Page 266 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Paris

264  P ARIS AREA B Y AREA

A 90-Minute Walk along the Canal St-Martin

The walk along the quays on either side of the Canal St-Martin
is an experience of Paris very different from that of smarter
districts. Here, the older surviving landmarks of the
neighbourhood – the factories, warehouses, dwellings,
taverns and cafés – hint at life in a thriving 19th-century
industrial, working-class world. But there are also the gentler
charms of the old iron footbridges, the tree-lined quays, the
inevitable fishermen, the river barges, and the still waters
of the broad canal basins. A walk along the canal, which
connects the Bassin de la Villette with the Seine, will evoke
images of the Pernod-drinking, working-class Paris of Jean
Gabin and Edith Piaf. The 18th-century Stalingrad
Rotonde de la Villette 2 1 3
2 4 AVENUE JEAN JAURES
R D FAUBOURG ST MARTIN
RUE LA FAYETTE Jaurès

A VE SE CRETAN
Louis 6 QUAI DE VALMY
Blanc BLANC 5 BLVD DE LA VILLETTE
R LOUIS
Canal St Martin R LOUIS BLANC
Bassin de la Villette looking north 3 R EUG VARLIN
Place de Stalingrad to fountains, square and terraces 7 9
Avenue Jea n-Jaurès were designed in the 1980s to V A L M Y 8
From the Stalingrad Metro provide an attractive setting R DE ECLUSES
station 1, follow Boulevard de and fine views of the Bassin D E 0 ST MARTIN
la Villette to the square in front de la Villette 3 to the north. q
of the Rotonde de la Villette 2. Walk towards Avenue Q U A I R DE LA GRANGE
This is one of the few remaining Jean-Jaurès. On the left is RUE DES RECOLLETS AUX BELLES
18th-century tollhouses in Paris, the first lock 4 leading w
designed by the celebrated down to the canal, as well t
Neo-Classical architect Nicolas as the art-house cinema e u r
Ledoux in the 1780s. The chain MK2’s landmark RUE LUCIEN SAMPAIX y
complexes, which are linked
Tips for Walkers together by a boat. RUE DE LANCRY i Q U A I Canal St Martin R BICHAT
RUE ALIBERT
Q U A I
Starting point: Place de D E
Stalingrad.
Length: 3.5 km (2 miles). R DIEU V A L M Y J E M M A P E S RUE BICHAT
Getting there: The nearest Metro RUE BEAUREPAIRE D E
is Stalingrad: bus No. 54 stops BLVD DE MAGENTA
there, and No. 26 at Metro Jaurès. RUE LEON JOUHAUX o p
Hôpital St-Louis: Chapel open
2–5pm Fri–Sun; the courtyard is République RUE DU s a
DU TEMPLE
open Mon–Fri. BLVD ST MARTIN FAUBOURG
Stopping off points: Ethnic food REPUBLIQUE BLVD JULES FERRY
shops and restaurants abound in
PLACE DE LA
the lively Rue du Faubourg du
Temple and nearby streets. The
Quai de Valmy and Rue Beaupaire Key
offer plenty of modish restaurants Walk route
and bars (Le Point Ephémère, The
Hôtel Du Nord, Chez Prune).
There is a shady public garden
on Boulevard Jules Ferry. 0 metres 500
View from Rue E Varlin bridge 7 0 yards 500

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