Discover Val-de-Marne: Nature, Culture and Waterways

In the Val-de-Marne département, excursion options range from walking and cycling routes to water activities, street art and culinary traditions. If you’re looking for a hotel, it helps to first consider which interests you want to shape your stay. The locations, route lengths and types of activities offer concrete points of reference—for example, whether you’d rather explore on foot, get on a bike, or include culture and food traditions.

Nature and Waterways

There are 21 designated Espaces Naturels Sensibles (sensitive natural areas) in the Val-de-Marne département. They are intended to preserve and enhance the area’s ecology, landscapes and social value. If a current inventory figure matters for your planning, check it in advance. The designated Espaces Naturels Sensibles include the Réserve départementale des îles de la Marne. The département also offers walking trails of varying difficulty through forests, along riverbanks and across rural paths. When planning your route, you can take both the scenery and the level of challenge you want into account.

Activities on the département’s waterways include canoeing, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding, river cruises and rowing. The availability of specific activities and their operators may change; if a particular trip is important to you, check what’s currently on offer. This means that, alongside walks and trails through nature, exploring the waterways is another option to consider when planning your trip.

Choose routes by length and activity

Two specific routes can be compared by mode of travel, length and starting point. Des Îles en Ville is a 10-kilometre walking route that starts and ends at the Saint-Maur-Créteil RER station in Saint-Maur-des-Fossés. The Balade dans le Haut-Val-de-Marne, by contrast, is a 15-kilometre nature-focused cycling route that starts and ends in Chennevières-sur-Marne. Comparing them can help you choose between a shorter walk and a longer bike ride; they also start in different places.

A module for self-guided walks and bike rides can be searched by preference, ability and available time, and includes options for different levels. For getting between places, the Trans-Val-de-Marne bus network, or TVM, also connects the towns of the département.

Street art and culinary traditions

Vitry-sur-Seine has developed an urban street-art identity associated with C215 and other artists who have worked on local streets and façades. In the Val-de-Marne département, street art turns public streets and façades into an accessible open-air gallery. Works and routes change over time. If you want to see particular works or follow a specific route, check what’s currently there in advance.

Along the Marne, the guinguette is a distinctive tradition: it brings together a cabaret restaurant, fried fish or moules frites, white wine and accordion music. Individual venues and menus may change; if a particular place or dish matters for your plans, check what’s currently on offer. The Marché d’Intérêt National de Rungis offers a different perspective on the world of food: its sectors include fruit and vegetables, meat, horticulture and decoration, as well as dairy products and gastronomy.

Places and activities on the ground

In La Queue-en-Brie, visitors can walk through fields and pick fruit and vegetables at the Vergers de Champlain farm. Also in La Queue-en-Brie, the Morbras remains in its natural state. A walk towards Ormesson-sur-Marne lets you follow the river and discover the flora and fauna along its banks. Both experiences combine a specific place with an outdoor activity, but differ in whether the focus is on picking produce or walking by the river.

At the Parc départemental du Val-de-Marne in Créteil, you can enjoy free activities including jogging, fitness, table tennis, walking and roller skating. Nearby Bois de Vincennes offers bike rental, dedicated cycling paths and circuits. If you’re mainly planning to stay active during your visit, these options vary by activity—from jogging and roller skating in the park to cycling routes and circuits in the Bois de Vincennes.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Champigny-Sur-Marne, Vincennes, Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, Villeneuve-Le-Roi, Villejuif, Rungis, Orly, Nogent-Sur-Marne, Maisons-Alfort, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, Joinville-Le-Pont, Ivry-Sur-Seine, Fontenay-Sous-Bois, Créteil, Charenton-Le-Pont, Cachan, Bonneuil-Sur-Marne, Boissy-Saint-Léger, Arcueil, Alfortville, Vitry-Sur-Seine, Saint-Maur-Des-Fossés, Fresnes, Bry-Sur-Marne, Choisy-Le-Roi, Saint-Maurice, Chevilly-Larue, Saint-Mandé, Sucy-En-Brie, Thiais, Marolles-En-Brie, Villecresnes, Limeil-Brévannes, Le Perreux-Sur-Marne, Maisons-Alfort, Villiers-sur-Marne, La Queue-en-Brie, Santeny, Chennevières-sur-Marne, L’Haÿ-les-Roses.

For the broader travel overview: Ile-De-France.