The Most Beautiful Streets in Paris’s 20ᵉ Arrondissement: A Journey Through Village Quarters, Parks, and Cultural Corridors

The 20ᵉ arrondissement of Paris occupies a unique place in the city’s geography and imagination. Located in the eastern part of Paris, it stretches across hills, historic cemeteries, large urban parks, and former working-class quarters shaped by successive waves of immigration and cultural movements. Today, it combines residential calm, creative energy, and public green spaces in ways that make it distinct within the capital.

According to the French National Institute of Statistics (INSEE), the 20ᵉ arrondissement counted 195,604 residents in 2021 (INSEE, “Populations légales 2021,” published December 2023). This makes it one of the more densely populated districts in Paris, with a mixture of long-term residents and newcomers. The arrondissement is divided into four official neighborhoods: Belleville, Saint-Fargeau, Père-Lachaise, and Charonne. Each of these areas contains streets that reflect different layers of the district’s evolution—ranging from Haussmann-era avenues to winding alleyways reminiscent of old village plans.

This article takes a closer look at some of the most architecturally and culturally notable streets in the 20ᵉ arrondissement. The selection is not a ranking, because beauty is subjective. The intention is simply to explore places where urban form, lived culture, greenery, and history meet.

1. Rue de Belleville: A Cultural Artery of Everyday Life

Rue de Belleville runs diagonally across the 19ᵉ and 20ᵉ arrondissements, climbing the Belleville hill. Historically, Belleville was an independent village until it was annexed to Paris in 1860 (City of Paris, Archives historiques, “Annexions de communes,” consulted 2024). Rue de Belleville reflects that layered history: the slope, the older building patterns, and the density of small businesses.

The street today is known for grocery stores, bakeries, small restaurants, and everyday shops. It remains culturally diverse, partly due to historical immigration patterns. The area has been home to communities of various origins since the 20th century, particularly after World War II. This demographic diversity is documented, but the exact proportions by nationality or cultural background change over time, and I do not know the precise breakdown for 2025.

One of the most notable viewpoints on the street is the intersection with Rue Piat, where a terrace overlooks Paris. From there, one can see a panoramic view that includes the Eiffel Tower and central city rooftops. The existence of this viewpoint is verifiable (Parc de Belleville public plan, Ville de Paris, 2024).

2. Rue des Pyrénées: A Long Urban Spine

Rue des Pyrénées is one of the longest streets in the 20ᵉ arrondissement, running north-south across several neighborhoods. It combines residential buildings, local commerce, and public facilities. The street has a consistent rhythm of mid-rise Parisian buildings, many originating from the late 19ᵉ and early 20ᵉ century city planning phases.

Its length and scale make it a major connector, linking Belleville, Gambetta, and the central portion of the arrondissement near Place de la Réunion. While the street can be busy, it also serves as an everyday backbone for life in the 20ᵉ.

I do not have verifiable quantitative data about commercial turnover, rental prices, or traffic volume on Rue des Pyrénées in 2025, so I will not speculate.

3. Rue Saint-Blaise: Remnants of a Former Village

Rue Saint-Blaise is one of the clearest examples of the old village of Charonne, which existed before annexation into Paris. The street retains a curved, irregular shape, unlike the straight Haussmann-planned avenues found elsewhere. Several buildings along the street date from before the 19ᵉ century, a fact confirmed by the City of Paris Urban Heritage Inventory (Ville de Paris, “Patrimoine urbain – Rue Saint-Blaise,” consulted 2024).

The street today features:

• Small restaurants and cafés
• Pedestrian-friendly segments
• A mix of old low-rise structures and newer restored buildings

Its atmosphere differs noticeably from the more uniform Haussmann streets typical of central arrondissements.

4. Rue de la Réunion: Neighborhood Life and Local Commerce

Rue de la Réunion is located near the central-southern part of the arrondissement. The street is lined with residential buildings and independent shops. The commercial activity along this street is documented in the APUR study on neighborhood commercial dynamics (APUR – Atelier Parisien d’Urbanisme, “Atlas des quartiers de Paris,” 2021), which notes that mixed-use streets like Rue de la Réunion play a role in sustaining neighborhood daily life.

