Walking at the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris

Watch barges going through the locks as you walk along the picturesque tree-lined quays and over the green metal bridges of the Canal St-Martin. It’s best on Sunday when the roads on either side are reserved for cyclists and pedestrians.

The canal emerges from a long tunnel at the junction of rue du Faubourg-du-Temple and quai de Valmy. Walk up quai de Valmy to observe the Ecluse du Temple (1), the first of a series of locks on this historic canal built in the early 1800s. Children adore watching the water levels changing and the lock gates opening to let barges pass by. At rue Dieu, you may be lucky enough to see the Turning Bridge (2) open-best watched  from the green humpbacked footbridge above. Then check out the bright-colored trio of Antoine et Lili shops (3, 95 quai de Valmy) – with kids’gear and toys in the central one. Kids will enjoy running around at the Jardin Villemin (4) with its undulating lawns and pirate-ship climbing structure. There are plenty of canal-side cafés, especially on the west side : Le Valmy (5, 145 quai de Valmy), where there’s another lock, is a good place to stop with kids for simple fare, as is the waterside café at Point Ephémère (6, 200 quai de Valmy), a former cargo warehouse that’s now a grungy arts center. Cross to place de Stalingrad, where you’ll spot the Rotonde de la Villette, an 18^th-century circular tollhouse, and a last lock. On either side of the Bassin de la Villette, the MK2 sur Seine (7, 14 quai de Seine) and MK2 sur Loire (8, 7 quai de Loire) cinema complexes each have a café. You can take a ferryboat between the two. If you’ve planned ahead, you can return to the Bastille by boat with Canauxrama (2 hours, reservation necessary).

Metro Station : Colonel Fabien (Line 2), Haurès (Line 2, 5), Stalingrad (Line 2, 5, 7), République (Line 3, 5, 8, 9, 11)