Arpajon offers two distinct ways to explore: the Orge and its green spaces, and historic buildings that tell the story of the town and its pilgrim routes. When choosing where to stay, you can focus on nature or cultural visits. Parks, an urban walking trail, and buildings with clearly dated histories offer different starting points; you can also plan your journey around the RER C.
Parks and paths along the Orge
Parc de Freising is a 3,800-square-metre public park. Its design reconnects the canalised Orge with the natural river; a striking rocky landscape is crossed by a small artificial stream. Chickens roam freely year-round in an aviary. Here, the landscaped river space sits alongside other natural features.
The 7,300-square-metre Parc de la Prairie is a natural area where the Orge, Rémarde, and Boëlle de Beaumirault rivers meet. Its facilities include a fitness trail, a playground, and an educational orchard. Recreational fishing is also possible, with a pontoon accessible to anglers. By contrast, the park at Freising is defined by the connection between the canalised and natural Orge, while the Prairie takes its character from the confluence and its leisure facilities.
Parc de la Folatière offers a different setting: this historic garden dates from the 19th century, covers 6,000 square metres, and is home to century-old trees. Its features include a reflecting pool, an open-air theatre with Corten steel tiered seating, a children’s playground, and accessible footpaths. If you’d like to include different green spaces in your travel plans, you can choose between the landscaped river setting, a natural area at a confluence, and a historic garden.
The Promenade de l’Orge in Arpajon is a green pedestrian extension of the landscaped riverbanks. It offers views of the river, and its planting supports the biodiversity of aquatic habitats. For a longer bike ride, the Promenade de l’Orge offers a 50-kilometre route between Arpajon and Athis-Mons, maintained by the Syndicat de l’Orge. Route conditions and maintenance may change; check both locally before setting out. For a walking tour, the town has created the “À la découverte d’Arpajon” trail.
Historic buildings
Arpajon’s market hall was built in 1470. It is 35 metres long and 18 metres wide, and reaches 15 metres in height at the ridge. It was designated a historic monument on 3 February 1921. The Porte de Paris is also identifiable by specific architectural features: it consists of two square pillars, approximately ten metres high, made of dressed natural stone. The Marquis of Arpajon had the medieval gate replaced with these pillars after increasing horse-drawn postal traffic and road traffic made the old gate too narrow.
The Church of Saint-Clément has been listed as a historic monument since 6 March 1926. Its choir retains Romanesque round pillars and sculpted capitals. The surviving bells include Antoinette, dating from 1643, and Clotilde, dating from 1870; both were restored in 2003. The former Hôtel-Dieu connects the story to the pilgrims: the building originally accommodated travellers on the route to Santiago de Compostela. Its octagonal bell tower probably dates from the early 16th century.
The Jardin du 100 also brings together design and history. In 2012, it was redesigned in a medieval style. It contains medicinal and perennial plants typical of traditional parish gardens. Since 2010, several sculptures made by children from primary and secondary schools have also been installed there. Another trace of the pilgrim route can be found in Arpajon’s streets: scallop shells set into the pavement recall that the town lay on the route to Santiago de Compostela and remains an important stop along the way.
Villa La Source is another part of local history. It was built in the late 19th century for Jules Désiré Trochu, an ironmonger from Arpajon. Two private washhouses on the banks of the Orge that belonged to the villa are still visible today.
Plan your travel dates and journey
The Foire aux Haricots is an annual event held in the centre of Arpajon on the third weekend of September. Local producers sell Chevrier beans in an area dedicated to regional products. Check the dates, programme, and participating producers before your trip. This lets you plan a visit to the fair around your other discoveries, rather than basing your plans solely on a particular event date.
Arpajon is served by RER line C; according to the town’s transport information, trains run approximately every 30 minutes. As service frequency and journey times can change, check the current timetable before setting out. Whether you’re mainly interested in exploring the green spaces, the town’s architectural history, or the pilgrim route, these different themes provide a concrete starting point for planning your stay in Arpajon.
Discover more destinations
Discover more destinations: Yerres, La Norville, Villemoisson-sur-Orge, Saint-Germain-Lès-Corbeil, Marolles-En-Hurepoix, La Ville-Du-Bois, Fleury-Mérogis, Abbéville-La-Rivière.
Go to the main travel overview: Essonne.
