Panorama from the Chemin de Ronde, Old City Walls
Few visitors realise that a substantial stretch of Meaux's Gallo-Roman and medieval defensive walls survives along the southern edge of the old town, and that the walkway along the top — the Chemin de Ronde — delivers a sweeping, uninterrupted panorama over the Marne river and the cathedral simultaneously. It is one of the most quietly spectacular viewpoints in the entire Île-de-France region.
The Walk
The accessible section of the wall runs for roughly 300 metres between the Jardin Bossuet and the Tour Turenne, a 4th-century Roman tower incorporated into the medieval fortifications. The path is paved and mostly flat, making it suitable for all ages.
At the halfway point, a stone belvedere juts out over the old moat (now a garden) and frames the cathedral's apse and flying buttresses against the sky — arrive in the late afternoon when the honey-coloured stone glows in the western light.
History Underfoot
The walls you are walking on were first raised by the Romans in the 3rd century AD, when Meaux — then called Iantinum — was a significant Gaulish civitas capital. The Gallo-Roman masonry, identifiable by its distinctive courses of flat red brick alternating with rubble stone, is still clearly visible at the base of the Tour Turenne.
A series of interpretation panels installed along the route explain the wall's construction phases in French and English, making this a surprisingly educational stroll.
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