Canal Saint-Martin, Ourcq & Villette
Discover our guide to north-east Paris (10th, 11th & 19th)
- La Cité des Sciences
- Point Ephémère
- Artazart
- Parc de la Villette
La Cité des Sciences
This ultra-modern science museum pulls in five million visitors a year
Point Ephémère
Where underground culture surfaces with cutting-edge exhibitions and music concerts
Artazart
The crowds speak volumes - Artazart could well be Paris' best design bookshop
Parc de la Villette
Check out this post-modern feast - dotted with futuristic red follies, and expanses of landscaped parkland
Hands up if you've seen 'Amélie', Jean-Pierre Jeunet's 2001 blockbuster. It was the Canal St-Martin's iron footbridges and tree-shaded quays that formed the backdrop for some of the film's most atmospheric scenes. Nowadays, this ever-gentrifying, 19th-century waterway draws a trendy crowd to its shabby-chic bars and appetizing bistros - starting with Chez Prune, the main magnet for bobo bière-drinkers.
République, the point at which the Canal resurfaces after having travelled underground from Bastille, forms the frontier with the Marais. Its northern artery, rue du Faubourg-du-Temple is scruffy and cosmopolitan, lined with cheap grocers and discount stores, hidden courtyards and stalwarts of Paris nightlife like Le Gibus and vintage dancehall La Java. It leads to Belleville's Chinese quarter and provincial place Ste Marthe, with quirky boutiques and cafés.
Heading north along the Canal, the must-see den of multidisciplinary artistic creation is Point Ephemère. From here the Canal widens into the Bassin de la Villette and Canal de l'Ourcq, famed for its twin MK2 cinemas, retro-futurist 70s tower blocks and watersports during August's Paris Plage. It's near here that you'll find the 104, Paris' flagship cultural centre, set in the city's eerie old 19th-century undertakers.
Once you've crossed the quirky 1885 hydraulic lift bridge, pont de Crimée, you're in Parc de la Villette territory. Futuristic and cutting-edge, this is where you can visit major science and music museums, picnic on the lawns (especially during the summer open-air film festival) and take in concerts at big venues like Cité de la musique, the Cabaret Sauvage, Trabendo and the Zénith.
Restaurants and Cafés in Canal St-Martin, Ourcq & Villette
Le Floréal
- Rated as: 4/5
- Price band: 2/4
The proprietors of Chez Jeanette and Chez Justine have chosen a prime site opposite Le Chateaubriand and Le Dauphin for their new venture, Le Floréal – an American-style brasserie serving hamburgers and cupcakes. The venue used to be a dive bar and retains the buzzy atmosphere - if now with a classier clentelle (Mathieu Amalric, Daniel Craig’s good-looking nemesis in Bond movie Quantum of Solace,
- 73 rue du Fbg-du-Temple, 10e
- Main courses €12-€35. Prix fixe Lunch €14, €16
L'Epicerie Musicale
- Rated as: 4/5
- Price band: 2/4
- Critics choice
This is one of Time Out's top 50 things to do in Paris this summer. Click here to see the full list. Ideally situated on the Canal Saint-Martin, L’Epicerie Musicale is a delightful hybrid of café-bar-restaurant-delicatessen-music store. The retro furniture gives the interior all the charm of an old Sicilian café, offset by graffiti art on the walls, a deli section with fish, wine, oils, hams
- 55 bis quai de Valmy, 10e
Helmut Newcake
- Rated as: 4/5
- Price band: 2/4
- Critics choice
Opened at the end of 2011, Helmut Newcake was the first place for 100% certified gluten-free pastries in Paris, and is the reference for the new generation of bakeries opening up around town. The location by the trendy Canal St-Martin is nestled among a slew of new eateries and coffee shops that are worth a visit. But those looking to enjoy authentic French pastry, like classic éclairs and lemon
- 36 rue Bichat, 10e
Shopping in Canal St-Martin, Ourcq and Villette
Epicerie Anglaise Ecossaise Irlandaise de Paris
This tiny store, in an unlikely (if not austere) passageway in République has been providing expats with their weekly fixes of Cadbury’s chocolate, HP sauce and even Pop Tarts since 1993. The boutique is so packed, it's all a blur of brightly coloured packaging; but let your eyes settle, and you’ll find gems like Otter Vale chutneys, Heinz Picalilli, OXO cubes, Yorkshire and Barry's tea and
- 5 cité du Wauxhall, 10e
Potemkine
If you know what the name ‘Potemkine’ refers to (Russian cineaste Sergueï Eisenstein’s 1925 silent movie “The Battleship Potemkin”), chances are this boutique just off the Canal St-Martin is for you. Its orderly walls are lined with shelves laden with DVDs covering everything from Fellini classics to rare experimental films by Stan Brakhage, and docu-dramas by Peter Watkins. In this age of
- 30 rue Beaurepaire, 11th
Médecine Douce
- Price band: 2/4
In the same genre as its neighbours Chez Prune, Maje, A.P.C. and Claude Pierlot, Medicine Douce doesn’t upset the neighbourhood’s balance of hip elegance. Inside, white and grey walls and a total absence of decoration put the spotlight on the jewellery, all designed by Marie Montaud, who launched her brand in 2000 but didn’t have her own boutique until 2007, once she was already well known. Her
- 10 rue de Marseille, 10e
What to see and do in Canal St-Martin, Ourcq and Villette
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