Montreuil travel guide
Flea market, peach walls and Méliès, one Métro line from Paris
Montreuil is a large suburb on the eastern edge of Paris, linked to the centre by Métro line 9. Come for the Porte de Montreuil flea market, the old peach-wall gardens and a cheaper base for Paris; half a day is enough as a visit, and late spring is the nicest time for the plateau gardens.
Just east of the Périphérique, where Paris's 20th arrondissement stops and Vincennes begins to the south, Montreuil is the third-largest suburb of the capital, with about 112,000 people. Visitors come for the flea market at Porte de Montreuil, for the town's many artists' studios, or simply for a less expensive base a few Métro stops from central Paris.
Métro line 9 runs through the lower town and ends at Mairie de Montreuil, giving a direct ride to the Grands Boulevards. Near the town hall, the Méliès cinema takes its name from Georges Méliès, who built one of the first film studios here in the 1890s. Up the hill, the Murs à pêches are what remains of walled peach orchards that once fed Paris, now partly gardens and community plots.
Montreuil is really two places. Bas-Montreuil, by the city limits, is a grid of old workshops turned into studios and flats, while the plateau above keeps the orchard walls, the Parc des Beaumonts and a village church. A large Malian community gives the lower streets much of their character.
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A big weekend flea market, old orchard walls and a cinema named after a film pioneer.
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Best time to visit Montreuil
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Highs of 15 to 22C suit a morning at the open-air puces and a walk through the orchard walls when the gardens are in leaf.
Highs around 25C; the Bois de Vincennes, a short ride south, is the place to cool off, and many local shops close for part of August.
Highs of 7 to 12C and frequent drizzle; the flea market thins out, but the Méliès and the theatre keep a full programme.
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Getting there
Roissy or Orly, then east on line 9
Montreuil has no station of its own on the main rail lines, so treat it as part of Paris and finish your trip on the Métro. From Charles de Gaulle, take RER B into Châtelet-Les Halles, change to RER A for one stop to Nation, then pick up line 9 eastbound; allow about an hour and a quarter. From Orly, ride Métro line 14 to Gare de Lyon, take RER A one stop to Nation and change to line 9 there, roughly an hour in all. Taxis avoid the changes but can take well over an hour at rush hour. Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon are both about half an hour from Mairie de Montreuil.
- Métro line 9
- Robespierre, Croix de Chavaux and the terminus at Mairie de Montreuil; direct to Nation and the Grands Boulevards
- Métro line 11
- Montreuil-Hôpital station on the plateau, on the eastern extension from Mairie des Lilas
- Tram T3b
- Stops at Porte de Montreuil, beside the flea market on the Paris side
- Métro line 1
- Bérault and Château de Vincennes, a short walk from the southern edge of Bas-Montreuil
- Nation is the easiest change point: RER A, line 1 and line 9 all meet there.
Where to stay
Bas-Montreuil studios or the Mairie terminus
Most rooms are holiday flats and a few chain hotels, so choose by Métro station. Anything within ten minutes of line 9 keeps central Paris a single ride away.
- Bas-Montreuil, near Robespierre
- Converted workshops and cafés by the city limits; closest to Paris, with lively streets but more traffic
- Croix de Chavaux
- The commercial crossroads with the market and shops, mid-way along line 9; convenient but noisy by day
- Around Mairie de Montreuil
- Line 9 terminus with the Méliès, the theatre and restaurants; the best all-round base
- The plateau
- Quiet streets by the Murs à pêches and the Parc des Beaumonts; good for longer stays, but the Métro is a bus ride or a steep walk away unless you are near line 11
Getting around
Line 9 below, buses up the plateau
Montreuil is built on a slope, and that shapes every trip. The lower town is flat and easy to walk: from Robespierre to Mairie de Montreuil along Rue de Paris takes about 25 minutes on foot. The plateau is a stiff climb above it, home to the peach walls, Parc Montreau and the Parc des Beaumonts. RATP buses run up from the Mairie and from Croix de Chavaux, and line 11 now serves the plateau from Montreuil-Hôpital. Paris tickets and the Navigo pass are valid. Riding a Vélib' into Paris is downhill and quick; the way back up is hard work.
- Métro line 9
- About half an hour from Mairie de Montreuil to the Grands Boulevards
- RATP buses
- Climb from the Mairie and Croix de Chavaux to the plateau
- Vélib'
- Bike-share docks in the lower town; electric bikes make the hill manageable
- Check which tram or bus stop you need for the flea market: the stalls are under the Périphérique on the Paris side, not in Montreuil town centre.
Know before you go
What makes Montreuil worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- The flea market at Porte de Montreuil, rougher and cheaper than the better-known puces at Saint-Ouen.
- The Murs à pêches, a maze of old stone walls built to ripen peaches against the sun.
- An evening film at the Méliès, the town cinema named after Georges Méliès.
Good to know
- Go early to the flea market, before the crowds, and keep a close eye on your phone and wallet.
- The upper town is steep; take a bus or line 11 if you are heading up to the peach walls.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Montreuil, month by month
Montreuil shares the weather of eastern Paris; the long-term monthly averages are below.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Montreuil (Météo-France, via Wikipedia).
