The River Seine in Paris
Even though many people think about the River Seine just being the river in Paris it is far more than that, although today it is one of the major tourist attractions and landmarks in Paris with many fabulous bridges to see along with the two islands in the middle of the river in the centre of the city, whether you are walking along the banks or taking one of the many River Seine cruises.
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With Paris being the host for the 2024 Summer Olympics, the River Seine is going to be at the heart of the action.
For the first time in the history of the Summer Olympic Games, the opening ceremony will not take place in a stadium, but will be on the River Seine with each nation’s athletes, crew etc on board a boat and approximately 150 boats in total, they will travel from the Pont d’Austerlitz by the Jardin des Plantes and finish at the Pont d’Iena by the Eiffel Tower and Trocadero, which is where the finish of the ceremony will take place.
The quays along the River Seine route will be laid out and the lower quays will be for ticket holders, yet the upper quays will be free admission in addition to there being numerous massive screens, meaning that approximately 600,000 people can enjoy the opening ceremony in the city, which is another first for the history of the Olympic games.
Yet it is not the first time that Paris has held the Olympics and in 1900 in conjunction with the World Fair or Universal Exhibition in Paris, there were swimming competitions in the River Seine. But by the 1920s the river was deemed unsafe for swimming. Although after several years of clean up, the River Seine is once more able to welcome swimmers, starting with the Olympics and its Triathlon and Marathon swimming competitions that will be held on the Seine, then there will be designated public swimming areas opening to the public from the following year in 2025.
But lets now take a look at some general information about the River Seine, which is not just about Paris..
Facts about the River Seine
The River Seine is a major river in the North West of France and is actually the second longest river in France after the River Loire at an impressive 776km in length, with the mouth of the river being located on the English Channel between Le Havre in the Haute Normandie region and Honfeur in the Basse Normandie region.
Also the River Seine is probably the most well known river in France and it actually starts its journey just outside of Dijon in the Burgundy region and flows to the North West through Troyes in the Champagne Ardenne region.
It then continues its journey to Paris, the capital city of France, which is located in the Ile de France region and this is where it divides the city into two, then goes around Fontainbleau and the forest. The journey of the River Seine then continues on to the city of Rouen, which is the capital of the Upper Normandy region before reaching the English Channel.
Many ocean going vessels can actually navigate the tidal section of the River Seine from the English Channel over 120km right up to the historical city of Rouen where there is a large dock, however, commercial river boats can actually navigate this river for approximately 560km from its mouth.
Originally the water levels of the River Seine did fluctuate quite dramatically, but locks were installed in the 1800s to compensate for this and today, the levels of the river are still very closely monitored.
You will find four large multiple locks in a section between Rouen and up to the mouth of the River Oise and there are an additional two locks at Suresnes that lift the commercial vessels and canal boats up to the same level as that of Paris.
Because the River Seine became such a major commercial waterway and a major trading route, it was also linked by canals to the River Loire, the River Rhine and the River Rhone, which made trading in the past even more convenient throughout much of France.
However, with the scenery you can pass many tiny villages along with gothic cathedrals and much more, and even though the River Seine is still used commercially to this day, cruising along the River Seine with tours, packages or by renting a boat has become very popular and attracts thousands of tourists every year.
The River Seine in Paris
The River Seine has always been at the heart of Paris, even dating back to when the first Parisii tribes set up their fishing villages along the banks of the river and it is no wonder that the Roman Empire took over the area, when it became a major commercial waterway.
Yet the River Seine is actually only about 24m above sea level in Paris and is only around 8m deep, so this makes it a slow flowing river that is easily navigated and even today it is still a major waterway and a major source of water for Paris.
Unfortunately, though, with the expansion of Paris, this saw the River Seine become more and more polluted from waste due to the growing population and sanitary needs, so much so, that it became deemed unsafe to swim in and fish populations declined so dramatically, that only around 3 species of fish remained by the 1960s.
However, over more recent years, there has been major investment in sanitary solutions, an overflow reservoir and a clean-up program put in place for the River Seine to become a cleaner less polluted river that can thrive with wildlife once more and today over 30 species of fish have been recorded once again.
Now some of you will know that the river actually divides Paris in two and the first settlers were always on what is known as the Right Bank, however it was during the Roman Empire times when Paris was prospering through the extensive river trading, that the city expanded to the Left Bank as well.
Talking of the Right Bank and the Left Bank. There are many people that get confused about what this means in terms of where famous monuments in Paris are located, but it was classified this way for a very simple reason.
