Can I just walk the area rather than taking a boat ride? We much rather walk around a get a feel rather than sit on a boat. Is there any advantage to the boat ride?

The advantage of the boat ride is going through the historic tunnels. Also, it is a very pleasant walk back along the canal from La Villette to get a closer look at things you saw along the way. I think that a lot of people just walking along the canal might choose to end their walk too early, thinking they had seen everything of interest, since, after all, some stretches are more interesting than others.

Hi virginiafish

The canal boat ride gives an excellent commentary in English and French, so you learn about what you are passing, as well as the history of the canal.

We took the trip from the park back into Paris; the excellent guide/commentary on our trip included a little mystery and magic that I think only that one person (ie not all the guide staff) provide. So if you are lucky enough to get him on your trip, you'll be getting a great bonus!

I also wish we had set out earlier in the day, as we could have spent several hours exploring that fascinating park before boarding for our trip back into Paris.

Happy travels, Di

yes, we have taken this trip and I agree with leaving more time to explore the park.

You can do just the walk. We did and enjoyed it. There are a number of walks posted in different places, but they hit the same highlights. I have not done the cruise and might enjoy it, but I really enjoyed the lazy stroll and long lunch that took as much time as a cruise. The only disappointment was not actually seeing a boat go through a lock.

One way to see more of Paris off the tourist track is to start each day by going to one of the roving markets in a different arrondissement (except Monday when none of the roving markets are open) Paris in a Basket is a wonderful book that tells about each of the markets and what is in the vicinity. For instance, there is a market on the banks of the Canal St. Martin just above one of the locks (sorry I can't think of the name, just now) and it would be good to plan a waking visit to the canal for one of the two or three days a week that that market is set up.