Canal Saint-Martin to La Villette: Paris Along the Water, a Self-Guided Paris Walk
2h30. 2.8 miles. From Canal Saint-Martin, quai de Valmy to Parc de la Villette.
Follow the water north from the iron footbridges of Canal Saint-Martin to the wide basin of La Villette: locks, a film-famous hotel, a 17th-century hospital courtyard, and canal-side terraces where the north-east of Paris lives outdoors. The city at its most local.
The local move
On Sundays the canal banks go car-free and all of Paris comes out. Grab a coffee at a quai de Valmy cafe, walk the locks, and picnic on the basin edge with the locals.
Best time to go
Sunday, when the quays are car-free, or any late afternoon into the evening.
When to avoid it
Rainy weekdays, when the canal's charm is mostly in its outdoor life.
The stops
Canal Saint-Martin locks
The tree-lined canal with its nine locks and iron footbridges, best watched from the swing bridges as barges pass.
Tip: The double lock by rue de Lancry is the most photogenic; wait for a boat, it is worth the ten minutes.
Hotel du Nord
The facade made famous by Marcel Carne's 1938 film, now a bistro on the quai de Jemmapes.
Tip: Atmosphere counts more than the menu; a drink on the terrace is the right dose.
Cour de l'hopital Saint-Louis
The serene brick-and-stone courtyard of a 17th-century hospital, built under Henri IV and hidden in plain sight near the canal.
Tip: Enter from rue Bichat on weekdays and walk straight into the old quadrangle; it is public and nearly always empty.
Point Ephemere
A canal-side arts and music venue in an old warehouse, with a terrace on the water.
Tip: Good pause for a drink; check their program, early evening shows are cheap.
Rotonde de la Villette
Ledoux's neoclassical toll pavilion of 1788, now a restaurant and bar facing the basin at Stalingrad.
Tip: The view of the elevated metro crossing behind the rotunda is pure Paris cinema.
Bassin de la Villette
The widest stretch of water in Paris: boules, picnics, cinema barges and terraces on both banks.
Tip: The MK2 cinemas face each other across the water and a little boat ferries you between them.
Pont levant de la rue de Crimee
The last lifting bridge in Paris, an 1885 industrial spectacle when a barge comes through.
Tip: From here, continue ten minutes into Parc de la Villette, or detour to CENTQUATRE, the arts centre on rue Curial.
Ways to change it up
Buttes-Chaumont finish
End at Parc des Buttes-Chaumont instead, fifteen minutes east: cliffs, a temple on a lake island, and the best sunset lawn in the north of Paris.
About these walks
This is one of the free self-guided Paris walks written by the Chic Trip team, locals who plan and book full Paris trips for American travelers. Get our free insider Paris guide at chic-trip.com/free-paris-guide, or have us plan your whole trip at chic-trip.com/paris-travel-planner.
