, a short detour
This wide shopping avenue, a few minutes' walk away, adds a few more facades to the route, tucked among the 1970s towers that give the Olympiades district its distinctive look. The contrast between the brutalist architecture and the colorful murals is worth the detour on its own.
Rue Jeanne-d'Arc, a more intimate stretch
Crossing Boulevard Vincent-Auriol, this narrower residential street lets you get close to the works at eye level rather than craning your neck at entire facades. The contrast with the boulevard's large-scale compositions offers another take on what street art in the 13th can be, on a more human scale.
Rue du Chevaleret and the former Tour Paris 13
The walk ends near the site where Tour Paris 13 once stood, an entire building slated for demolition whose hundred apartments were completely covered in murals by around a hundred artists in 2013. Opened to the public for a few weeks before it was torn down, it drew tens of thousands of visitors and is still considered the founding event of the Boulevard Paris 13 project.
The route at a glance
From Place d'Italie metro station to Chevaleret metro station, this walk follows an almost straight line of about two kilometers, entirely on foot and accessible to everyone, with no hills or tricky crossings.
Tips
Start at Place d'Italie metro station (lines 5, 6 and 7) and head east along Boulevard Vincent-Auriol, beneath the elevated line 6 tracks. Detour onto Avenue d'Italie, then return to the boulevard by crossing Rue Jeanne-d'Arc, and continue on to Rue du Chevaleret to reach Chevaleret metro station (line 6), the walk's endpoint. Allow about an hour to an hour and a half to cover the roughly two kilometers, stopping regularly to look at the facades. Murals change regularly, so do not go looking for one specific piece: enjoy the whole instead and keep looking up, since most compositions cover entire gable walls only visible from a distance. Late morning or early afternoon on a weekday, outside rush hour, gives the best light for photos.
