Paris Digest
Paris city guide since 1997
The Seine river maps show the 776 kilometre river course in France from Source-Seine in Burgundy through Paris into the English Channel at Le Havre and the 13 kilometer river course through Paris. Locate Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame and Le Louvre on Seine river map. A Seine River cruise is a must. Picnicking on the Seine river banks is a top thing to do. Paris maps.
The Seine river map below shows the Seine River from Paris to Honfleur near Le Havre.
From its source to its estuary, the Seine river flows through the cities of Chatillon-sur-Seine, Troyes, Melun, Paris, Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, Mantes, Vernon, Les Andelys, Rouen, the largest French river harbor, Caudebec-en-Caux and Le Havre.
The Seine River topography map shows the Seine River basin and its main tributaries, the Yonne, Marne and Oise rivers.
The Seine River estuary bike route map helps plan a bike tour on the best bike lanes in the Seine River estuary.
The third longest river in France with 776km, the Seine emerges in a remote spot called Source-Seine, in the Burgundy region of northeastern France. The river flows northwesterly, through Paris, to the Normandy coast, where it empties into the English Channel at Le Havre sea harbour.
The most important river in Northern France, and with modern canals linking it to the Loire, Rhône and Rhine, the Seine has been the hub of Paris and France since the Middle Ages.
Due to its strong connection to the city, this gently flowing waterway has captured the world’s imagination as one of Europe’s most romantic and inspiring rivers. The Celts in iron age used the Seine river to transport tin from Brittany and Cornwall to present day Europe. Ancient Romans greatly increased trade along the waterway. Eventually, the Vikings sailed south on the Seine and made the section of the Seine north of the city an integral part of their trade routes, a network connecting Northern Europe and the British Isles.
The Paris Seine river map locates the greatest sights of Paris along the banks of the Seine river. A majority of the top sights are along the Seine river banks. The list of sights along the river includes the Eiffel Tower, the Musée d'Orsay, the Louvre, Notre-Dame, Palais de Chaillot and 37 beautiful bridges. The Seine river is a 776 kilometre long river flowing through Paris into the English Channel at Le Havre, Paris' harbor (France map). The Seine river flows 13 km through the city from South East to South West. The North bank is the Right Bank, la Rive Droite in French. The South bank is the Left Bank, la Rive Gauche in French. Relax and admire these beautiful sights on a Seine river cruise. More thematic Paris maps. Metro map.
The top sights visible on a Seine cruise are shown on the map of Seine river cruise. The list includes Notre-Dame, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, Hotel de Ville (Paris City Hall), the Trocadéro, Musée d'Orsay and all bridges.
The Seine river cruise is a top thing to do. It takes one hour to see the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, Musée d'Orsay, the Louvre.
With so many sights to see from the river, it is no wonder cruises are so appreciated as a first discovery of the city.
The Seine River lunch cruise is very appreciated as it combines good food and sightseeing.
You want your Paris stay to be memorable. Go for the romantic dinner cruise or for the royal Seine night cruise with dinner at Eiffel Tower and Moulin Rouge cabaret.
As a starter, you can do the classical one hour Seine cruise with Bateaux Parisiens or Vedettes du Ponf Neuf.
Check the list of Seine river cruises
The Seine River left bank quays in between Musée d'Orsay, the impressionist museum, and the magnificent 1900 Pont Alexandre III have been turned into one of the most pleasant pedestrian districts of the city.
Splendid views, open air restaurants and playgrounds are relaxing and beautiful. Rosa Bonheur and Flow, two open-air restaurants on these quays, are now the place to go to day and night. Most people enjoy picnicking, a cheaper option. Check location on Paris map. Top sights along the Seine river.
The right bank quays from Quai des Célestins to the Louvre with views of Ile Saint-Louis are great picnicking spots.
There are few hotels and service residences on the Seine river banks. In between Notre-Dame and the Louvre Museum, right at the angle of rue des Grands Augustins and its gastronomic restaurants, Citadines Saint-Germain-des-Pres is one of the very few left bank hotels with a river view.
The most amazing monument you can see along the Seine river is the Statue of Liberty. The original Statue of Liberty in New-York City was a gift from France to America in 1886, designed by Auguste Bartholdi and moulded in Paris.
The main replica of the Statue of Liberty is located on the Ile aux Cygnes, an island within the River Seine, right by the Pont de Grenelle bridge. This bronze statue was inaugurated in 1889, yet its creator absolutely hated the fact that it was facing to the east, and therefore turning her back on America, which was not the purpose of the statue, and definitely not the intentions to keep relations between France and America. However, it was only for the Universal exhibition of 1937 when places such as Palais de Chaillot were constructed, that the statue was actually moved to its current position as though it is facing towards America, just as it was first intented.
