swandav2000

Hall All,

I'll be in Paris in a few weeks, and after living there (a century ago..) and numerous visits, I want to finally make it to the Basilica Saint Denis.

I'm a walker -- my normal walks are 1h30 or 2h long. I live in Bavaria and know how to dress for being outside in the cold for extended periods. When I'm in Paris, my normal activity is just to walk, walking various neighbourhoods, streets, parks, bridges, etc. I just like to soak up the sights and feels of the city. I don't do much shopping or visiting museums, but I do enjoy visiting Romanesque or medieval churches.

So I'm wondering if it will be a good idea to walk along Canal Saint-Denis? I don't really expect it to be as hip as Canal Saint-Martin or as picturesque as Ile Saint-Louis... but I'm not sure what to expect.. It seems there's a shopping mall next to the canal at one point. I guess the neighbourhood around the Stade de France is not all that picturesque..

Has anyone else done this? Is there anything I should look for along the way, special shops or cafes or sights? I'd appreciate any hints or suggestions!

Thank you for your help!

s

nukesafe

You don't say where your starting point will be, but Google maps says the distance from Notre Dame Cathedral to the Basilica St. Denis is 9.8 km, and that it would take 2 hours and five minutes to walk the route.

swandav2000

Hi nukesafe,

I haven't decided and will likely decide on the morning I set out. Could start from Stalingrad metro or from my lodging in the 4th. Yes, when I did google maps, it showed a 2h walk, which is about standard for me.

s

kerouac

The Canal Saint Denis has been quite spiffed up over the years. The walkways on both sides to the edge of the Paris city limits are quite elegant, the Aubervilliers section is a very interesting graffiti zone, and the waterside promenade has also been fixed up very nicely. I know that the part of the canal that runs in front of the Saint Denis SNCF station is also very nice. I haven't walked the entire section from Aubervilliers all the way to Saint Denis, so I don't know if it totally finished, but I suspect that it is. Once you've reached the Saint Denis train station, you are not far from the basilica. Do not miss the big covered market in the Grande Halle, renovated in 2005.

Alec

St-Dénis has less than stellar reputations in terms of personal safety, so I'd exercise caution outside the tourist corridor.

kerouac

Saint Denis (no accent) does not even have a tourist corridor.

di2315

After visiting the Basillica a few years ago, we decided to take the canal side walk back to Paris. It was lovely, up to the point where there were major reconstruction works - near a train station, from memory.
At this point we had to leave the canal side, then lost our way along the detour. This was befor the days of using google maps so easily; we ended up finding our way to a train station and taking the train for the rest of the way.
I imagine that would no longer be a problem. We did enjoy seeing other aspects of the Paris region, and I'd recommend this walk to you. Di

kja

Enjoy your walk! And do consider getting the audio guide for the basilica -- even though I had read a lot in advance, I found it extremely informative.

swandav2000

Thanks so much, kerouac and dl2315! That's just the kind of thing I was hoping to hear!

So sorry that I haven't replied earlier-- I lost internet for more than 24 hours (my provider seems to be unable to provide service when it snows or is cold, which for Bavaria is especially inept).

Thanks for the note, kja!

Thanks so much!

s

flanneruk

"St-Dénis (sic) has less than stellar reputations in terms of personal safety"

It's rare for me to disagree with Alec, who usually is a beacon of well-informed sensibleness on issues (like safety or dress in church) that too many other commentators get hysterical about.

But my (admittedly limited) experience of St Denis is that it's like Brixton or Notting Hill: lots of non-white faces, smells of non-European cookery and sounds of non-Western popular music, but as safe as houses to walk through. True: it's more working class than Brixton or Notting Hill - but why would that worry anyone?

kerouac

Careful, flanneruk, I said the same thing yesterday but our vigilant moderators decided that it was inappropriate and deleted my post.

tuscanlifeedit

The interior of Saint Denis was perhaps one of the coldest places I've ever experienced. Wonderful, but frigid the day we were there. I think I'll go back soon and get the audio guide as kja suggests.

kja

Oh, I had forgotten how cold Saint Denis felt! Good point, tuscanlifeedit. Bring a wrap, swandav!

swandav2000

Thanks for these additional notes!

Yup, tuscanlifeedit & kja, churches in Europe can be unheated! Here in Germany we also have to wear coats inside for services in winter. I am mostly at the Chapel on the Army post here, but I spent a few years in the local German churches. So, that would not surprise me -- and such a good reason for a warming chocolat chaud to warm up!!

Thanks for the note, Alec, flanneruk & kerouac! But my daddy worked for an oil company, and I was born and raised in Saudi Arabia, where dark-skinned folks were the rulers and royalty, and we white Christians were the "others." We didn't move to the US until 1969, and I remember sitting in an 8th grade social studies class learning about segregation and the Civil Rights Movement -- I literally thought I was being pranked. I could not believe that about half the population was forced to use separate facilities and businesses. As long as there is no aggression towards me (innocuous, small, old, white woman), I am totally fine with crowds of dark-skinned folks and non-European sights and smells.

Thanks again!

s

kerouac

Ha ha -- I worked for a Saudi company for 35 years, so I am an expert on "reverse" discrimination. Not pertinent here, but it should be a slightly interesting thing to consider when visiting a city like Saint Denis, where the dominant culture is not always the one you expect.

swandav2000

Hmmmm. Would that have been a Saudi airline? Do I remember Saudi Royal airline, or is my memory off?
Here's a picture of my sister in about 1955; I would have been a few weeks old.

thibaut

I have walke quite often or cycled along canal saint denis and area around Stade de France (both RER B and D - La Plaine stade d'oeuf and St Denis) and never had problems myself but witnessed several robbings. Which I never saw anywhere else.
(I'd like to point out that the guys who broke a car window and stole a lady's bag where not darkskinned but good white guys like myself. )

swandav2000

Hi All,

I want to thank everyone again for all your wonderful help and information for my request!

Unfortunately, however, I again didn't make it to the Basilica. I was always caught on the streets of Paris and could not tear myself away, no not even for that short distance. Dommage.

Ah well, there's always next time! And I feel much better about doing it now thanks to your good descriptions and info.

s

kerouac

Damn, I was hoping for the full follow-up adventure report. If we get nice weather one of these days, I might decide to do the walk myself, since I don't live very far from the Canal Saint Denis tram stop in Paris.

swandav2000

Oh gosh, I would love to see your report on it!

If/when I do the walk, I was hoping to meet you for coffee in your neighbourhood, as it's sorta on the way. Well. Don't leave Paris, lol

s