Most people come to Paris and leave without ever hearing the name Belleville. That’s exactly why I take everyone there first.

Belleville and Ménilmontant are not on the tourist map. They were not designed to be. These two neighborhoods in the 20th arrondissement are where artists actually live, where graffiti writers have been working since the 1980s, and where the real underground art scene of Paris has always existed. This is my neighborhood guide — written after years of walking these streets.

Why Belleville Is Different

Belleville was not always part of Paris. It was an industrial suburb, home to migrant workers from Arab and Asian communities who came to work in the car manufacturing plants south of the city. Because the wind blew factory smoke northward, the workers settled in Belleville. That migrant history is still visible today — in the food, the people, and the art on the walls.

Today Belleville is gentrified but not sanitized. The street art here is raw, contested, and constantly changing. It is the most honest neighborhood in Paris.

Street Art vs Graffiti — The Real Debate

Standing in front of a massive collaborative mural painted by 16 artists — now heavily tagged over — you understand something important. Graffiti writers and street artists do not always get along.

Graffiti culture believes the streets belong to tags and blazes. No brand deals. No gallery shows. Street artists increasingly collaborate with luxury brands, institutions, and public commissions. The conflict plays out on the walls of Belleville every single day.

Neither side is wrong. Both are Paris.

Banksy Was Here

In 2019, Banksy came to Paris and left five pieces across the city. Almost immediately, they were stolen. The community saved some. One of the most important — a weeping girl painted on the doors of the Bataclan concert hall — is now preserved in a gallery. But for a few days, it lived on the walls of this city alongside everything else.

The Abandoned Railway — Petite Ceinture

One of my favorite detours in this neighborhood is the Petite Ceinture — an abandoned railway line that used to connect Paris before the subway was built. It is now overgrown, wild, and covered in paste-up street art. Most Parisians have never been inside. Most tourists have never heard of it.

You need to know where to enter. That is the kind of thing I show on my tours.

The Secret View Nobody Talks About

The highlight of this walk is not street art. It is Parc de Belleville — a small park at the top of the hill that offers one of the most incredible panoramic views of Paris I have ever seen. The Eiffel Tower, the rooftops, the entire city spread below you. No crowds. No ticket. No queue.

Everyone who comes with me on this tour says the same thing: why does nobody know about this?

How to Do This Walk

Start at Métro Belleville (lines 2 and 11). Walk east along Rue de Belleville, then south into the smaller streets. Allow at least 2 to 3 hours. Go on a weekday morning for the best light and the fewest people.

Or book a private tour with me and I will take you to the spots you would never find alone.