Place d'Armes
Start where the locals start. Place d'Armes is the social living room of the old town, a paved square ringed with cafe terraces and shaded by lime trees that French troops planted back in the 1600s. The square was finished in 1671 and the nickname stuck: people call it the salon de la ville, the city's drawing room. It is always open and free to enter, part of the car-free pedestrian zone, so you get no traffic noise, just the bandstand kiosk, buskers in summer, and the Christmas market in December. Grab a coffee at one of the terraces before you move, because the next stretch involves stairs and you will want the legs warm. The Cercle Cité building on the square is the grand neoclassical one with the relief above the door. Practical tip: this is also the best orientation point in the city, so note where you are now, you will pass back near here. Public toilets sit just off the square if you need them before the walk proper begins.
3-minute walk












