Canal Saint-Martin

Napoleon ordered it in 1802 to bring fresh water to Paris, and it opened in 1825. It runs about 4.5 kilometres with nine locks, and almost half flows underground, covered by Boulevard Richard-Lenoir, until it meets the Seine at Bastille.

The open stretch, with plane trees, iron footbridges and swing bridges, is the one seen in films such as «Amélie», where the heroine skims stones across the water. On Quai de Jemmapes stands the Hôtel du Nord, which gave its name to Marcel Carné's film.