These bicycle route signs are at the corner of Rue de Provence and Rue de la Chaussée d’Antin in Paris. What I especially like about this corner is the lovely caryatid at the edge of the photo on the right, the statue of a lady who seems to be supporting the cornice of the first floor on the façade of the building at 71, rue de Provence.

Later I looked this up and found that the architect of this building was Alfred Leroux and the sculptor was Edmond Lormier (1847–1919).

Actually there are two caryatids on this façade, but I only got one of them in my photo. The two are identical except for the folds of their dresses.

The lower sign in the photo points to the Théâtre Mogador, a large and sumptuous music hall dating from the year 1913. For many years this theater specialized in French operettas, but lately they seem to prefer French-language adaptations of Broadway musicals. I’ve never been to the Théâtre Mogador, but one of these days I’ll give it a try.

Rue de Provence

Rue de Provence is a one-way street for cars, two-way for bikes. The direction for cars has been reversed for two blocks in the middle, which has the effect of reducing motor traffic and making the street relatively safe and convenient for bicycles. The bicycle station in this photo was a first-generation Vélib’ station at 115 Rue de Provence, behind the Au Printemps department store. (The current Vélib’ Metropole system apparently does not have a station at this address.)

At the town hall of the 10th

Bike route # 1 goes past the town hall of the 10^th arrondissement on Rue du Château-d’Eau (literally ‘Street of the Water Tower’).

Place de la République

Cyclist at Place de la République

At the Place de la République, also known to the locals as ‘Répu’, bike route # 1 takes a right turn (if you’re riding it clockwise) and goes off in a southerly direction on Rue Béranger and then Rue de Turenne.

Place Maubert

On the left bank, route # 1 eastbound goes through Place Maubert on Boulevard Saint-Germain. (Westbound is via the parallel street Rue des Écoles.)

Of the eleven signposted bicycle routes in Paris, route # 1 is the only one that goes around in a complete circle.

The entire length of route # 1 is about 16 km. It is slightly longer going clockwise than going counter-clockwise (or anti-clockwise as the British would say). I have cycled most of this route at one time or another, but I have never made it all the way around in one go because there are so many interesting things to see and do along the way.

Come to think of it, routes # 4 and # 5 together would also make a — much larger — complete circle. Route # 11 will also make an even larger complete circle if it is ever finished.

My photos in this post are from 2013. I revised the text in 2019.

See also: A rainy day at Place de Roubaix.