The Montreuil flea market, the Murs à pêches and the Méliès cinema
A day in Montreuil, on the eastern edge of Paris, starts at the Porte de Montreuil flea market (weekends and Mondays) and continues on Métro line 9 into town. In the afternoon visit the Murs à pêches peach-wall gardens or Parc Montreau, and finish with a film at the Méliès art-house cinema.
At the flea market under the ring road, the good stalls of vintage clothes, tools and old vinyl are picked over by about ten, and the later crowd suits pickpockets, so keep bags closed. Lunch near the Mairie, then take a bus up the hill to the Murs à pêches. These plastered walls once ran for hundreds of kilometres, trapping the day's warmth so that espaliered peach trees could ripen for Paris tables. What survives is a patchwork of gardens run by local associations; some open to the public on set days, so check before you go.
If the gardens are closed, the Parc des Beaumonts nearby is a wild hilltop park popular with birdwatchers, and Parc Montreau has the Musée de l'Histoire vivante, a small museum of workers' and social history, open in the afternoons from Wednesday to Sunday. Come back down for the evening. The Méliès, near the Mairie, is a busy art-house cinema, and the Nouveau Théâtre de Montreuil stands close by.
Maafe, markets and Rue de Paris cafés in Montreuil
Montreuil's food comes from its people: one of France's largest Malian communities runs small West African restaurants in the lower town serving maafe and yassa. Croix de Chavaux holds the main food market, and Bas-Montreuil around Robespierre and Rue de Paris has newer cafés, natural-wine bars and bakeries.
Maafe is a meat stew in peanut sauce; yassa is chicken or fish cooked with lemon and onions. The restaurants are informal and busiest at lunchtime. The Croix de Chavaux market has produce stalls, spice sellers and fishmongers, and the Bas-Montreuil cafés occupy former workshops, with a thick weekend brunch crowd.
The town's own fruit has almost disappeared. The peaches of Montreuil were famous in the 18th and 19th centuries, sold in Paris and beyond; a handful of trees still grow against the old walls, and the garden associations sometimes sell fruit and preserves at their open days.
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How we research our Montreuil travel guide
Montreuil's flea market days and the Murs à pêches garden openings are rechecked on montreuil.fr. France.fr and the EU's Entry/Exit System and ETIAS pages are the references for visiting and entry.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Montreuil.
General
Get off at Porte de Montreuil, on line 9 or tram T3b. The stalls are on the Paris side of the ring road, a few minutes from the exit.
They are the remains of a network of stone walls in the upper town, built so peach trees trained against them could ripen in the reflected warmth. Parts are now gardens run by local groups.
The film pioneer built one of the first film studios in Montreuil in the 1890s. The town's cinema near the Mairie carries his name.
Yes. Line 9 runs direct from Croix de Chavaux to Nation, République and the Grands Boulevards, and rooms usually cost less than inside the city.
Yes. The southern edge of Bas-Montreuil borders Vincennes, and the château and the Bois de Vincennes are roughly 25 minutes on foot from Robespierre.
A small museum on the plateau devoted to social and labour history, set in a house inside Parc Montreau and open Wednesday to Sunday afternoons after a closure that ended in late October 2026. It makes a quiet stop on the way to the peach walls.
Montreuil is built on a slope, and that shapes every trip. The lower town is flat and easy to walk: from Robespierre to Mairie de Montreuil along Rue de Paris takes about 25 minutes on foot. The plateau is a stiff climb above it, home to the peach walls, Parc Montreau and the Parc des Beaumonts.
Getting there
Take RER B to Châtelet-Les Halles, RER A to Nation and line 9 east to the end. Allow about an hour and a quarter.
Yes, the line was extended east from Mairie des Lilas and now stops at Montreuil-Hôpital, which puts the plateau within easy reach of Châtelet and République.
Montreuil has no station of its own on the main rail lines, so treat it as part of Paris and finish your trip on the Métro. From Charles de Gaulle, take RER B into Châtelet-Les Halles, change to RER A for one stop to Nation, then pick up line 9 eastbound; allow about an hour and a quarter. From Orly, ride Métro line 14 to Gare de Lyon, take RER A one stop to Nation and change to line 9 there, roughly an hour in all.
Timing & weather
The puces de Montreuil run on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays at Porte de Montreuil, beside the Périphérique. Mornings are best for both choice and space.
The best time to visit Montreuil is Apr to Jun, Sep to Oct. Mild weather for the outdoor flea market and the peach-wall gardens.
- Best overall: April - June, September - October (Highs of 15 to 22C suit a morning at the open-air puces and a walk through the orchard walls when the gardens are in leaf)
- Summer: July - August (Highs around 25C; the Bois de Vincennes, a short ride south, is the place to cool off, and many local shops close for part of August)
- Winter: November - March (Highs of 7 to 12C and frequent drizzle; the flea market thins out, but the Méliès and the theatre keep a full programme)
Stay & facilities
Look around the lower town and the streets near Croix de Chavaux, where small West African restaurants serve maafe and yassa, mostly at lunchtime.
Visa & documents
France belongs to the Schengen area. Citizens of the EU and of many other countries, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; other nationalities need a Schengen visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU travelers' fingerprints and a photo at the border.
Health & safety
Crime against visitors to France is mostly petty. Pickpocketing is common in Paris on the Metro, especially line 1, and around the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre and Gare du Nord. Rail and air strikes and street demonstrations can disrupt transport, so check before travel days and keep away from protests.
