4.5km canal connecting the Canal de l'Ourcq to the Seine, built under Napoleon between 1802 and 1825. Nine locks, two swing bridges, and tree-lined quays that have become the heart of hipster Paris. Sunday afternoons see locals picnicking on the cobblestones with wine and cheese.
Location
Canal Saint-Martin, Paris
Map
Insider Intel
Walk the length from République to Stalingrad (2km) in either direction. The southern section near République has more bars and cafés; the northern stretch near Jaurès is quieter. Bring wine and snacks for a quayside picnic. Watch the locks operate if a boat passes through.
Sunday afternoon for the full picnic-on-the-quay experience. Golden hour for the light filtering through the plane trees. Avoid rainy days when the cobblestones become slick.
The canal was built to supply Paris with fresh water and enable river transport, bypassing the busy Seine. Nearly filled in during the 1970s to create an expressway — locals fought to save it, and it became a protected site in 1993. The cast-iron footbridges and arched stonework are pure 19th-century industrial design. The neighbourhood around the canal (10e/11e) gentrified rapidly in the 2000s and is now the epicentre of Parisian hipster culture. This is where locals hang out, not tourists.