Canal Saint Martin: The Authentic Paris Neighbourhood You’ll Want to Visit Again and Again

Just two stops from Gare du Nord, the funky Canal Saint Martin district in 10th arrondissement of Paris is the perfect base for Eurostar breaks or arrivals from Charles de Gaulle airport. If you’re looking for a neighbourhood to make the most of your stay in the French capital, one that feels genuinely Parisian, walkable and understatedly chic, start here.

 

How I discovered Canal Saint Martin

Around the Millennium, on my first self-organised trip to Paris, rather than trying to stay near tourist attractions, I picked a gritty segment of the 10th arrondissement. My worn copy of Le Guide Routard – how we found places before the internet – described the streets around Canal Saint Martin as “up and coming”. Whilst it was still rough around the edges, we found the metal canal bridges and village-feel full of personality. Twenty years on, the area is an firmly established touchstone for Parisian urban cool.

Handily located for arrivals on Eurostar (20-minutes’ walk), I make a point of passing by Canal Saint Martin each time I visit Paris. The rectangle between Boulevard Magenta and the tree-lined quay boasts numerous characterful streets to browse boutiques or pause over coffee. By night there are animated bars, live entertainment venues, and restaurants serving global cuisine. Think earthy Shoreditch or Hoxton – as the London equivalent – rather than a well-heeled Chelsea.

Over the years, I’ve watched businesses come and go, yet still find the area charming. If I moved to Paris, this is where I’d live. For now, if I had 48 hours there, this is how I might spend my time.

Mornings: Bakeries and Coffee

Du Pain et des Idées draws lengthy queues and posing influencers to its picture postcard exterior. Speciality items include l’escargot pistache-chocolat, a coiled puff pastry, chausson aux pommes (apple turnovers) and naturally, breads made with organic eggs and flour.

For a sit-in alternative, Liberté is a contemporary bakery café with huge windows and whitewashed walls. Selling pastries and sandwiches, Liberté manages to feel like an East London coffee shop and traditional Parisian bakery in equal measure.

La Maison du Barista on Rue Beaurepaire runs coffee tasting sessions with an expert barista, as well as latte art classes.

Walking Along Canal Saint Martin

Everyone heads towards the Seine, but Canal Saint Martin is an old Parisian waterway with unique character. French canals and barges are wider than British ones, which means the waterside is broad and open at street level. You can stroll along the towpath, right by the water, adjacent roads and businesses – rather than being submerged in a heavily shrubbed ditch. The waterway is a proud feature of the area with working locks allowing barges to float past.

Quai de Valmy stretches down the western quay. A good place to start a canal-side walk is where the route bends gently at Jardin Villemin, a small local park with a community vegetable garden. South from here there are wide basin areas interspersed with narrower locks lined with plane trees.

A children’s playground, a 1970s school adjacent to the canal, and the nearby Saint Martin Marché Couvert (indoor food market) prove this is an area where real Parisian families still live, even if they might risk being priced out by developers. Graffiti tags are gradually being replaced by street art; a branch of ice cream chain, Amorino Gelato, on the quayside indicates the pull of global investors.

Nevertheless, this district retains a bohemian personality. On lighter evenings, particularly towards weekends, the paved quay draws young Parisians sitting outside to drink bottled beers after work. It’s a youthful scene that was recently depicted in fairy-lit fashion on Emily in Paris. Glamour aside, there was some truth – and more likely “les baskets” than Laboutin – behind the tableau.

Another prime position to watch the occasional barge float past is from one of the iron pedestrian bridges straddling the banks. I first saw these bridges in the 1990s classic French film Amélie, where Audrey Tatou skims pebbles across the canal basin whilst balancing with one arm on the lock.

The sound of water cascading from the locks, the green shade under the plane trees, and sunlight reflecting on the water make Canal Saint Martin an atmospheric walking route. A natural place to U-turn is where the canal goes underground and is covered by a band of urban parkland. The water resurfaces near the Bastille but if you’re staying this end, the stretch along the quays offers plenty of lunch spots.

