The 10th arrondissement has been little known to tourists, but it is home to hidden gems like the Canal Saint-Martin neighborhood. This avant-garde working-class area is a stone’s throw from bustling central Paris and increasingly attracts young professionals and artists.
This district was the target of terrorist attacks on November 13, 2015, which left 130 dead and more than 300 injured. The Place de la République became a living monument where people gathered to mourn. The square is built around a beautiful monument topped by a statue of Marianne, a representation of French freedom.
The 10th district is a modern neighborhood, known for its cafes, progressive inhabitants, and a mix of cultures. You will likely see a model posing alongside a channel like a hipster stopping by the local greengrocer. It is an area that has been in decline but is finding its artistic and contemporary side and is worth visiting to walk the streets and see the iconic train stations.
The area may be more typically Parisian than some of the more tourist-frequented areas and there is plenty to see and do while absorbing that Parisian atmosphere.
Canal Saint-Martin neighborhood
Locals flock to the banks of the Saint-Martin photogenic canal for a picnic, strumming guitars, and sunbathing. The area along the canal is lined with quirky cafes and boutiques. On Sundays, two streets parallel to the canal, Quai de Valmy and Quai de Jemmapes, are reserved for pedestrians and cyclists, perfect for renting a bike and seeing the city from a new angle.
Or, you can tour the canal by boat. The small boats of the canal will take you to navigate for two and a half hours along the calm waters of the canal, lined with century-old trees and crossed by iron pedestrian bridges.
Place Sainte-Marthe
The district, with its village feel, has been home to working-class families over the years. Like many areas in the tenth, it is a vibrant multicultural district with interesting shops, bars, and an artsy atmosphere.
It’s the kind of place where you’ll sit outside in a cafe and watch the comings and goings in the square. At night, after work hours, this quiet neighborhood gets a bit more crowded.
New Morning Jazz Club
New Morning, located at 7 rue des Petites Ecuries, is a legendary music club in Paris, known especially for jazz and blues. It was inaugurated in 1981.
Famous jazz musicians like Dizzy Gillespie have played there, as well as folk and rock icons like Prince and Bob Dylan. The club has capacity for about 250 people for concerts and dances. (The closest metro stop is Château d’Eau.)
Gare de l’Est (Paris East Train Station)
Paris train stations are worth a visit just to see the architecture. The Paris East train station (Gare de Paris-Est) represents the Belle Epoque generation of railway buildings. The west wing was built in 1847 with the east wing added in 1854.
This beautiful station was where the first departure of the romantic Orient Express took place in 1883.
The station now offers train transport to major Central European cities such as Zurich, Munich, and Vienna. Inside, you will find shops, cafes and the ticket office.
Gare du Nord (Paris North Train Station)
The Gare du Nord is much busier than the Gare de Paris-Est. In fact, it is the busiest train station in Europe. Gare du Nord is the train station to the north of France and to international destinations in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
The station was designed by the German-born French architect Jacques Hittorff and built in the early 1860s. It was designed in the Beaux-Arts (neoclassical) style of architecture. The elegant arched stone facade is decorated with statues. At the top of the building, there are nine statues representing different cities where the original train company operated. The main statue represents Paris and the other eight represent London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Cologne, Frankfurt, Vienna and Warsaw. There are 14 smaller statues representing the French cities where the railway operated.
L’Etoile du Nord restaurant, run by Michelin star chef Thierry Marx, is more than worth a meal. Located in the entrance hall of the Gare du Nord, the Brasserie and Zinc Bar ground floor overlooks the busy station. Affiliated with the restaurant is the adjacent Le Fournil bakery (open from 5:30 am for coffee and hot croissants).