Transfer from the Canal Saint-Martin to Paris airports

History and visit of the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris

The Canal Saint-Martin, located in the 10th and 11th arrondissements of Paris, connects the Villette basin to the Arsenal port, which is itself connected to the Seine. With a length of 4.55 km, including 2 km buried underground, it was initially designed for the supply of drinking water in the city of Paris. The canal includes nine locks and two swing bridges, with a total drop of twenty-five meters. It is only accessible for navigation two days per year, thus integrating itself into the network of Parisian canals, alongside the Saint-Denis canal, the Ourcq canal, and the Villette basin. Since February 23, 1993, it has been classified among the historic monuments of Paris and is served by three metro stations: Goncourt, Jaurès and République.

The Ancien Régime was marked by a drinking water crisis for Parisians, exacerbated by the pollution of the Seine and the Bièvre, making the water of poor quality . Existing wells and aqueducts were not enough to supply the city. In 1802, First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte decided to solve this problem. A project to canalize the Ourcq, proposed by the prefect of the capital Gaspard de Chabrol, led to the creation of the Saint-Denis, Ourcq and Saint-Martin canals, formalized by the law of 29 Floréal Year X. Construction work was delayed due to unrest in France between 1809 and 1815, but was restarted under Louis XVIII with the help of engineer Pierre-Simon Girard. Financing the project was possible thanks to private investment, notably via the creation of the Compagnie des Canals de Paris in 1818. Three years after winning the tender opened by the city of Paris, the construction of the Saint-Martin canal began, at a cost of more than five million francs. The work lasted three years and the canal was inaugurated on November 4, 1825 by Charles X.

Until the middle of the 20th century, the canal was intensively used, not only for the supply of drinking water but also for the transport of goods such as cereals. It facilitated the transport of construction materials to the port of Arsenal and the Villette basin. From 1960, road and rail transport competed with river transport, leading to the gradual disappearance of industrial and working activities along the canal. In the seventies, an urban highway project following the route of the canal was envisaged by the Council of Paris but was never carried out, thus saving the canal from probable disappearance.

In 2006, the canal was temporarily designated to accommodate hundreds of Asian and Middle Eastern refugees. However, in 2010, the latter were evacuated in an operation led by the Paris town hall and the France Terre d’Asile association. Today, the Canal Saint-Martin is mainly dedicated to passenger transport in a tourist setting, contributing to the charm and attractiveness of Paris.