Tired in Paris?
When you find yourself “churched-out”, “museumed-out”, ”fooded-out”, and “walked-out” .... consider taking the small canal ride Rick mentions from Basille Plaza to Villette. Small canal - ordered built by Napoleon. Away from tourist areas. This is not to be confused with the big tourist boats on the Seine. We were the only Americans. Twice daily. 2 1/2 hours. Teens and pre-teens will enjoy it - Tom Cruise used it in his latest movie. Return by Metro 7 back into the heart of Paris. We had a very informative French/English commentator. Very interesting.
Bring your lunch. Can pre-purchase tickets through your iPhone - gets you a small discount and priority boarding. Fascinating to pass through several locks - a good teaching moment for all. And you sit for 2 1/2 hours - a foot vacation. Details in RS Paris book. Worthwhile.
Posted by
11 posts
Thank you for this information! We leave in 3 weeks, and I have been looking for different things to do.
Posted by
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
8293 posts
When you are at la Villette, visit the Science Park, just a short stroll from where the canal boat docks. Great for adults and kids.
Posted by
franktown, colorado
2252 posts
Thank you, angelina521 for posting this information. I'll add it to my "Relax..." list for our Paris trip this summer.
Posted by
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
4088 posts
Bastille, I suspect. The canal locks are fun, glancing into the adjacent apartment building windows. But not for the first third of the distance, which is through a tunnel, so not exactly scenic but certainly novel. Lots to see and do around Villette, too.Or do it in reverse, down stream.
Posted by
Florida (previously California)
3990 posts
Well, if you are tired in Paris, the canal cruise from Bastille to Parc Villette will be very restful indeed. It is slow moving and you sit for 2.5 hours as noted by the OP. You may want to bring a light jacket because it can be cold on the canal. Fair warning: some will enjoy it and others will be bored out of their minds. My children were a preteen and a teen when we did that cruise and I still cannot convince them and their father to try another canal cruise because they were so bored with the Canal Saint Martin cruise. I found it to be okay but I was freezing.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6713 posts
We had fun on this Canal St-Martin cruise, in warm weather. Those who sat in the front rows got wet a few times when canal locks opened in front of them and water poured out. This was upstream from Bastille to Villette, presumably not a problem going the other way. I don't recall taking as long as 2.5 hours, but maybe it did. The tunnel part was boring but necessary, didn't last long.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15788 posts
I took a Canal St Martin ride (downstream) and thought it was mostly boring. Luckily I found a lot in common with the guide and when he wasn't giving his spiels, that were pretty good, we had lots of time to chat. Going through the first lock was interesting, after that, just time-consuming. It looked like Canal St Martin would be better as a relaxing walk.
Posted by
3123 posts
Another quiet, non-touristy place to visit is Parc de Sceaux. It is on the southern outskirts of Paris, not far from Orly airport, on the RER line B (Zone 3 ticket required). It has vast, picnic-friendly outdoor spaces for kids to run around. Entry to the park is free of charge. The chateau houses a museum that charges a modest entry fee.
http://www.beyond-paris.com/parc-de-sceaux.html