Les Sablons: origin of the name and station history
Served by: metro line 1.
Why this name?
The name comes from boulevard des Sablons, which leads to the porte des Sablons, an entrance to the bois de Boulogne. The station is in the commune of Neuilly-sur-Seine, under avenue Charles-de-Gaulle, between Pont de Neuilly and Porte Maillot, and opened with the extension of line 1 to Pont de Neuilly. Its subtitle « Jardin d'Acclimatation » recalls that it serves the park, on the northern edge of the wood; first in Neuilly, it has been part of Paris since 1929.
Anecdote
The tunnel towards Porte Maillot has four tracks, the central ones used for stabling trains. The station has no masts marking its entrances, only map holders, which is rare on the network. The 2008-2010 renovation, linked to the automation of line 1, made the original faience disappear, with the brown faience frames with geometric patterns that foreshadowed the CMP style of the 1940s. The Akiko seats are red.
Around Les Sablons
- Jardin d'Acclimatation, 550 m away — A famous amusement park and children's zoological garden created in 1860, on the edge of the Bois de Boulogne.
- Bois de Boulogne, 950 m away — A vast 850-hectare wood west of Paris, laid out in the 19th century in the style of London's parks.
- Fondation Louis Vuitton, 1050 m away — A contemporary art museum with a spectacular architecture by Frank Gehry, nestled in the Bois de Boulogne.