Things to do in Martenville

Martenville is the perfect destination for a city break. Here are my top four things to do when you visit!

A. Central Park
No trip to Martenville would be complete without a visit to Central Park. Built in the 1920s and covering two square kilometres, the park has something for everyone, from children’s playgrounds to senior exercise areas. If you love nature, see how many birds you can spot, or hang out with friendly squirrels on the mini hiking trails. Trying to impress your significant other? Why not hire a romantic swan-boat for the afternoon? And don’t forget to stop at Mandy’s organic ice-cream stall and try the incredible peanut butter flavour! Central Park can get crowded on weekends and on public holidays, so try to avoid those times if you can. It’s free to enter, including the small park museum, though visitors are asked to donate if they can. Tickets for the swan-boats and children’s train have a small fee.

B. Weekend Market
The weekend market has been running for 50 years, and has more than 400 stalls selling crafts, delicious home-made foods and second-hand goods. At least three-quarters of the market is under cover so bad weather needn’t put you off! Some of the most famous stalls are: Groovy Vintage, which sells clothes from the 70s, 80s and 90s; Wilton’s Cheeses, run by Roger Wilton (now 83 years old!) since the market began; and The Forest, where you can pick up unique wooden items like musical instruments. I go there all the time for birthday presents, and there are Martenville souvenir items on sale too. If you get tired, there’s a small food court – and some award-winning public toilets! As strange as it sounds, pictures of the toilets make regular appearances on social media…when you see the design you will realise why.

C. Art Museum
This is Martenville’s largest and most popular museum, founded in 2015. Although the museum is quite new, the building is not; until recently it was a factory, and you can see some of its history in the interior design. There are three floors of galleries, with the bottom two holding the permanent collection. On the top floor you can see temporary exhibitions and currently there are video pieces by a local artist, Tran Thi Hoa. There’s an entrance fee for the special exhibitions, but you get free postcards of the artwork and you also get a fantastic view from the roof! In the basement of the museum there’s a gift shop and an Italian restaurant that’s always busy, so reservations are recommended. It’s also worth noting that the nearest metro station, West Street, is the city’s busiest, so get off the train at Anderson Quay and walk the last 500 metres. You’ll easily find the museum because of the Pop Art sculptures outside – a giant ice-cream cone and cake.

D. Evening River Cruise
Martenville gets some beautiful sunsets, especially in the autumn, and one of the best ways to enjoy them is on a river cruise. My husband and I did this many years ago for our tenth wedding anniversary and we didn’t regret it. The tickets aren’t cheap, but they are good value. They include dinner, dessert and drinks, a performance by a jazz band, and professional photographs of your group with the scenery behind you. People tend to dress quite formally, so leave your jeans and trainers at home! The boats leave the harbour at 5 p.m. seven days a week, but you should attempt to book at least a few days in advance. This has to be done in person as there’s no website. Unfortunately children are not allowed on the evening cruise, but there are morning and afternoon trips (leaving at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.) on which they’re permitted. Happy sailing!