Because the river meanders through 10 out of the 20 different Arrondissements, no matter where you are, if you look at the river downstream, which means the way the water is flowing, then the left bank is to your left and the right is of course the right bank of the River Seine.
So to give you some bearings, the most famous landmark in Paris called the Eiffel Tower is on the left bank, or Rive Gauche in French, as is the Musee d’Orsay and many other landmarks like Les Invalides with the Tomb of Napoleon.
But on the right bank of Paris, or Rive Droite in French, you have the most famous museum in Paris called The Louvre, also the fabulous Champs Elysees Avenue with the Arc de Triomphe and the Sacre Coeur Basilica.
Also, where the river forks in the centre of Paris, it creates two islands within the River Seine, one called the Ile Saint Louis and the other, which is classified as the very centre point of Paris that is called the Ile de la Cite - Best known for holding the Notre Dame Cathedral.
However, there are numerous other monuments in Paris that are located right by the River Seine, and on the Ile de Cite island you can get to see La Conciergerie, which was a palace turned into a prison in the French Revolution, plus there is the impressive Sainte Chapelle.
There are 32 different bridges that cross the River Seine so that you can access different monuments and areas of Paris, whether it be in one of the tour buses like the BigBus Tours or on foot with one bridge called the Pont des Arts being specifically for pedestrians. However, the oldest bridge is called the Pont Neuf that has featured in many films and pictures over the years, even though ironically in English this name translates to New Bridge!
Many of the quays along the banks of the River Seine are pretty easy to get to and some of these go into walkways and cycle paths and are often used for sunbathing, picnics and even impromptu dancing like at the Jardin Tino Rossi, but others are where you can enjoy a canal trip or sightseeing boat trips and cruises.
As you can probably gather, the River Seine is always a hive of activity both on the water and along its banks and these days there is a dedicated bus service called the Batobus, which is basically a bus on water that stops at certain quays along the river giving access to some of the major tourist attractions in Paris like the Musee du Louvre museum and the Eiffel Tower.
However, cruising along the River Seine has also become a major tourist attraction and one of the oldest tour operators are from the firm called Bateau Mouches that provide dinner cruises on traditional boats, yet there are many others that offer some fabulous gourmet French cuisine dinner cruises, plus there are others that offer far longer trips, such as from Paris to Le Havre and then travelling via the Eurostar train back in to Paris.
But lets get back to other ways of enjoying the River Seine in Paris..
There are numerous forms of entertainment in Paris and being at a venue on the River Seine is no exception, as not only do you have the cruises with commentary and dinner cruises where you can get to see the bridges and monuments all lit up of an evening, but there are also several boats moored permanently on the river.
One such venue for night entertainment with DJs is the old lighthouse boat called the Batofar, or you have an old wooden Chinese Junk called the Lady of Canton, which formerly known as the Cabaret Pirate, this hosts shows for children along with concerts and much more.
For something completely different, how about swimming? Ok, so up until recently you would not have wanted to go swimming in the River Seine, but for several years now you can go swimming on it! Yes, there is a barge moored on the banks of the river that is home to the Piscine Josephine Baker, which is one of the newest swimming pools in Paris that was completed in 2006 ready for the Paris Plage and open all year round, you may be pleased to know that it has a cover for those not so nice days.
Talking of the Paris Plage, this is the highlight for many in August as there are sections of the banks along the River Seine that are turned into a beach with palm trees, deckchairs and numerous activities are organised, which is called the Paris Plage and has become a resounding success. This is ideal if you are with children or just wish to relax and soak up some sun for a while during your holiday in Paris.
Additionally, from 2025, there are going to be three designated swimming areas in the River seine that will coincide with the Paris Plage event and one of these will be near Bercy Park, which is also ideal for those of you that would like to cool off on a hot summer day.
Fishing is a very popular sport and pass-time for many people all over the world, and this has also become a popular hobby on the River Seine once again, with over 30 different species of fish being recorded including catfish at over 2m in length that are thriving within the river, with fish having either returned naturally or initially being introduced into the Seine by angling associations.
However, as a point to note, you do have to have a fishing permit in order to fish any lakes or rivers in France and these can be purchased as a day permit or a two-week vacation permit if you are going to be on holiday between the months of June and September and can be obtained from local tourist information centres and certain sports stores.
So as you have no doubt realised by now, there are always things happening in Paris, whether it be on or by the river, especially during the summer months with open air concerts, people just in groups playing the guitar, etc and these can be heard and experienced at numerous locations along the River Seine, yet we could never mention everything!
Just make sure that you do spend a bit of time along the River Seine and enjoy the history of Paris with its monuments its diversity, etc from a completely different perspective.
