General Information

Port de l’Arsenal, also known as the Bassin de l’Arsenal, is a marina for more or less 180 pleasure boats. This basin forms a part of the borderline between the 12th and the 4th arrondissement. It links the Canal Saint-Martin, which stretches from the Place de la Bastille, to the Seine, at the Quai de la Rapée.

History: Highlights

From the 16th century until the 19th, an arsenal existed at this location. After the widespread destruction during the French Revolution, the Bassin de l’Arsenal was excavated to replace the ditch that had been in place to draw water from the Seine to fill the moat at the Bastille fortress.

History: Explained

During the 19th and most of the 20th century, the Bassin de l’Arsenal was a commercial port where goods were loaded and unloaded. Separated from the Seine by the Morland lock gate, the port was converted to a leisure port in 1983 by a decision of the Paris City Hall and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.