PARIS WATERWAYS
Want to get out of town this summer without going too far or spending too much money? Three-hour canal cruises from the Bassin de la Villette to Aulnay-sur-Bois are being offered for only €1 every weekend through Aug. 30 between 10:45 a.m. and 8:45 p.m. by the Seine Saint-Denis department, which is also holding free public dances on a floating barge at different locations and times. Click here for details. Another way to see the industrial suburbs of Paris while enjoying a boat ride is to take the Voguéo water bus from the Gare d’Austerlitz stop to École Vétérinaire de Maisons-Alfort. Keep an eye out for the amazing pagoda-style Chinagora (pictured above), an immense Chinese restaurant and hotel on a peninsula projecting into the Seine on the south side. The return trip takes one hour and 20 minutes.