Neighborhood
 
Rue Lucien Sampaix starts at the Canal St. Martin, a still working canal which has been turned into a perfect outdoor park and public space. The streets bordering the canal are turned into pedestrian only thorough fares on the weekends. This pleasant and very family-oriented neighborhood is also young, growing, vibrant and hip, with new restaurants and cafes popping up regularly. The Jardin Villemin is a small park around the corner. The major train station, Gare de L'Est, is less than 5 minutes by foot, with access to metro lines 4, 5, & 7, as well as RER line E. Numerous buses can be found at this busy terminal. The central location of this flat means walking is an option too, the Pompidou Center, Paris's museum of modern art, is about 15 minutes' walk, as well as the Marais, and a little further afield, Les Halles and the Palais Royale.
     
Enjoy a walk along the St. Martin canal which is one of the featured walks in Thirza Vallois' book, "Romantic Paris" or visit the Square Villemin park.

Relax and have something to eat or drink at one of the little bistros at the end of the street or along the canal (as seen in the the movie Amélie) while watching the barges drift by.

Colorful and trendy stores along the canal across from the famous Hotel du Nord.

At the other end of rue Lucien Sampiax is the busy shopping street, Boulevard Magenta, one of the famous Grands Boulevards of Paris. To the south you head into the bustling Place de la République with its restaurants, bars and cafés.

Undiscovered Paris: Je T'Aime Travel+Leisure

"Another destination in the 10th is that great old railroad station, the Gare de L'Est. After a stop in the main waiting room to pay homage to a monumental Norman Rockwell—style painting of young World War I soldiers embarking for the front, I too head east. Taking a shortcut across Square Villemin, I reach the graceful bend of the Canal St.-Martin, on the tree-lined Quai de Valmy. The breathtaking sight of the vaulted footbridges over the placid water usually incites me to stop at L'Atmosphère, a bistro on Rue Lucien-Sampaix. I lean on the wooden bar, order a glass of Pinot Noir, and watch corpulent barges negotiate the locks that regulate their gradual descent toward the Seine."
 

Cover

 The recently published coffee table book "The Light of Paris" by Jean Michel Berts features some photos of the canal. Our apartment building can be seen on page 33 (to the right).
 
The Times - Canal St-Martin
 
Cool In Paris
 

Trip Films by Elena Rossini - Bo-Bo Paris

Short video about the neighborhood.
 

USA Today

Take in the Canal St.-Martin — Between Place de la République and the 52 hectares of science and nature at La Villette, winding through the newly trendy 10th arrondissement on Paris' northeast side is the beautiful Canal St.-Martin. Chestnuts, poplars, footbridges and an old swing bridge frame this canal, making it one of the most exquisite walks in all of Paris.

This neighborhood's atmosphere is a combination of working class meets artisans meets "bo bos" (bourgeois bohemians). From this eclectic mix have sprung trendy restaurants, chic cafés and all-the-rage boutiques lining streets that are car-free on weekend afternoons. All the while, fishermen cast from the locks into the quiet waters.

Canal St.-Martin is the newest hot spot for the Paris film crowd (think Amélie ). You are sure to see a celebrity or three or four, either while they film or simply enjoy a leisurely stroll. In fact, with its renovated bridges and quaint locks, the Canal has become the newest hot spot for all Parisians. Major P.D.A. (public displays of affection) can be found on either side of the quays.

You can see the area from a different perspective by climbing aboard one of the touring boats that float from the Musée d'Orsay up to the Seine, through the deliciously cool waters under the Bastille, and then ending at the gardens of La Villette Science Museum. Just be sure to make reservations when you call (price: 16 euros; for currency conversions, please click here ). The most recommended tour company is Paris Canal Croisières (19-21 Quai de la Loire, 75019; métro stop Jaurès; (33 1) 42 40 96 07; www.pariscanal.com ).

Métro stops for all of Canal St.-Martin: Jaurès, Colonel Fabien, Château Landon, Jacques Bonsergent, République.

 
Local Markets
Alibert Market
Rue Alibert near Hospital St-Louis.
Sunday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Metro : Goncourt		 St-Martin Covered Market
31/33 rue du Château d’Eau.
Tuesday to Saturday 8.30 a.m. 1 p.m.and 4 p.m.-7.30 p.m. ; Sunday 8.30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Metro : Chateau d’Eau 		St-Quentin Covered Market
85 bis, boulevard Magenta.
Tuesday to Saturday 8.30 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4 p.m.-7.30 p.m. ; Sunday 8.30 a.m.-1 p.m.
Metro : Gare de l’Est
 
Canal Tours
From March to October, Canauxrama (01 42 39 15 00 www.canauxrama.com) barges travel between Port de Plaisance de Paris-Arseanal, 12e and Parc de la Villette, 19e along Canal St. Martin and Canal de l'Ourcq. Departures are around 9.45am and 2.45pm from Bassin de la Villette, 13 quai de la Loire, and at 9.45am and 2.30pm from Port de l'Arsenal, 50 blvd de la Bastille. The cost is 12.20 euros (students 10 euros and children aged six to 11 7.50 euros, except on Sunday and public holidays when everyone pays 12.20 euros).
 
History
Lucien Sampaix (1899-1941) was a journalist and civil rights defender who died during World War II. The street was dedicated to his memory in 1946.
 
Furnished Short Term Self Catering Vacation Rental Apartment in Central Paris: www.aparishome.com