How to find all EIGHT remaining towers of the Philippe Auguste Wall in Paris

First, the facts: The Philippe Auguste Wall was built around 800 years ago to protect Paris. The wall was enormous, solid, and fortified by 77 large towers, which were spaced out every sixty metres or so.

To get a better idea of what the wall looked like with its towers, here are a few pictures and maps.

The entire wall was essentially swallowed up by an ever-growing Paris – and now only chunks of it remain.

This week I retraced the south-west edge of this wall and revealed to the Earful Tower listeners three hidden towers – as in three of the original 77. You can read that post here.

And if we go further back, I retraced the other half of the Left Bank here, and earlier still I did the same thing on the Right Bank.

Now that (I think) I’ve seen it all, I can confidently say that I believe there are eight of the 77 towers remaining, all in varying condition.

Here’s how to find them all, and I’ve named them so you know what you’re in for when you arrive. Addresses are included. Happy hunting.

1) The perfume tower

This has got to be the most unexpected part of the Philippe Auguste wall in Paris.

A massive tower is hidden in plain sight within the headquarters of the beauty emporium: Buly 1803. It stands tall in the middle of a room surrounded by all sorts of modern day office paraphernalia.

The tower looks enormous compared to other towers from the wall, likely because it has a ceiling that it stretches into. It also features ancient wooden beams protruding from the middle of the tower, and a huge crack runs down the side of it – big enough to put your whole hand into.

You can also see what were likely once windows. It is extraordinary to think this tower has managed to escape the clutches of modern time.

The entire wall is juxtaposed by the location is it found in: the e-commerce preparation room for Buly 1830. Leaning up against the ancient wall are boxes of perfume ready to send around the world.

Where to find it: 29 Rue Guénégaud, 75006 Paris.
Note: This is an office. Please show extreme respect for everyone if you’re going to head in.

2) The carpark tower

This section of the wall is hidden deep down in the depths of a private parking garage. It is rather tricky to visit if you don’t have a car – the entry door is locked. In the quest for knowledge, I did a stake-out in front of the garage and snuck in behind a customer. I do not advise this.

The parking garage is spread across two floors underground. I headed down to the bottom floor first where I was greeted by magnificent vestiges of the Philippe Auguste Wall. Down here, the wall is behind a protective glass and lit from below, as if it was a museum display. Thanks to this glass and the underground location, the wall is in pristine condition – this is another rare find.

The wall runs through the middle of the car park for for about the length of a basketball court. In the centre, a road has been carved out for cars to pass, and you can see the thickness of wall – about 3 metres (10 feet).

This level of the carpark (-2) showcases the base of the wall. Remember, this parking garage is two floors underground, so Paris has risen a considerable amount in 800 years.

After exploring the bottom level of the garage I headed upstairs to find more (see pics below). Here it is about three metres high and is in incredible condition – but is totally filthy with a thick layer of dust. It’s clear that not many tourists haven’t been down here for quite some time.

Address: Once again, I don’t advise sneaking in, but if you really want to: the private parking garage is located at 27 Rue Mazarine, 75006 Paris

3) The restaurant tower

At the Brasserie Des Prés, a new restaurant, one of the Philippe Auguste towers is the centrepiece. This restaurant is very cosy, well lit, and the best part is you can sit up with your shoulder against the wall and enjoy a nice meal.

The restaurant is spread over two floors, so if you’re looking to sit next to the wall you need a spot on the ground floor. This is a great spot to eat some reasonably priced French food – what’s more, it is located down one of the oldest streets in Paris.

Address: 6 Cr du Commerce Saint-André, 75006 Paris

4) The museum tower

This is one of my favourites and is located inside a museum for something completely different. The museum is the Tour Jean-sans-Peur. If you look closely to your left upon entering the museum, you’ll see the tower. That little entrance pictured below leads to an office, and if you ask nicely you can look inside. Fancy that: An office inside an 800-year-old tower!

Address: 20 Rue Étienne Marcel, 75002 Paris

5) The park tower

Our next tower is inside a Marais park called Le jardin des Rosiers – Joseph-Migneret, which is open to the public. I’d bet most people who enter this park don’t even realize they’re walking past an ancient tower. This one is different because you can literally walk into the tower’s interior, there are (disappointingly) often garbage bins stored there.

If you’re good at sneaking into nearby courtyards, you can see the exterior of the tower too (pictured below, left).

6) The basketball tower

A personal favourite here… this tower is right in the middle of the longest remaining stretch of the wall, which runs alongside an outdoor basketball court.

Now don’t be mistaken, the tower is in the middle of the wall, near the basketball court. To the northern edge of the wall is a mammoth tower-looking vestige – but this was actually a gate into the city. Amazing to consider, but not a tower, so we won’t think too much about it for this list.

7) The inner tower

This is perhaps the least exciting on the list, but the story behind it is cool. Council workers discovered this tower only recently while building an airshaft for the Metro. It stands along the busy rue du Louvre at number 11 and is very easy to miss, so look carefully!

8) The double tower

And lastly: Head past the security at the Credit Municipale de Paris and follow the tracks to a hidden courtyard. At the end of the courtyard is our eighth tower, but it has clearly had a facelift. The top half, made in brick, was added much more recently than the 800-year-old tower at the base.

This tower is interesting as you can look down to see that the ground level has clearly risen dramatically over the centuries.

Bonus: The forgotten archway

This isn’t a tower, but it’s an intriguing remnant of the wall. In the fifth arrondissement, two floors below a post office on rue Cardinal Lemoine, there is an ancient stone archway. It was built into the wall to let the Bievre river flow into Paris and to the abby of some monks. This arch was a part of the Philippe Auguste Wall, and is by far the hardest vestige to find. The post office only opens it to the public at 2.30pm on the first Wednesday of each month for a free guided tour that’s only in French.

That’s it! If you enjoyed this story, read my Left Bank wall explore here and my Right Bank one here.

If you really enjoyed it, and let’s face it, no one else in Paris is doing this kind of thing in English, then become a Patreon member of The Earful Tower to unlock the 1 hour video of my treasure hunt along this wall. I got into five inner courtyards, interviewed locals, and even walked along a hidden rampart. Direct link here.