Paris > Boat cruises > St-Martin Canal Cruises > Practical information

St. Martin Canal Cruises

Page 2
Continued from page 1

ABOVE: A Paris Canal Cruises sign (with phone number) on Le Canotier's hull.

Practical information

Directions: Paris Canal boats begin their 2-1/4-hour cruise at either the Port de l'Arsenal (where the St. Martin Canal meets the River Seine) or the Parc de la Villette in northern Paris. Either direction is fine, so pick the departure time that works best with your schedule.

Departure times: The cruising season runs from late March until mid-November. Departure times vary by month, with one boat in each direction during the shoulder season and two boats in each direction during the summer. For a current timetable, visit the Paris Canal Web site (link below).

At the Villette end, you might want to allow time for a visit to the lovely Parc des Buttes-Chaumont (which was built in the 19th Century on the site of a gypsum quarry and execution ground) and the northern branch of Poilâne--formerly La Boulangerie par Véronique Mauclerc-- one of only two bakeries in Paris with wood-burning ovens (and one of the few bakeries in France that was is owned and operated by a woman).

Prices: When this article was last updated in July, 2020, individual tickets cost €22 for adults over 25, €14 for children from 4-11, and €19 for young people from 12-25 or seniors over 60. Babies and toddlers under 4 travel free. (A family ticket for two adults and two children is €54.)

Web site: Reservations are required. Book ahead on the Paris Canal Web site, which also has current information on departure times and on the company's other itineraries.

Next page: Canal St. Martin cruise photos

About the author:

Durant Imboden is a professional travel writer, book author, and editor who focuses on European cities and transportation.

After 4-1/2 years of covering European travel topics for About.com, Durant and Cheryl Imboden co-founded Europe for Visitors (including Paris for Visitors) in 2001. The site has earned "Best of the Web" honors from Forbes and The Washington Post.

For more information, see About our site, press clippings, and reader testimonials.

|   Paris for Visitors - Home  |

|  Europe for Visitors - Home  |