In Paris, having a duh moment. Help?
Apr 12th, 2011, 09:28 PM
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In Paris, having a duh moment. Help?
Hey all,
My husband and I arrived in Paris yesterday morning, so the jet lag may be contributing to my memory lapse, but I'm hoping you all can help. I remember reading that there's an area of town that's especially lively on Sundays, but for the life of me I can't remember if it's Le Marais or Canal St Martin (or somewhere else?), and can't find it in my notes. Help?
With the sun rising in Paris,
Samantha/gc
My husband and I arrived in Paris yesterday morning, so the jet lag may be contributing to my memory lapse, but I'm hoping you all can help. I remember reading that there's an area of town that's especially lively on Sundays, but for the life of me I can't remember if it's Le Marais or Canal St Martin (or somewhere else?), and can't find it in my notes. Help?
With the sun rising in Paris,
Samantha/gc
Apr 12th, 2011, 11:04 PM
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Both, in their own way. The Marais will be full of people drifting past the chi-chi shops (particularly along the rue des Francs-Bourgeois), though I notice they're becoming a bit less quirky and more blandly generic than they used to be. The Place des Vosges will be full (if the weather's nice) of people strolling around, and there will be buskers under the arcades. Carry on in the same direction, and there's a busy Sunday morning market on the Blvd Richard Lenoir - which at this point happens to sit on top of the Canal St Martin. So you can continue a stroll down past Bastille to the Bassin de l'Arsenal and/or up the Canal, which (again depending on the weather) tends to attract people to sit and picnic.
Apr 12th, 2011, 11:24 PM
#5
Both are indeed busy areas, but the Marais is interesting on Sunday mostly for people who want to shop in boutiques. If shopping is not your goal, any other day is fine for walking around the Marais.
The Canal Saint Martin area is very interesting for walking around on Sunday because both sides of the canal are closed to traffic for most of the day. In addition, as this time of year, there are often informal flea markets along the canal.
You could also consider taking the Canauxrama canal boat ride from Bastille to la Villette, which would give you an overview of the entire length of the canal, and then you can walk back to the parts that you found the most interesting.
The Canal Saint Martin area is very interesting for walking around on Sunday because both sides of the canal are closed to traffic for most of the day. In addition, as this time of year, there are often informal flea markets along the canal.
You could also consider taking the Canauxrama canal boat ride from Bastille to la Villette, which would give you an overview of the entire length of the canal, and then you can walk back to the parts that you found the most interesting.
