Rue de Paris

Rue de Paris

The Saint-Denis audio-guided tour takes you up Rue de Paris, which links Le Barachois to the Jardin de l'Etat. The capital's main axis, it lines up the greatest number of period buildings and fine colonial houses, many of which have become property of the French state.

A street shaped by history

Originally called simply the high street, it became Rue Royale in 1777, then Rue Imperiale in 1810, when the island followed the history of France and became Ile Bonaparte. It would remain so only a few months: the same year, four thousand English landed and took the island. Returned to France four years later, Reunion keeps the memory of these changes of rule, and the street finally took its definitive name of Rue de Paris in 1848.

What there is to see

Along the street follow fine colonial houses with their characteristic verandas, perfectly maintained. This architecture, typical of Saint-Denis, bears witness to the city's history and its anchoring in the Indian Ocean. The walk, punctuated by period buildings, gently leads from the seafront to the Jardin de l'Etat.

Practical information

Rue de Paris is freely walkable on foot, from Le Barachois to the Jardin de l'Etat, in the heart of Saint-Denis. The colonial houses can be seen from the street; some, now public buildings, cannot be visited. It is an ideal axis to link the main points of interest of the historic centre.

Why did the street change names several times ?

Its successive names, Rue Royale then Rue Imperiale, follow the island's political changes, until the definitive name of Rue de Paris in 1848.

What can be seen along Rue de Paris ?

You admire fine colonial houses with verandas, among the finest period buildings of Saint-Denis.