WALK ALONG PARIS’S HIP CANAL SAINT-MARTIN AND MOST OVERLOOKED PARK

by YouShouldGoHere
November 26, 2011
in Do This, Go Here
2

[PARIS] — One of Paris’ booming neighborhoods is the Canal Saint-Martin. You can’t miss it on the map, it’s the big gash right over there on the right.

Go for a mid-day stroll, up and down the foot bridges. I was there only in November and another time in December, but I hear it’s jammed with sunbathers and walkers during the summer. On all the side streets and boulevards facing the canal, there are cute cafes and boutique shops of just about every category. You can rent bikes in the summer and putter all up and down the canal.

Stop for lunch at the super cute Hotel du Nord, extra cool little restaurant. Some great small shops and cafes. Or pack a lunch, sit and watch the scruffy world go. Here’s a great article on Paris Insider’s Guide. TripAdvisor’s page. And a really great, detailed section on Paris Je T’aime. And AFAR’s section on the canal .

Walk Along Paris’s Hip Canal Saint-Martin

Throughout the canal’s length, there are footbridges, side parks, parks over the top, cafes, sports facilities and walking paths.

The canal used to be the way to transport materials from the Seine deep into Paris, with workshops and factories along the way.

In the 19th Century they covered bits of it up to create wide boulevards and parks over the top of it.

Shop at Very Hip Merci

I read about the cool housewares and home decor shop Merci in Monocle magazine. It’s all the rage and a tastemaker for a very tasteful city. Multiple floors showcase all the cool things you need, or don’t need. I wanted everything.

It’s just a scoooch over in the Marais, but right by the canal. It even has its own perfect little cafe. Here’s a great review in Conde Nast Traveler. And Goop.

Have an Aperitif at Hotel du Nord

From what I understand the Hotel du Nord is what really helped start the flip of this area into being a very hip destination. I’ve always wanted to go here but when I was there last, they were closed for holidays, but you can see how cute it is. (all photos are from the restaurant’s website, not mine).

(Photos from the restaurant’s website.)

Parc des Buttes-Chaumont — Paris’s Most Overlooked Park

Parc des Buttes-Chaumont is a really cool park and an unusual everything. It used to be a dump, a rock quarry, a horse-slaughtering area, a hangman’s viewing area and a sewage depository. Yum! But Baron Haussmann cleaned it all up in the 1800s to be a nice park for the growing 19th.

Go there at any time of the year, it’s always gorgeous. And almost surreal looking. My pics are from a very very cold December day and just look how beautiful it is.

Here’s another helpful post from Paris Je T’aime this park. And TripAdvisor’s park page. And from Conde Nast Traveler’s write-up.

It’s a kidney shaped 60+ acres, with an island, bridges, arches and hills, with a monumental view from the top. Loved this whole park, even on a cold December day.