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Strung out along the western slopes of a ridge that rises from the Seine, the suburbs of Belleville, Menilmontant and Charonne retain pockets of charm, despite the tower-block mania of the 1960s and 1970s. Before the housing developers moved in, the cobbled lanes, individual gardens, numerous stairways, and local shops and cafes gave the Belleville and Menilmontant areas a village-like character - quite the equal of Montmartre, but without the touristy commercialism. Amid the graffitied concrete buildings, some of these old streets still survive, especially the little cul-de-sacs of terraced houses and gardens east of rue des Pyrenees . There are alleys so narrow that nothing but the knife-grinder's tricycle would have been able to fit down them. Ascending the hills to either the Parc de Belleville or the bucolic Parc des Buttes-Chaumont reveals one of the area's greatest assets - unobstructed and near-panoramic views of the city beyond.
The quickest and easiest way to get out to the eastern suburbs is to hop on the #26 bus from the Gare du Nord, and get off at one of the stops on avenue de Simon-Bolivar or rue des Pyrenees.
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