With spring in the air, the Saint-Martin Canal - this particular glimpse of Paris - is perfect for a weekend in Paris  to get back into good spirits after the long winter months. Take advantage of the Easter 2008 in Paris special offer to stay in one of Bed & Breakfast Paris’ B&B’s. The Saint-Martin Canal, together with the Saint Denis Canal, makes up a route of waterway communication devised in the eighteenth century to allow boats to cross Paris and reach the Seine. The Saint-Martin Canal joins la Villette to the Seine and nowadays is a popular place for those who enjoy walking, running, cycling or roller skating. The canal flows for 4.5km, 2km of which are underground. This makes for an unusual atmosphere with underground vaults and vegetation of centenary plants intertwined with romantic footbridges. Nowadays, visitors can go rowing in one-man boats or as a group. Inaugurated in 1825, the canal is made up of 9 dams and 2 bridges. It is open for navigation 363 days a year.

The shallow canal was originally used to supply the city with drinking water. Later, when industrial settlements sprung up along its banks (glassworks, mills, warehouses), it started to be used for commercial navigation. In the past, sand and coal were transported along the canal. However, towards the end of the 20th century, the river stopped being used for industrial and commercial navigation and became one of the city’s beauty spots. Newly restored, it actually became a communication route passing through the old, picturesque neighbourhoods of Paris in a type of tour through the 4th, 10th, 11th and 19th arrondissement. The Saint-Martin Canal is still one of the least known beauty spots in Paris.