Canals of Paris?

Ed??

Hmmm... It has been a few years ... didn't take the canal trip per se but did walk (at least one way) to the science park (that Norma mentions) and recall it being an interesting outing. We'll be there (Paris) next week and were considering a repeat visit to the park during our stay. I'll be interested in how this thread evolves.

We just returned from Paris. On this trip we decided to have a look at Canal St Martin as it seemed to be interesting to observe the working of the locks. We did not do the boat ride, however. Not sure how long it would take or how many locks one would pass through but the process looked slow. The canal looked filthy--litter, debris, etc and "urban campers" sleeping under the walkways. We were underwhelmed by the area--not very attractive and cannot even imagine staying in a hotel in that part of Paris.

Don't do it. Ever.

Thomas--gee, thanks for posting this. We had that on our itinerary for this summer, but now it seems like a not so good idea! Mistake averted! Thanks posters above.

Thomas, I have done it a couple of times and I found it interesting both times. I certainly don't remember the canal being dirty on either occasion. It is a slow and leisurely way to get to La Villette, seeing on your way a part of the city you would not otherwise glimpse, and when you get there, you can walk to the Science Park from the docking area, which in itself is an excellent reason to go to La Villette. If you will have children with you they will love all the interactive science "stuff". There is even a little centre where you can leave toddlers for a while and enjoy all the exhibits. After, let the metro whisk you back to the city centre.

To elaborate:

Nothing against the park or the area -- they're kind of off the path and a pleasant change. Nice walks and good places to eat that aren't over-populated. A few years back parts of the area were a haven for homelss bums, however, and tended to be rather seedy.

What's a mess is the damn tunnel. I don't know if they ever drain and clean the canal.

(Periodically they do shut down the channel on each side of the two islands in the river -- maybe the whole river through the city, but I can't picture how. Besides the usual bunch of bikes and tires and such, the amount of animal carcases they haul out staggers the imagination.)

When I was a kid (fifties) dad wrangled us a ride on a working barge of some kind -- I thought it was neat. When I was a college bum (sixties) there were a few simple excursion boats and it was still okay. I missed the seventies somehow. I took my kids and Wife #1 through in the eighties and it was starting to go downhill (the water, the area was nowhere as nice as it is now). I missed it in the nineties again. Five or six years ago, traveling with Wife #2 and friends we did it again. The other woman puked her guts out the whole way through the tunnel. The only thing that saved me was a bunch of time around some really putrid rivers in the orient.

Besides probably not cleaning it; I suspect that, with opening the locks only for the tour boats, there's just not enough flow to flush it.

Look at the mess at the waterline of the boats in the recreational marina -- they're much worse than the boats in the river itself. Hell, look how fast the Seine flows and it still needs cleaning out.

It might just be the way the wind backs up the stink in the tunnel, but the air makes your eyes burn even at the verge and, as noted, can sometimes gag the proverbial maggot.

Give it a try. I could be dead wrong based on a sampling of a very few progressive trips. I ain't going again, even if a Wife #3 shows up.

Is it possible to take a boat ride on just the more northern part of the canal, skipping the smelly tunnel part? Otherwise, we will just walk alongside it for a bit to see the bridges. Any good places to eat alongside?

I ....THINK..... that the ride is only for the whole length, it's something less than three miles and they start either near the d'Orsay or around Parc de la Villette. You can ride in either direction. The canal itself goes out to around Meaux which is thiry miles or so. I've never noticed a hop on/off affair like the batobus.

You can walk the whole area north of the tunnel, but it's mostly commercial buildings and apartments fronting on the canal itself. Look down the side streets for places to eat. They'll be neighborhood spots, not tourist places.

off-topic - but I've been meaning to ask about the Promenade Plantee. It's on my list for this summer and I was hoping to hear some experiences. Glad it got a positive response here, thanks Steve. Does anyone else have comments on it?

The best part's along the old viaduct (not the part that goes to the far beyond which becomes tedious) since you can actually look down at the lower streets. The lower vaults have shops which are mildly interesting. What I'd do is walk the viaduct area high, turn around, and walk back low. I have no appreciation for plants, so can't comment on that aspect.

Yes, Nelly, I have strolled on the Promenade Planté a couple of times. Obviously it is best done in fine weather and if you go on a weekend you will see Parisians young and old, with dogs, children and grandmères, enjoying time together. There are lots of benches so you can sit, rest and watch. When you have had enough just find one of the numerous sets of stairs and go down to street level and then you can peer into the artisans' ateliers on your way back to Bastille, where you can drop into the opera house and visit the gift shop.

Thanks, Steve, for the memory jog and link. I see from some of the photos that that walk was part of what we discovered on our walk back from La Villette. And thanks, Ed, for the additional details (I think ;-/ ) -- we will skip the boat ride but will repeat the stroll.

Well, my friend just did the Paris canal tour today. His verdict (sent to me in a text message): "Wouldn't recommend the canal tour."

My sister and I who are middle aged women, took the canal St. Martin tour in 2008 and enjoyed it. I thought it was fascinating -- going through all the locks, viewing a new neighborhood that we wouldn't normally have seen. We went on a nice day, it was not dirty - though we did see one person who seemed to be camped out in the large tunnel you go through. Wasn't enough to turn us off. It's not a glamorous river cruise, it's funky. Depends on what you like.

We did the Paris Canal tour with my in-laws last October and all of us enjoyed it very much. It started near the Musee d'Orsay and went along the Seine before entering the Canal St. Martin.

The "captain" was hugely entertaining; he was obviously English but his French also sounded (to me) perfect--the group of French people on the upper deck found him hilarious.

The canal wasn't smelly at all. In the covered section it was kind of eerily beautiful, and he played the clarinet for a while which echoed and was very pretty. Going up through the locks was interesting, the different neighborhoods along the way were fascinating, and ending up at Parc de la Villette was a cool way to end a unique and somewhat "off the beaten path" trip.

I would recommend it without reservation.

Ah, BG and Kari !! Thank you for confirming my own thoughts and impressions on the canal trip to La Villette. Often people ask about ideas for "going off the beaten path" (remember the lengthy thread on this recently) and while the canal cruise is very much ON the path it does take you through and by parts of the City of Paris that may be gritty and un-pretty, but they are still Paris, very much so.