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Why you'll love the Saint Martin Canal
Not quite like the canals of Venice, the Saint Martin Canal does however have some of the same charm. Let us remember that you are in Paris and a little stroll along a canal could very well be just as romantic as Venice.
As you walk up or down the canal, the feeling of peacefulness and tranquility will give you the feeling of what a small village in France might be like. Little cafés lining the canal will invite you to sit for hours on their outside chairs, the old men fishing in the canal alone or with another friend gives the impression of being in a small fishing village. Women come with their children to play in the little parks lining the canal and on hot days, to splash in the fountains. Groups of people lazily sit on the small wall of the canal reading or discussing their personal lives. Couples stand in the middle of the bridges watching the boats go under them as they hold each other tightly.
A walk along the Saint Martin Canal makes for an overall wonderful stroll during your Paris stay.
A little
bit of history about the Saint Martin Canal
The canal was built by Napoleon in the early 1800’s as a shortcut for boats in the Seine River. This new canal changed the area around it from small suburbs to an industrial area overnight. This area is now a very important part of Paris with two of the largest train stations in the country.
Take Metro 2, 5, or 7B to the stop JAURES. As you leave the metro station, the Canal will literally be under you. Begin your walk by walking south along the canal.
You can decide to take a nice long walk (a little over an hour) that will bring you to the Bastille or you can choose a shorter route and turn left on Rue Louis Blanc until you get to the metro stop Louis Blanc (lines 7 and 7B).
Please note that as in some places in any city, it is best to visit the canal during the day rather than at night.
Once the use of roads and cars began to be the main form of transportation, this canal saw its boat traffic diminish greatly. And in the 1960’s, the canal lost almost all of its use and was going to be covered in cement. Luckily for us, that never happened.
Today, the canal is one of the most picturesque walks of Paris and yet one of the most unknown areas of Paris for tourists. As you take a stroll down the canal, don’t forget to try and find the place where the 2001 French film, Amelie, was filmed. (Hint: The part of the film when she is skipping rocks in a canal)
