CanalLandmarkParkHistoric SitePromenade
Canal Saint-Martin, Paris
Paris›Île-de-France›France
4.4(1.5K reviews)
1h
1h
Free Entry
Open Now
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About Canal Saint-Martin
5-kilometer waterway in Paris's 10th arrondissement, connecting the Canal de l'Ourcq at Bassin de la Villette to the Seine at Port de l'Arsenal near Place de la Bastille. Commissioned by Napoleon in 1802 to supply fresh drinking water and inaugurated in 1825, it features four working locks, two iron swing bridges, and six pedestrian footbridges dating from the 1860s-1890s. Nearly half the canal runs underground beneath Boulevard Richard-Lenoir, covered during Haussmann's redesign of Paris.
Canal Saint-Martin — Planning Your Visit
Open 24/7
This attraction is accessible at any time, no specific opening hours required.
Marcel Carné's 1938 film "Hôtel du Nord" was shot at the canal, and features one of French cinema's most quoted lines — "Atmosphère, atmosphère!" — delivered by actress Arletty on the lock-bridge. The hotel building was nearly demolished in the 1980s, but a public campaign saved it and its facade is now a protected Historic Monument.
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