Paris Beyond the Crowds: Exploring Canal Saint-Martin neighborhood
My First Visit to Canal Saint-Martin
While in Paris, we enjoyed a photowalk through the Canal Saint-Martin district. Having been lucky enough to visit Paris a handful of times over the years, I've seen the major sites and on this trip felt fed up with navigating tourist-packed boulevards in the summer heat. So, I was long overdue to explore a new area.
Quiet yet equally charming and full of lush green trees, our walk along the quay felt like the spot where the city finally exhales from busy summer crowds. Tucked away in the 10e arrondissement, the Canal Saint-Martin neighborhood felt like finding a whole new side of Paris.
Canal Saint-Martin is a neighborhood where people actually live and work. The 10th arrondissement is home to hipsters, longtime residents, immigrant communities, and artists, who all coexist without the area feeling sterile or like a living museum, unlike the rest of Paris’ city center.
With my Rolleiflex in hand, I found myself captivated by the visual poetry that Paris iconically offers… locals chatting over morning coffee, passing by on their bicycles, running errands to the boulangerie, or taking their kids to the playground. And not one chaotic TikTok line in sigh. How refreshing!
We explored on a weekday morning in the height of summer, so I suspect it was unusually quiet, with most locals out of town for summer holidays. In fact, a handful of places I tried to visit were actually closed for summer break, and that's just another reason to visit some time again!
Next time, I'd like to explore Canal Saint-Martin in a different season. I can imagine autumn's fiery oranges and gold leaves reflecting in the canal. Or at a different time of day, like the golden hour, when locals enjoy an apéro along the canals, the water sparkling with rippling sunset reflections. Doesn't it sound dreamy to sit along the canal, enjoy a bottle of wine with friends, guitar music floating in the air, and plenty of Parisian treats to nibble? A perfect movie moment.
A Cinematic Photowalk
Photographers and cinephiles will appreciate the lush, tree-lined canal with green, sparkling water, paired with streets full of colorful art and cute storefronts, making Canal Saint-Martin an amazing location for a photowalk.
With historic iron bridges arching over glassy water and thick trees forming natural frames along the embankments, Canal Saint-Martin is sure to satiate your visual appetite. This neighborhood embodies a Parisian ideal, but with far less chaos than the crowded Marais or the Champs-Élysées. While filming our YouTube video, we even stumbled upon a fashion shoot taking place by the canal!
No wonder this neighborhood has served as a movie backdrop for decades, most famously in Amélie, where Audrey Tautou skipped stones across this very water.
Be sure to walk over the Passerelle Michèle Morgan, the bridge near the brightly painted houses, which offers one of the best views of boats passing through the series of old locks. Mesmerized by the rushing water, many locals paused with me to watch the boats passing by.
During our photowalk, I shot my first roll of OptiColour 200, a new film stock from Optik Oldschool in Germany. The dappled light pouring through the plane tree canopy created shifting patterns on the water.
Above: Analog photography in Canal Saint-Martin. Nikon N75 with Kodak Ultramax | Rolleiflex 2.8F with OptiColour 200.
A Quick History of Canal Saint-Martin
The 4.5-kilometer Canal Saint-Martin tells a story of industrial ambition and near-destruction. Completed in 1825 under Napoleon's orders, the canal was designed to bring fresh water into the city and, of course, to transport goods by boat. By the 1960s, cars had rendered its use obsolete, and city planners nearly paved it over for a highway! Fortunately, local activists saved it from that fate. Today, the canal stands as a protected historic monument, a reminder that progress doesn't always require paving over the past.
Where to Eat, Drink & Shop around Canal Saint-Martin
This area feels more "normal" and affordable than the Marais or Saint-Germain. Yyou can enjoy bites and drinks without emptying your wallet. Here are some spots worth seeking out:
Baba Zulu Soul Food & Southern Kitchen - Soul food in the heart of Paris. Think crispy fried chicken and collard greens far from home.
Bonjour Jacob - Coffee, magazine browsing, and vinyl records all under one roof. Stay for hours.
Boulangerie Utopie - Organic bakery with naturally leavened breads and inventive pastries.
Buddy Buddy - Hip coffee bar serving creative drinks made with nut butters. I tried the iced matcha latte with cashew butter, which was surprisingly creamy and satisfying.
Café Margo - Neighborhood café perfect for watching the canal life drift by.
Du Pain et des Idées - Iconic pastry shop widely considered to have the "best" croissants in Paris (bold claim, but the line out the door suggests they might be right).
El Guacamole République - Mexican cantina where we enjoyed tacos and agua fresca for lunch, a refreshing break from French cuisine.
Folderol - Natural wine bar and specialty ice cream shop. An unusual but winning combination.
Liberté - Bakery known for their excellent croissants and pain au chocolat.
Maison Maé - Small bakery serving both sweet and savory snacks, perfect for a canal-side picnic.
Marché Bastille - Sunday and Thursday market known for exceptional produce and the kind of vendors who've been here for generations.
Rue de Marseille - Quaint street lined with independent cafés and boutiques. Worth a wander.
Sur Mer - Modern seafood restaurant where we ran into Amsterdam friends dining on the terrace. They raved about the freshness of everything.
Ten Belles - Specialty coffee and pastries that draw a laptop-toting crowd of creatives and freelancers.
Want to see more? Watch my full Canal Saint-Martin photowalk on YouTube.
Have tips to share? Leave a comment below. I'd love to know what you recommend for my next visit.