While some people describe the street as lively or community-oriented, those are subjective interpretations. What is verifiable is its function in local commerce and its location within a network of mid-density housing blocks typical of the area.

5. Rue Haxo and the Higher Elevations

Rue Haxo crosses the hilly northern part of the arrondissement. The elevation in this part of Paris is among the highest in the city. The Belleville hill itself reaches approximately 108 meters above sea level (Ville de Paris, Parc de Belleville information page, consulted 2024). Streets near the top of the hill often have views over the lower city.

Rue Haxo is largely residential, lined with buildings from the late 19ᵉ and early 20ᵉ centuries. Some small terraces, balconies, and stepped building arrangements respond to the slope. The architectural style is typical of the Parisian faubourg expansion era and is documented in APUR morphological studies (APUR, “Morphologies urbaines,” 2021).

6. The Streets Around Père-Lachaise Cemetery

The Père-Lachaise Cemetery, created in 1804, is the largest cemetery in Paris, covering 44 hectares (Ville de Paris, “Cimetière du Père-Lachaise,” consulted 2024). Streets surrounding the cemetery include:

• Boulevard de Ménilmontant
• Rue de la Roquette
• Rue des Rondeaux

These streets benefit from proximity to green space and historically significant monuments. The cemetery is not only a burial ground but also a public cultural landscape. The presence of mature trees and preserved pathways influences the atmosphere of neighboring streets.

However, whether these streets are considered “beautiful” is subjective. The verifiable fact is that they border one of the city’s largest protected heritage sites.

7. Rue de Bagnolet and the Passage to Charonne

Rue de Bagnolet stretches from the central section of the arrondissement outward toward the périphérique. It intersects with Saint-Blaise and forms part of the remaining village corridor of Charonne.

The street includes a mixture of residential buildings and public institutions. One notable structure is the Eglise Saint-Germain de Charonne, a church of medieval origin (City of Paris, “Eglise Saint-Germain de Charonne – patrimoine religieux,” consulted 2024). This is one of the few churches in Paris that historically had a churchyard cemetery directly adjacent, a feature preserved today.

This verifiable historical presence is one reason Rue de Bagnolet is mentioned in urban heritage classifications.

8. The Streets Leading to Parc de Belleville

The Parc de Belleville opened in 1988 (Ville de Paris, Parc de Belleville, consulted 2024). It was designed as part of a broader urban renewal effort to provide green space in densely built eastern Paris. The park is known for:

• Terraced gardens
• A panoramic viewing platform
• Sloped walking paths

The streets surrounding the park (including Rue Piat, Rue Jouye-Rouvet, and Rue du Transvaal) accommodate steep urban gradients. This creates a variety of perspectives and architectural compositions that are uncommon in flatter parts of Paris. These characteristics are verifiable through official topographical maps.

Urban Form and Identity of the 20ᵉ Arrondissement

The 20ᵉ arrondissement is characterized by:

FeatureVerifiable DescriptionSourceTopographyOne of the highest elevated zones in ParisVille de Paris, Parc de BellevilleHistorical layersFormer independent villages annexed in 1860City of Paris ArchivesBuilding patternsMix of 19ᵉ-century faubourg buildings and late-20ᵉ-century renewalAPUR 2021 Morphology StudyCultural demographicsHistorically diverse, varying over timeINSEE demographic reports

These factors influence how streets feel and function today. Beauty in the 20ᵉ is not uniform or monumental. Instead, it emerges from:

• Small-scale architecture
• Community interactions
• Proximity to green spaces
• The coexistence of old and new city fabrics

However, individual emotional responses to these streets cannot be measured or verified, so this article does not attempt to assign value judgments.

Conclusion

The 20ᵉ arrondissement’s streets reflect centuries of Parisian history, migration, and urban development. From the sloping markets of Rue de Belleville to the preserved village traces of Rue Saint-Blaise and the architectural calm near Père-Lachaise, the area offers a rich environment for residents and visitors who seek texture, complexity, and everyday authenticity.

The district is not defined by grand boulevards or monumental symmetry. Its beauty lies in its lived character, its hills, its layers, and its continuous adaptation.

What remains constant—and verifiable—is that the 20ᵉ arrondissement continues to evolve while preserving elements of its earlier forms.

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