The tenth arrondissement in Paris is home to the Gare de l’Est, and the Gare du Nord – the train stations that whisk travellers out of the captial to the East and to the North.
The tenth may not be the most prestigious quartier in Paris, but it is still worth a visit for its down to earth Parisian-ness. This is not the Paris of couture houses and palace hotels, but rather a busy quartier where Parisians live and work, and above all it is a quartier for the latest trends in food and great places to eat.
If you would like to see a very bohemian, chic, photogenic street, full of charming food stores then check out la rue Sainte Marthe.
For bigger and more traditional Parisian eating, you’d enjoy the Hotel du Nord for brunch or lunch
or the Ardoise Gourmande, whose chic design I enjoyed recently.
My favourite attraction in the 10th arrondissement is the Canal St Martin. A man made canal that runs from the Seine river out to the river l’Ourcq. Originally designed by Napoleon at the beginning of the 19th century to bring drinking water into Paris, today this canal is a wonderful place to walk and enjoy. You could even join a walking tour and let yourself be guided .
Today the canal is lined with little cafés and art galleries, the perfect place to take some time out from the busier tourist spots.
There are two wonderful covered food markets in the 10th arrondissement. Both are worth a visit although the Marché St Quentin is in an older building and is more picturesque.
This is where Parisians shop for their fresh food, rather than going to a big supermarket. If you are staying in an appartment in Paris and you want to cook for yourselves, then this would be a place to find your best ingredients.
If you are like me and you enjoy the notion of wandering, getting slightly lost and discovering as you go, then take a walk down the Faubourg St Denis, and explore some of the little side roads and squares. This is where you will find cafés and restaurants galore, for every budget. Two of my favourites are La Ferme de Charles for lunch, or La Chambre aux Oiseaux, perfect for afternoon tea.
And should you want to stay in this part of Paris, you could try the pretty Hotel Mademoiselle
If you missed them, here are my step-by-steps around the other arrondissements so far:
1st arrondissement, 2nd arrondissement; 3rd arrondissement; 4th arrondissement; 5th arrondissement; 6th arrondissement; 7th arrondissement; 8th arrondissement; 9th arrondissement ; 10th arrondissement
13 comments
Sharon this looks like an absolutely intriguing and oh so interesting part of Paris! I would love to explore her in the 10th, the galleries the shops, the canal!
xoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
Giveaway from The Enchanted Home!
Hello Sharon! I’m calling in from Myrtle Beach S.C. USA to say simply THANK YOU for your blog. I enjoy it immensely! For our honeymoon (we are in our early 60’s) visiting Paris in September and can’t wait!! Though I’ll have to…we’ve tried printing out all the different arrondisments you mentioned and are having trouble as the photos print but not the words. Do you possibly have a PDF or the like we could print out to help us plan as we love your ideas of getting away from the most touristy places? Again, thank you for blogging about Paris and her surroundings!
Copy the url for the page you want to print and paste it into the open line here:
https://www.printfriendly.com
When I tried it I got photos and text. Good luck…and happy honeymoon!
For the first half of my two week visit to Paris last September, I stayed in a lovely studio apartment just off the Canal St. Martin. Very convenient to Gare de l’Est, buses to all areas, taxis, and of course, the Metro which I never used. I say, why go underground when there are any number of better ways to see Paris, the best being by your own two feet. Dining out is a pleasure in the 10th, along with great shops and food markets to visit.
Lovely, Sharon. I’ve such fond memories of wandering down the Canal St. Martin, but I’ve never checked out the food markets. Looks like I’ll just have to come back to Paris to check them out!
Hope you are having a lovely week! XOXO
Sharon,
I love your blog and look forward to it every day. I will be visiting Paris at the
beginning of June and staying in Le Marais. I’ve tried several times to access the
4th Arrondissement from here, but it seems as though the link is broken.
We leave Monday for a month in Paris and can hardly wait. The Canal has long been on our ‘where to wander next’ list – and now your post has moved it up higher on the mile long list! Looks wonderful!
Thanks for all your posts on the different arrondissements! – much appreciated!
Hi Sharon,
how exciting…have bookmarked all your pics and information on Paris as we will be there early Sept. in the 6th for a few days and returning in October in the 8th for a week!
Haven’t been for 4 yrs. as it is a long way from Australia….can’t wait to explore and just enjoy life in Paris after 8 wks. in Europe…….
Cheers from Aus,
Susan
These are such gems to read & experience & someday I certainly hope to be there for a very long time to do so! Thank you for this!
I think I would love it. I love the picture of the canal. It is so fun to wander off to buy food for dinner and so easy. Slightly lost is always fun. 🙂
Lovely pictures and good tips but I’m wondering, comment on dit “l’ourcq”?
Hello Sharon,
I have loved your blog for quite a while and I can’t wait for your book which I have already pre-ordered.
We are going to be in Paris, end of Sept to middle of Oct. I have really enjoyed, and saved, your entries, Paris Step by Step. I have found arrondissement 1 through 10. Have you done any of the remaining arrondissements? Do you have an entry on the Paris Flea Markets and which ones are the best?
Hi Sharon,
Please excuse my asking about the best Paris Flea Markets in my previous post. I temporarily had a brain freeze when asking for information about something you do for business. Please accept my apology.