I'll be in Paris for a week in late April, staying in the Oberkampf/Republique area. At some point I'd like to do the Belleville-Menilmontant walk featured in the Paris Blue Guide.

The walk goes through the Parc de Belleville, down around Notre Dame de la Croix, winds its way up and down until Square de Menilmontant, up to Cimetiere de Belleville, then ends at St Jean Baptiste on rue Belleville.

I'd love recommendations for any cafes, galleries, eateries, shops, etc. to keep in mind along the way. Spots of interesting graffiti, or anything else interesting to look for?

You will have absolutely no problem finding interesting places to stop in that part of town.

Last month I posted a "walk" in a nearby sector, but that area is just as interesting.

There is a similar Belleville walk in the Michelin Green Guide for Paris. I walked it last February and loved it. There is a terrific view of Paris from Parc de Belleville, narrow streets and alleys, some fascinating villas with gardens, and plenty of Asian restaurants. Overall, well worth the time.

Anselm

Apres_Londee,

We stayed just off Menilmontant on Rue Des Bluets last summer. It's a fun neighborhood filled with cafes and amazing graffiti. So much so it's hard to single out any. One restaurant we enjoyed was Restaurant des Quatre Frères for couscous. It's right by the Menilmontant metro stop.

As to a walking guide, we used the Michelin Paris Street map. It lists every little alley and pathway in the entire city. While it's quite a large map, we just folded it to the area we were exploring. From the Menilmontant metro we just headed up the hill, maybe 4 blocks, to the Belleville Park area. Here's a link to my pictures:
picasaweb.google.com/Kansan24/Belleville

Another fun website is:
www.dailymotion.com/Chouettedor/1
He has taken videos while driving around different Paris neighborhoods. Click on the 20eme tag. Too bad most are at night, but still fun to watch.

One more article featuring the area is http://preview.tinyurl.com/2dmczw
A native Parisian gives a unique perspective.

I'll be glad to answer any more questions. I hope you have a great time.

I remember that post, kerouac, and I'm thinking of adding your walk from to my list.

Anselm, when I typed Belleville into the search function, your trip report came up and it was so nice to read about your your walk in the area (it is somewhat neglected on these boards, and in guidebooks in general, it seems)

Kanson, thank you for the links, I loved watching the Chouettedor videos! Kind of addicting, lol. I even got to catch a glimps of the building where I'm staying, which is fun. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the area. I love graffiti and am really looking forward to poking around in the area.

Thank you all for your replies. If anyone else has any specific recs for the area, I'd love to hear them.