An urban waterway of nine locks, iron footbridges and hidden vaults, Canal Saint-Martin links the Bassin de la Villette with the Seine. Built for water supply and freight, it became a neighborhood promenade after an expressway plan was abandoned in 1971.
Quick facts
Napoleon’s 1802 decision revived a plan to bring Ourcq water to Paris; Canal Saint-Martin construction resumed in 1822 and Charles X inaugurated it on 4 November 1825.
The 4.5-kilometre canal links Bassin de la Villette with the Seine at Bassin de l’Arsenal; about 2 kilometres are vaulted and nine locks manage a 25-metre fall.
The Conseil de Paris abandoned the proposed north–south expressway replacing the canal on 15 December 1971, after planning debate and growing opposition.
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Look down the canal and the city’s history appears in alternating scenes: a boat waits between lock gates, an iron footbridge crosses the water, then the channel disappears beneath a boulevard. Canal Saint-Martin is not one picturesque stretch but a 4.5-kilometre waterway entirely within Paris, linking the Bassin de la Villette in the northeast to the Seine at the Bassin de l’Arsenal near Bastille. Its route passes through the 19th, 10th, 11th, 4th and 12th arrondissements.
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