Someone suggested my husband and I go here for a run. Well, it was neither. It was overgrown and prostitutes were in several places. I would never have gone there had I known it was going to be so sketchy. One group of ladies was just finishing up with a couple of guys and she threw some bag in the bushes.
We got out of there as quickly as possible. This past week, I took a morning to go the Bois de Boulogne, on the western edge of Paris. It had once been a hunting reserve for the French nobility, Napoleon had it set up as a recreation park for the people of Paris. It is served by a couple of Metro stations, but I used the RER station at Henri Martin, as it was closest to the two lakes, which I most wanted to see. While the area around the RER station is very nice, it got a little "sketchy" once I crossed the traffic circle at Porte de la Muette.
However, once I got onto Ave de St-Cloud, things got much better. I spent two or three very pleasant hours walking around the two lakes. It was really quite lovely. The only real complaints that I have is that 1 the road signage is virtually non-existent, and 2 there are no maps to be seen anywhere.
A final note is that everything I've read says to be well away from the park by sundown. With all that in mind, though, it is a very pleasant way to spend a few hours. After a week of sightseeing and shopping and cultural knowledge of Paris, we took bicicles and rode through the forest.
It is a natural reservation with paths for cyclists, lakes and water fronts to enjoy your picnics. The nature is unbelievable, and the place is very much worth a visit!
