Strolling along pretty Canal Saint Martin or north along the Bassin de la Villette, makes for a really lovely walk to take along this unique part of Paris. Sometimes you just want to be distracted by either pretty tree shaded vistas, interesting things to see, romantic water views and people.
The canals that Napoleon built can offer all four, and it is easily accessible and free, except if you want to see all of it in riding in an excursion boat.
It all started with Napoleon’s concern about bringing in another source of drinking water other than the Seine, when he ordered the construction of the canals in 1802.
By that time the Seine was already quite polluted by the city’s sewage, and of course that included waste from Hospital Dieu, Paris’s main hospital.
The basin of la Villette, in the northern part of the city, was filled in 1808 from water diverted by a network of canals from the River L’Ourcq.
Canal Saint Martin, which connected the basin to the Seine via the Port L’Arsenal, was completed in 1824.
Parts of it were initially not covered over, but when Haussmann felt the canal impeded direct thoroughfares, he hid a part under Blvd Richard Lenoir that then opened up again at Port Arsenal with its entry into the Seine.
The basin of La Villette, which in late July and August takes on a merriment of its own offering all sorts of leisure diversions as a part of an extension of Paris Plage, will be held under strict scrutiny and security this year.
Excursions boats can be taken from here to go on the northern canal L’Ourcq crossing over the city border into the department of Seine Saint Denis towards Pantin and beyond.
This canal had factories and warehouses on both sides of the banks and now is undergoing a rejuvenation of sorts with parks and community attraction centers, like the Grand Moulins de Pantin.
The northern Canal L’Ourcq has tree studded lanes and both sides are great for bicycling as long as you are very careful not to fall in like I saw the last time I was there.
The vistas outside the city reminded me of some of the impressionistic paintings offering somewhat of a country feel. A big plus is that it becomes much quieter the further away you are from the city limits.
The Philharmonic of Paris is now housed nearby in their new shiny silver futuristic building.
The pretty elevating bridge of Rue Crimée is from 1885 and still is a solid work horse. Cafés and a movie complex are around the basin.
Whether you want to head towards the northern canal or go south along Canal Saint Martin, the basin de la Villette is a good starting point. It can be reached next to the metro stop Stalingrad.
Canal Saint Martin is 4.5 kilometers long and has nine locks and dams, which makes it an interesting stroll hoping to catch one of the excursion boats navigating through.
I do not understand why nine of these were needed, but I presume the early engineers must have had good reason.
I find the whole process quite interesting and fun to follow as the boats enter the locks and how they are pulled up by flooding the locks, which looks like a tedious maneuver.
Boats coming from the Seine have to be elevated up with the surging waters from the next basin flooding in and I never fail to enjoy the whole procedure from start to end.
When the water level reaches that of the following basin the gates open to allow the boat to pass through.
There is not much leeway on either side of the canal, so the captain must have a steady hand at the wheel!
Excursion boats start at the Port of the Arsenal and go to Villette and then one can also take them back to the Arsenal.
Part of the trip, the boat is underground from metro stop Bastille until it reaches Rue Faubourg du Temple near Republique.
They have a wine tasting excursion on one, which seems appropriate enough since a wine tax was levied by Napoleon to help pay for the construction of the canal.
Perhaps that would also help ply away the time, at least for me, while going through un
der ground, though it is lit throughout.
At night Canal Saint Martin takes on another dimension with its lamplights and is extremely popular with the young crowd to the extent that complaints started to occur about the noise level and trashing of the banks with wine and beer bottles.
The canal was emptied and cleaned this spring of debris which had been carelessly thrown in over several years, including plumbing fixtures and bicycles. 
The other weekend I saw a few plunges in for a bath to escape the unrelenting heat.
On both sides the cafes were full and the very old Hotel Du Nord, made famous by the early 1938 film of the same name, remains a popular place to stop.
Parts of the canal are wide open and the other are narrow tree shaded with adorable tiny foot bridges that cross.
Cobblestones line the majority of the length and there are a few little gardens created along the way, some with their own lock and dam houses.
You can continue to travel by foot over the covered section till you reach Bastille where the canal opens up again into the pleasure boat marina called the Port de L’Arsenal.
One of the largest and best outdoor markets of Paris, Le Marché Richard Lenoir, is held over the covered section on Thursdays and Sundays, which is best to start from Bastille.
There you will find a large terraced restaurant offering a view over the port filled with all sizes of yachts, some home to year round boat dwellers.
The majority of the boats here are kept for going out onto the Seine that requires another lock and dam to reach.
Rather than trying to walk the whole length of Canal Saint Martin, you probably would want to opt to either just exploring the Arsenal or seeing the canal between Republique and Stalingrad.
I rarely try to hit both of them, as each has their own charms depending on your mood and what you like to see.
In so far as canal excursion boats, I have only taken the one from Villette north along the L’Ourcq, as I prefer to do Canal Saint Martin by foot.
Either canal, whether north or south will offer unusual experiences to visit the other side of Paris, that is not always crowded with scores of tourists.
For me, it is always a pleasurable walk indeed!