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Canal Saint-Martin
Take a nice, picturesque walk (without traffic!) in the up-and-coming neighborhood that continues to be, well, up and coming along this special canal and feel that you've left the big city behind, although you'll still be right smack in the middle of Paris. The Canal Saint Martin is a three-mile canal that is great on the budget because it’s more hanging around and being in the Zen mood, rather than spending money in a money spending mood. Find arching iron footbridges stretching over the calmly flowing water; take in the view of the serene canal, as well as views of the lock keeper’s house. Enjoy charming little parks, grab a cafe or baguette nearby, sit at the water’s edge under one of trees that dot each quai and watch the barges and boats toodle down the canal and see the rather unpretentious crowd that comes out of the Paris woodwork on sunny days.
If you’re looking for a boat trip and have the time to spare, try to book a tour with Canauxrama and for about €15, you can relax and drift along the St. Martin canal from the Port de l'Arsenal to the Bassin de la Villette, all the while taking in the quiet and quaint surroundings as you go.
Hotels and restaurants tend to be rather inexpensive in this area, so if you're watching your euros, start here, first.
Metro: Jacques Bonsergent (line 5), République (lines 3, 5, 8, 9, and 11), Strasbourg/ St-Denis (line 4, 8 and 9)
Bus: 20, 56, 65, 75 to Saint-Martin
Stories about Canal Saint-Martin
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Letters from Paris: Canal Saint Martin in the 10th
By Thirza ValloisThirza Vallois has returned to the Canal Saint Martin, for an unexpected and hilarious evening at the Hôtel du Nord. Last Updated ( Tuesday, 15 November 2005 ) -
Boat Tour on the Canal St. Martin
By Elizabeth WeathersOnce you have visited all the museums and gardens and walked yourself into pain, you might consider a quiet three-hour (three mile) canal ride (open mid-March to mid-September) to see the city from another perspective. Last Updated ( Monday, 07 April 2008 ) -
Along Canal Saint Martin: the 10th Arrondissement
By Arnie GreenbergThis area has not onlt the canal, but hotels, cafes, two railway stations, four hospitals and two triumphal arches honoring great victories on the Rhine and in Franche-Compte. It is also home to about 90,000 people on an area covering 286 hectares, about the same size as the city of Avignon. There are cultivated gardens, great missionary churches and convents. Here, the bourgeoisie settled near the grands boulevards. In the 19th century, Napoleon I agreed to a canal, stretching 4.5 km and joining the basin de la Villette and the Arsenal. It was built between 1806 and 1825 and connects the canal de l’Ourcq with the Seine. With auto transport, the canal fell into disuse but has been revitalized by tourist barges since 1990. There had been a plan to build a four-lane highway over the canal but a movement against the project swelled and the canal remains. Last Updated ( Monday, 14 November 2005 )
