Street · Paris
Five Paris Corners Ranked by How Far One Bicycle Bell Carries
Sunday, 7:10 a.m., low cloud, one brass bell. Henri Castellane rode out and Pablo Iriarte-Svensson counted the metres.
By Pablo Iriarte-Svensson · Sunday, 1 November 2026 · 1 min read
5. Place de la Contrescarpe. 30 metres. The pigeons take it.
4. Rue des Martyrs. 60 metres. Shutters down, and they swallow the rest.
3. Quai de Jemmapes. 110 metres. The canal passes it along.
2. Pont des Tanneurs. 180 metres. A clean ring, then a second one from under the arch.
1. Rue de Belleville, top of the hill. 240 metres. A woman on a fourth-floor balcony looked up.
Henri still prefers the Tanneurs. Distance, he says, is not sound.