City gates of Paris

While Paris is encircled by the boulevard périphérique (Paris ring road), the city gates of Paris (French: portes de Paris) are the access points to the city for pedestrians and other road users.[1] As Paris has expanded through the centuries, former city gates are found inside the modern city.

The city gates of today

(List of city gates created during the extension of Paris in 1860 and which have left their mark on the city map. The gates are listed in clockwise sequence starting in the north at la Route Nationale 1.)

North-east

18e est

  • Porte d'Aubervilliers: route nationale 301 (route départementale 901)
  • Porte de la Villette: route nationale 2 (route départementale 932)
  • Porte de Pantin: route nationale 3 (route départementale 933)
  • Porte Chaumont
  • Porte Brunet
  • Porte du Pré-Saint-Gervais
  • Porte des Lilas

East

  • Porte des Lilas
  • Porte de Ménilmontant
  • Porte de Bagnolet: autoroute A3
  • Porte de Montreuil: route nationale 302 (route départementale 902)

South (rive gauche)

  • Porte de la Gare
  • Quai d'Ivry
  • Porte de France
  • Porte de Vitry
  • Porte d'Ivry
  • Porte de Choisy: route nationale 305 (route départementale 5)
  • Porte d'Italie: route nationale 7 (route départementale 7)
  • Poterne des Peupliers
  • Porte de Gentilly
  • Porte Brancion
  • Porte de Plaisance
  • Porte de la Plaine
  • Porte de Versailles
  • Porte d'Issy
  • Porte de Sèvres
  • Porte du Bas-Meudon (quai d'Issy)

West

North-west

Ancient gates of Paris

After the construction of the Wall of the Farmers-General in 1785, the gates of Paris were known as barrières (barriers) until 1860 (e.g. barrière de la Villette, barrière du Trône, barrière d'Italie, etc.) They were toll gates used for collection of the octroi, an excise tax assessed on goods entering the city. Some of the toll booths built by Ledoux remain:

See also

References

  1. ^ "Portes de Paris (City Gates)". Paris for the Holidays. 2018-05-26. Retrieved 2025-09-20.