Paris Canal or Canauxrama: which Canal Saint-Martin cruise?

Two companies for one canal

The Canal Saint-Martin has only two major operators of narrated cruises, and they are not alike. Paris Canal links the Seine with the Parc de la Villette through a single flagship cruise, two and a half hours long, which starts or ends at the foot of the Musée d'Orsay. Canauxrama, founded in 1985 and based on quai de la Loire in the 19th arrondissement, cuts the canal into several options: the full crossing, a 1 hour 15 minute express version and a cruise that does the canal and then the Seine.

A useful detail for making sense of the offer: since 2007 Canauxrama has belonged to Vedettes du Pont Neuf, the company at Square du Vert-Galant. So it is no coincidence that its canal-and-Seine cruise ends on Île de la Cité, a short walk from their pier.

What separates them is where you board, how much of the Seine you get and how you get back. Our Canal Saint-Martin cruise guide tells the story of the canal itself; this page compares the two companies, pier by pier.

The canal in a few numbers

Ordered by Napoleon in 1802 and opened in 1825, the canal runs 4.55 km between the Bassin de la Villette and the Port de l'Arsenal, which opens onto the Seine just upstream of Île Saint-Louis. The water drops 25 m along the way. Both companies therefore face the same obstacles: four double locks, or nine lock chambers (Temple, Récollets, Morts, Jaurès), two swing bridges, at rue Dieu and rue de la Grange-aux-Belles, and a vaulted tunnel of about 2 km under boulevard Richard-Lenoir and the Bastille, lit by skylights. Paris Canal, which goes on to the Parc de la Villette, also passes under the Crimée lift bridge.

The locks set the pace: each chamber fills or empties while you wait. Count on two and a half hours for the full crossing, whichever company you choose.

Paris Canal: Orsay to La Villette in 2 hours 30 minutes

The Paris Canal cruise is the more complete of the two. It leaves from Port de Solférino, quai Anatole-France, at the foot of the Musée d'Orsay (Métro line 12 Solférino, RER C Musée d'Orsay), heads up the Seine past the Tuileries, the Louvre, Île de la Cité, Notre-Dame and Île Saint-Louis, enters the Port de l'Arsenal, goes through the tunnel, the locks and the swing bridges, crosses the Bassin de la Villette and ends at the Parc de la Villette, at the 211 avenue Jean-Jaurès entrance, behind the My Boat restaurant (Métro line 5, Porte de Pantin).

It is a one-way trip. The company publishes three departures: 10 am from Orsay to La Villette, 2:30 pm from La Villette to Orsay, 3 pm from Orsay to La Villette. It does not publish season dates: book through its calendar, which is the reference.

The official fares are clear: €25 per adult, €22 for over-60s and ages 15 to 25, €17 for children aged 4 to 14, free under 4, with a family discount for two adults and two children. The commentary is live, in French and English. The boats have a covered section and an outside deck, and restrooms on board.

On GetYourGuide, the cruise from Orsay is the most-reviewed canal listing in our catalogue. In the other direction, the cruise from La Villette follows the same route in reverse, and a version with live commentary from Solférino is also available.

Canal

GetYourGuide2.5 hoursOrsay · Solférino

Paris: Cruise on the Saint-Martin Canal and Seine River

4.3 (2,505)

from €25Check dates

Canal

GetYourGuide2 hoursLa Villette

Paris: Cruise from The Canal Saint Martin to The Seine River

4.5 (1,200)

from €33Check dates

Canal

GetYourGuide1 hourOrsay · Solférino

Paris Canal St-Martin Sightseeing Cruise (Live Commentary)

4.5 (22)

from €24Check dates

Paris Canal & Canauxrama on GetYourGuide →Prices checked on October 17, 2026

Canauxrama: the Arsenal, La Villette and quai de Valmy

Canauxrama sells three cruises on the Canal Saint-Martin, from three different piers:

