Another great travel idea in my Paris Gems series.
At the time of this visit to Paris in October 2019, I had a few boat rides under my belt taken along the River Seine. However, I had yet to do a boat tour of the lovely Canal Saint-Martin. The canal intersects with the Seine. It is approximately 4.5 kilometers long. It was built by Georges-Eugène Haussmann, commonly known as the Baron Haussmann, in 1860-1862. The Canal St. Martin was part of a ginormous city improvement and renovation project assigned to Haussmann by the Emperor Napoleon III.
So Shelby and I ventured out one beautiful afternoon onto the canal. We booked on Canauxrama:
For all of their itineraries click here: https://www.canauxrama.com You can choose from different itineraries which include morning or afternoon departure times.
Specifically for the cruise featured in this article, click here:
https://www.canauxrama.com/en/cruise/seine-and-canal-st-martin-crepe-team-time-cruise.html
We chose the 3 pm cruise with a departure point of 71 Quai de Valmy 75010 Paris (métro: République) This is a two hour cruise with commentary. The actual boarding location was just a stone’s throw from the front of Hôtel de Nord. Included in our ticket was a yummy crepe, fruit or chocolate, your choice.
The canal has a completely different look and feel from the River Seine which is reason enough to climb aboard the Canauxrama. The canal is lined with trees, which in the fall will dazzle you with color, but in the spring and summer will relax you with their deep green foliage. Go past a swinging bridge, two locks and through the mysterious Bastille tunnel. This tour combines the charms of both the Saint-Martin canal, and the River Seine, encompassing so many treasured historical sites and bridges along its route.
And off we go!
The waterway remains uncovered until Square Frédéric-Lemaître. From there to the Arsenal basin (past the Place de la Bastille), the canal disappears into a tunnel.
This installment of Paris Gems, along the Canal Saint-Martin, is brought to you by your insatiable traveling friend, Judy. Recently, the Museums of Paris created a new social media hashtag in light of the havoc which Covid has wreaked on Paris tourism. And I would echo those eloquent words here: #demainjereviens (Tomorrow I am coming back!)
