Canal Saint-Martin to Belleville

Locks and iron footbridges on the Canal Saint-Martin, then uphill through the 19th arrondissement to the hidden Butte Bergeyre, Buttes-Chaumont and the Parc de Belleville view.

Best time: Late afternoon into sunset; weekend afternoons on the canal banks are livelier

The route, stop by stop

1. 1
   Place de la République

   Start, metro 3/5/8/9/11.

2. 2
   Canal Saint-Martin at Hôtel du Nord footbridge

   Locks and iron footbridges, 15 min.

3. 3
   Le Comptoir Général

   Drink stop in a former stable, 30 min.

   Rambling bar in a former stable up an alley off the canal, decorated with African and Caribbean objects; DJs on weekends.

4. 4
   Butte Bergeyre

   Stairs up to the hilltop vineyard, 15 min.

   Tiny residential hilltop reached by steep stairs, with a community vineyard on its slope and a view to Sacré-Cœur; most Parisians have never been up.

5. 5
   Parc des Buttes-Chaumont (Temple de la Sibylle)

   Cliff-top temple over the lake, 30 min.

6. 6
   Parc de Belleville

   Sunset view towards the Eiffel Tower.

   Terraced hillside park with one of the widest free views of Paris, looking straight at the Eiffel Tower; far quieter than Sacré-Cœur at sunset.

7. 7
   Le Perchoir

   Optional rooftop drink in Ménilmontant.

   Seventh-floor rooftop bar over east Paris with views towards Sacré-Cœur and the Eiffel Tower, reached by an unmarked lift.

Walking directions

More walks in Paris

• Île de la Cité and the Latin Quarter4.5 km · 5 h
• Marais mansions, falafel and markets3.5 km · 5 h 47 min
• Montmartre from Nouvelle Athènes to Sacré-Cœur2.9 km · 3 h 39 min
• Left Bank: Orsay, Rodin and Invalides to the Grand Palais3.5 km · 6 h 17 min
• Tuileries to the Eiffel Tower along the Seine5.4 km · 4 h 12 min
• Southern villages: Montsouris, Cité Florale and Butte-aux-Cailles3.5 km · 2 h 47 min
• Saint-Germain-des-Prés to the Luxembourg3 km · 3 h 10 min