• Old Paris by the canal, 2 hours 30 minutes, from €23: the full crossing between the Port de l'Arsenal (pedestrian access opposite 50 boulevard de la Bastille, Métro Bastille) and the Bassin de la Villette (opposite 13 quai de la Loire, Métro Jaurès or Stalingrad), in one direction or the other depending on the date. No Seine section.
• The express cruise, 1 hour 15 minutes, €18 (€19 on the electric boat): from the Arsenal to Square Raoul-Follereau, opposite 131 quai de Valmy (Métro Gare de l'Est). You get the Bastille tunnel, two double locks and both swing bridges.
• Canal and Seine (sold in English as "Best of Both Worlds"), 2 hours, €25: departs between 71 and 79 quai de Valmy (Métro République), heads down through the rue Dieu swing bridge, the Temple and Bastille locks, the tunnel and the Arsenal, then out onto the Seine past Notre-Dame, the Conciergerie, the Hôtel de Ville, the Louvre, Orsay and Place de la Concorde and as far as the Eiffel Tower, before arriving opposite 19 quai de l'Horloge, on Île de la Cité (Métro Pont Neuf).

Live commentary in French and English, a bar and restrooms on board. Canauxrama shows its times only in its booking calendar, which changes from day to day, and does not publish a child fare openly.

On GetYourGuide, the Canauxrama cruise from the Arsenal has more than a thousand reviews.

Canal

GetYourGuide2.5 hoursArsenal · Bastille

Paris: Seine River and Canal Saint-Martin Cruise

4.3 (1,600)

from €25Check dates

Paris Canal & Canauxrama on GetYourGuide →Prices checked on October 17, 2026

The two companies side by side

The table below sets out the adult fares the companies publish. Platform prices come right after it.

On the three platforms that sell the Seine and canal cruise, the price matches the official fare. Cancellation terms depend on the listing and are shown before you pay; neither company publishes its own.

The boats: covered barges and an open deck

Paris Canal runs three barges: La Guêpe Buissonnière (200 seats when cruising), Le Canotier (230) and Le Martin Pêcheur (130). Its electric boats sail on the Canal de l'Ourcq and for private hire, from about €1,200: an option for a group, covered on our private Seine cruise page.

Canauxrama has nine boats with 15 to 350 seats; on the canal it is often the Arletty (149 seats), and the Rocca II, with 50 seats, is fully electric, hence the small surcharge on the express cruise.

Everywhere you get a covered, glassed-in cabin and an outside deck. In dry weather, go outside: that is where you watch the lock gates open. When it rains, you do the cruise from the cabin. Neither company promises a particular boat, which matters little here: the locks set the speed.

One way: where to start, and how to get back

Every canal cruise is one way: you finish far from where you started and head back by métro. It is practical question number one.

With Paris Canal, the direction shapes your day. The 10 am departure from Orsay drops you at La Villette in the early afternoon, with the park on foot and line 5 at Porte de Pantin to get back. The 2:30 pm departure from La Villette does the reverse and leaves you at the foot of the Musée d'Orsay in the late afternoon. Leaving from Orsay, the boat climbs through the locks; in the other direction, it goes down.

With Canauxrama, the full crossing ends at the Bassin de la Villette, in the middle of the city (Jaurès, Stalingrad), the express near the Gare de l'Est, and the canal-and-Seine cruise on Île de la Cité, a short walk from Pont Neuf.

Our advice: the 10 am departure from Solférino pairs well with the Musée d'Orsay, except on Mondays, when the museum is closed; our Orsay and Seine cruise page explains how to fit them together. Every pier is on our Seine pier guide map.

Who it suits, and who it does not

The canal appeals to people who have already seen the Seine and want another side of Paris: the Récollets lock, made famous by the film Hôtel du Nord, the footbridges, the 10th and 19th arrondissements. Families too: kids are captivated by the locks, and Paris Canal publishes a child fare up to age 14. Our Seine cruise with kids guide compares ages and fares across all the companies.

It suits people short on time less well: two and a half hours for 4.55 km is slow by nature, and the one-way trip still leaves you to get back by métro. If you only have an hour, a one-hour Seine cruise from the Eiffel Tower shows you more monuments.

For reduced mobility, Paris Canal warns that boarding is by steps and not easy; Canauxrama publishes nothing specific, so ask before you book. Pets are not allowed at Paris Canal, and minors must be accompanied.

To choose between the two: pick Paris Canal if you want the Seine and the canal in one cruise, with fixed times and a departure at Orsay. Pick Canauxrama if you are staying in the east of the city, if you prefer a short 1 hour 15 minute version, or if you want to finish on Île de la Cité.

Our verdict on Paris Canal and Canauxrama

We rated the two companies together, measuring them against the classic Seine sightseeing cruises rather than against each other.

Canal Saint-Martin cruise FAQ