There don’t seem to be any comprehensive written guides of any sort that tell people how to actually GET to Lisses, the birth place of Parkour. So I hope this will help all future Lisses “pilgrims”. For a spectacular video of Lisses and around it, please watch TK17’s Pilgrimage video. It can usually be found on Google Video. This ‘guide’ has the main areas listed in bold so it’s easy to tell the important points from my usual ramblings and digressions. The only red part in this is to point out where you shouldn’t be on your way to during the journey. If at any point you would like to correct what I’m saying, provide simple constructive criticism, or ask me to add anything, please email me at drhobo2@gmail.com. Lisses: There And Back
It wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that for any traceur or freerunner, a trip to Lisses is a momentous occasion. It is a memory that sticks like glue in your mind, it is a time that makes you feel that your x number of years training has finally amounted to something. With a place that seems to be built for Parkour, it’s funny that quite a few people don’t know where it is or how to get there. Let’s try to remedy that shall we?
Where Is It?
Lisses is sleepy little suburb of Paris, a small town that butts up gently against the walls of Évry. It’s situated in the Essonne département, Île De France region and if you want to get any more specific than that, it’s in France, in Europe, on the Eurasian continent, Earth, 3rd planet from the Sun, a G2V class star, the Solar system, the Orion Spur, Sagittarius Arm, the Milky Way, The Local Group, The Virgo Supercluster, The Universe.
So no problem in locating it then? Good. Well, for those not familiar with such a simple galactic address, I’ll explain further.
Lisses lies about 35km outside of Paris which suddenly gets you wondering if it’s still a suburb. It is. It’s quite small and Évry is only about a 10 minute walk to the North-East once your there. There are a few hotels and restaurants but mostly, it is just a town. Probably much like the one you may live in….People live there. Évry contains a more lively culture, but mostly is the same, only on a larger scale.
It is fresh and varied and multicultural. People are generally kind and courteous. Overall, the weather stays quite pleasant, much like the people. Don’t expect a utopia though. There is crime. Be careful and cautious. Like every city, there are bad parts. If you wander, make sure you wander with someone who knows their way around.
If I have to make a plug here, it’s to tell you to visit the boulangerie/patisserie on the Long Royage in Lisses. Just Do It.
How Would I Get There?
This is all for the usual ways to get there. If you decide to take some other way, my two questions would be: 1: Why complicate it? 2: How much money do you have?(Helicopter, Horse and Carriage, Elephant)/ How insane are you?(Walking, biking, skating, crawling, running).
The main ways to get to Lisses, short of gliding, hovercraft and sky-diving, are car, train and plane.
If you travel by train or plane, you will most likely be heading for Paris, in which case, you would take a train to Évry. I’ll move on to that soon.
Car is quite simple. Head for Paris. Whether you’re coming from Britain via the ferry or coming across the continent, head for Paris, and the A6. This road runs like a backbone through France, linking Paris and Lyon. You want to be following this, looking for signs for Évry/Courcouronnes. The turn-off’s are pretty obvious and you want to be preferably looking for Exit 9. Don’t worry if you miss it or turn off early. The signs around the place are quite informative.
If by train, your best taking the Eurostar unless you live close enough to take a different train. Head for Paris Gare Du Nord. Once in the station, head downstairs, following the signs, grab your RER D (Green) tickets for dirt cheap, then keep following the signs for RER D (Green) Line.
If by plane, you’ll be looking to land in the Charles De Gaulle Airport. Then you’ll want to take the RER B(3) Line (Blue) to Gare Du Nord. From here, the journey becomes the same as if you were to travel by train. Take a train to Chatelet Les Halles on any one you can find. Normally on the D1 or D2 Lines. If there is a direct line to Évry, take it. When I went, it happened that there wasn’t.
When you reach Chatelet Les Halles, keep your eye on the boards. They will list where the train is going to. We didn’t know this so spent a good half an hour waiting, not realizing that the train that seemed to be going in the Paris direction, was actually stopping and reversing back towards Évry.
Remember, the signs show where the train is going to, not the full list of the stations it visits. Do yourself a favour and don’t be idiots like we were/are. Look for Évry/Courcouronnes.
The line will normally go to either Melun or Corbiel Essonnes. Regardless, pick up a map at the station (they are smaller than a credit card) and follow the stations as you go. If you realize you’re not going the right way, disembark at the next stop and find help. Outside of Paris, people are lovely. Even the French hate the Parisians.
If you’re heading in the right directions then the stations should start with the following letters: G, M, L, V, V, V, V, L, V G, O, Évry/Courcouronnes. The first four V’s in that are quite important. If, after the 3rd V, it changes to an M, get off the train. That means you are at Montgeron-Crosne and on the wrong line. The next split in the line isn’t so terrible as either way, you’ll be heading to Évry, it’s just that Évry/Courcouronnes is closer to where you want to be. A lot closer.
If, at this point, you are in Évry, congratulations!!! It’s not an easy trip is it?
From here, you want to be heading towards the university library and taking one of the bridge across the A6, turning either left or heading straight on, depending on which bridge you took, and waltzing, smugly, into the Formule Un. By the way, on Google Earth, there are a lot of place calling themselves the Formule Un. You want the one across the road from the round about.
To head home, normally there will be a train direct from Évry to Paris Gare Du Nord. By plane, from here, you will take the B Line to the airport. By train, it’s just across the station to your train. If there is no direct line, reverse the journey you see above.
You are now in Lisses. The trip was a hard slog, but worth it. Don’t waste any time and go do what you enjoy most.
If at any time you get lost or confused, ASK! Remember, English is quite a popular language.
Article courtesy of Tio.
wow i would really like to go there it looks awesomes
Yeah Id love to go too… It would be seriously epic!
me and my buddies are goin on a road trip!
I wanna go ö
Wow. i would cool to go there