Lazy Lunch Options Around Canal Saint Martin

There are crêperies either side of the water, notably Breizh Café on the eastern side Quai de Jemmapes. Originally launched by a French chef in Tokyo, Japanese flavours such as matcha, yuzu and wasabi co-exist with a traditional creperie menu.

Sol Semilla is a vegan café offering fresh salads; whilst west of Boulevard Magenta, Holybelly has been serving Aussie-style brunch menus such as brioche with eggs and mushrooms, for around fifteen years. Alternatively, you might grab picnic ingredients from Saint Martin Marché Couvert.

Afternoons: Shops and Boutiques

Labels such as Antoine et Lili, APC, and Agnès B have had bases around Canal Saint Martin for decades. More recently, a cluster of boutiques and vintage shops has sprung up around Rues de Marseille and Beaurepaire, including Soeur, Saaj Paris and the inclusive sizing curve label, Heroïnes. You’ll also find vintage stores such as Frivoli and Limousine, alongside sustainable boutiques such as We Dress Fair and Bonjour Demain selling ethical casualwear.

Potemkine is another quirky coffee shop selling cinema posters; Bonjour Jacob sells magazines and Record Station in Rue des Recollets sells vintage vinyl. Designer chocolatier William Artigue has also recently opened a shop in the area.

Early Evening: Pubs and Cocktail Bars

Bars spill onto the streets either side of the canal; La Ciderie du Canal on Quai de Valmy serves a cider-oriented selection, Chez Prune is a longstanding locals’ favourite with a pool table. Carburant is a newer pub-style bar serving craft beers. Gravity Bar on Rue des Vinaigriers serves cocktails with tapas. Although we are close to the site of the 2015 terror attacks – a low-key memorial sits on one of the road bridges – the area’s appeal for partying has not diminished.

Evening: Dinner and Live Entertainment

For a sit-down dinner, L’Atmosphère, serves hearty dishes in a noisy wood-clad interior. More refined, Les Enfants Perdus bistro has been here since my original version of this post in 2012. Sur Mer and sister restaurant Comptoir Sur Mer both sell seafood-oriented menus. For entertainment alongside your dinner, Le Paname Art Café serves food whilst you watch stand-up comedy. Other live entertainment venues such as L’Alhambra and New Morning underline the area’s long-lived arts scene.

Hotels near Canal Saint Martin

Close to two Metro stations at Jacques Bonsergent and Republique, this is a convenient area to access the rest of Paris. Various chain hotels are represented nearby, of these, I’ve often noticed that Ibis Styles Republique is one of the best value options in central Paris with a buffet breakfast included.

Hotel Garden Saint Martin is the original Rue Yves Toudic hotel we stayed in on our first trip; it’s since benefited from a boutique-hotel glow-up but remains decent value. Nearby are also Hotel Magenta 38 and Le Citizen Hotel.

These hotels are all in the three-star bracket and similarly priced.

Summary

Overall, Canal Saint Martin is a characterful location for a budget stay in Paris, as opposed to a luxurious one. The hotels may not offer spa treatments or sumptuous interiors, nor are the restaurants haute cuisine. This reflects that the area is more down to earth than the Champs Elysees or Boulevard Saint Germain even if it’s now cooler than ever. If you want an area in central Paris that’s safe to wander around but still feels a bit gritty, you know where to come.

 

Read my other posts about Paris:

• Our Paris Highlights
• The Best Paris Patisseries on Instagram
• Camping in Paris at Maisons-Laffitte with Eurocamp
• 21 things to do in Paris with kids
• Ladurée window displays at Easter
• In the footsteps of Amelie Poulain (a tour of Montmartre and Canal St Martin)
• The Paris of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean Paul Sartre (Montparnasse and St Germain)