Escape the heat of Paris this summer, relax with a barge trip, get dropped off at the beach, go to a free ball… all for just 1 or 2 euros! Here’s the details…
photo by silverfuki used under cc licence
Nature’s never far in Paris and neither is water! To help people to get to know the canal that leads out of the city and almost instantly into the countryside, this festival (called L’Eté du Canal, l’Ourcq en Fêtes in French) runs every weekend until the end of Summer, with boat trips taking you back and forth from the Bassin de la Villette in the northeast of Paris. You can step off at one of the beaches provided along the way, check out the architecture, nature and above all the calm that the canal has to offer. The cost? 1€ each way on Saturdays, 2€ Sundays. Here’s the timetable. There also a Google Map you can check out here.
There’s also a more shallow, quieter part of the canal (created in 1821) that you can visit on board an authentic light barge that will slowly drift you through the Sevran forest, navigating five locks on the way. The voyage takes 50 minutes, and there’s a Google Map here.
photo by landscape-photo.net used under cc licence
Other interesting events are also on offer:
- Theatrical walks base don the canal. Two different routes finished off by a play in a theatr not far from the canal.
- A paella cruise on 12th June!
- A cinema-themed guided tour with an actor as your guide
- A floating bridge across the canal at la Villette
- Each Sunday, a tradition French chanson ball on a barge at one of the stop-off points.
- plus various events at each port (theatre, cinema, concerts, circus, street performances…)
And if you feel like hiring a bike instead of taking the barge, the banks of the canal have great cycle routes you can follow. In just a few minutes you leave the city well behind, so make the most of the warm weather and make a break for the country!
Official site for L’Eté du Canal, l’Ourcq en Fêtes 2010 (in French) here.
