Covering 85 hectares across Gennevilliers and Villeneuve-la-Garenne, the Parc départemental des Chanteraines is a major attraction. The city also offers contemporary theater, visual art, and a church with a well-documented history. This gives you a range of interests to consider when planning your trip: nature and outdoor activities, as well as performances, exhibitions, and local history.
Park and hike: different ways to enjoy the outdoors
The Chemin de fer des Chanteraines visitor train travels for more than five kilometers through the park. There are stops along the way where you can get off. This lets you combine the ride with breaks at different points, rather than seeing the park from just one perspective. The train runs seasonally, so plan your trip around the dates of your stay.
The Les Chanteraines circular hike between Gennevilliers and Villeneuve-la-Garenne is another option. It is rated easy, is 7.9 kilometers long, and has a total elevation gain of 10 meters. The start and finish are at Gennevilliers station, served by RER C and tram line T1. The hike and train offer different experiences: the route and elevation gain are the focus of the hike, while the train ride includes stops along the way. Route details may change if infrastructure is redeveloped; check connections before setting out, too.
The Ferme des Chanteraines complements these options with nature education, opportunities to discover animals, and activities that raise environmental awareness. The program also includes family workshops. Dates vary, which is worth bearing in mind if you are planning to attend a specific workshop.
Theater, art, and history
The Théâtre de Gennevilliers, also known as T2G, is a national drama center focusing on contemporary theater productions. Its program changes over time. If you would like to attend a performance during your stay, check the theater’s schedule against your travel dates.
You can also encounter art in the arrows designed by Daniel Buren: they serve as both signposts and artworks, all pointing toward the Théâtre de Gennevilliers. The installation dates from 2007. Here, the wayfinding function itself becomes part of the artistic design.
The well-known Galerie Édouard-Manet presents exhibitions by emerging artists from the French art scene. It offers independent curators flexible exhibition formats, and its programs introducing contemporary art are aimed at all audiences. This makes the gallery another cultural highlight alongside the theater. As the exhibition program may change, it is worth checking the dates for your travel period.
The parish church of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine also offers a clear historical point of reference. The first stone of the present-day church was laid in 1650, and it was consecrated in 1665. These dates mark two different milestones: the start, with the laying of the first stone, and the later consecration. Those interested in local history can set these dates alongside the contemporary cultural offerings.
Markets and planning your stay
The city’s everyday life includes four markets, located in the centers of residential neighborhoods. There is a market in Gennevilliers every day; individual schedules may change. Check the dates if you would like to include a market visit in your plans.
When choosing Gennevilliers as a place to stay, you can plan around your interests: the Parc des Chanteraines and the circular hike offer different ways to enjoy nature and outdoor activities, while T2G and the gallery put contemporary culture in the spotlight. The markets add a glimpse of everyday life in the residential neighborhoods. If a seasonal train ride, a workshop, or a specific exhibition is a deciding factor for your trip, take the relevant dates into account when planning.
Discover more destinations: Bois-Colombes, Clamart, Antony, Saint-Cloud, Sèvres, Issy-Les-Moulineaux, Rueil-Malmaison, Malakoff
For the broader travel overview: Hauts-De-Seine.