Thirty seven bridges cross the Seine River in Paris. At the time of Gauls and Romans, and until the ninth century, there were only two, which linked Ile de la Cité to the two banks of the River. They occupied the site of Petit Pont on the left bank and Pont Notre-Dame on the right bank. In the ninth century, another bridge was built going from Ile de la Cité to the right bank and defended at its end by the fortress of Châtelet; Pont au Change was rebuilt in the place it occupied. In 1378, what is now Pont Saint-Michel was thrown over the small arm of the Seine River, between the Palace of Justice and Place Saint-Michel. It has been rebuilt several times. The four bridges of Ile de la Cité were sufficient for Paris until the sixteenth century; it was only under Henry III that Pont Neuf rose, which brought the two banks into direct contact. The bridges of Paris from east to west:
Pont Amont, used by the Périphérique motorway around the city, Pont National, built under the Second Empire, which serves as a passage for pedestrians and the railway, Pont de Tolbiac, the pedestrian Passerelle Simone de Beauvoir, built in 2006, Pont de Bercy, Pont Charles de Gaulle, built in 1996, Viaduc d'Austerlitz, used by metro line 5 and built in 1905, Pont d'Austerlitz, built two years after the battle of this name, in 1807.
This is where Ile Saint-Louis begins, dividing the Seine River into two arms. Pont Sully links the left bank to Bastille on the right bank. On the right arm are Pont Marie, built in 1635, and Pont Louis-Philippe, built in 1834. The left arm is crossed by Pont de la Tournelle, whose masonry dates from the seventeenth century. 1970 pedestrian Pont Saint-Louis brings together Ile Saint-Louis and Ile de la Cité. The Seine is again divided into two arms by Ile de la Cité. Over the right arm pass Pont d'Arcole, completed in 1866, Pont Notre-Dame, Pont au Change, built under Charles-le-Chauve, rebuilt several times since. This bridge takes its name from the merchants, money changers and goldsmiths who settled there in the middle ages.
On the left bank are Pont de l'Archevêché, built in 1836, whose name recalls the old Archbishopric, destroyed in the riot of 1831, Pont au Double, le Petit Pont, the smallest in the city rebuilt many times since the Gauls, last in 1853, Pont Saint-Michel, which already existed in 1380 and was rebuilt several times. Pont-Neuf, was built in 1607. During the last two centuries of the old regime, the Pont-Neuf was, so to speak, the center of Paris: it was there that riots started and the crowd was harangued; there were always a lot of charlatans and fairground merchants who attracted a large audience and clever thieves to profit from it.
Then come the pedestrian Pont des Arts, which connects the Louvre to the left bank, dating back from 1801, Pont du Carrousel, built in 1832, Pont Royal, dating from 1685, the 1999 pedestrian Passerelle Léopold Senghor, connecting the Tuileries Gardens with Musée d'Orsay, Pont de la Concorde, started in 1786 and completed four years later with materials from the demolition of the Bastille Prison, Pont Alexandre III, inaugurated in 1900, Pont des Invalides, built in 1855, Pont de l'Alma, built in 1856, which bears the name of a Crimean War battle (September 14, 1854), pedestrian Passerelle Debilly, built in 1900, Pont d'Iéna, completed in 1813, connecting the Eiffel Tower to Palais de Chaillot, whose name recalls a victory of the first Empire. A little further away is Pont de Bir-Hakeim, built in 1905, Pont Rouelle, Pont de Grenelle, all three divided into two parts by Ile aux Cygnes, Pont Mirabeau, completed in 1896, Pont du Garigliano, completed in 1966, Pont aval, used by the Périphérique motorway around the city.
Download detailed Paris Seine River bridge map
As driving and parking are quite difficult in the city, the metro is the most heavily used means of transportation. The metro is safe and clean. Locate metro lines and metro stations on the map. Find your itinerary in town. Check our Paris metro map
Download printable Paris bus network map.
The city is divided into 20 arrondissements, its administrative subdivisions with each a separate city hall and a zip code. As example, the zip code of the 1st arrondissement is 75001. Locate most city top sights on the Paris Arrondissement map.
There is a wide choice of hotels and apartments in town with very different quality and value for money. Most hotels are small and charming boutique hotels. Locate our favorite hotels in town and our favorite districts for hotels on Paris hotel map.
There is a huge number of restaurant in the city, both French and foreign. In general, the tourist districts offer poor value for money. But, there are exceptions. Locate our favorite restaurants in town on Paris restaurant map.
From the huge shopping malls to the small specialized shops, there are shopping venues matching your taste. Locate the best shopping venues in the city on Paris shopping map: fashion streets, department stores, shopping malls, flea market.
It is quite practical to have and use a printed pdf map when in town. Check and print in town the free printable Paris map pdf with the main streets of the city, the metro stations, the train stations and the top tourist signts.
Locate the top monuments on Paris monument map. It includes the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, the Louvre, the Sacré-Coeur, the Arc de Triomphe, La Conciergerie, the Sainte Chapelle, the Fondation Louis Vuitton, Palais de Chaillot.
The city is world famous for its top museums of art: Musée d'Orsay, Louvre, Centre Pompidou, Musée d'Art Moderne, Musée Picasso, Musée Marmottan. Locate and view the top museums on Paris museum map.
Locate the top gardens and parks on Paris garden map: Luxembourg Gardens, Les Tuileries, Parc de la VIllette, Buttes-Chaumont, Parc Monceau, Bois de Boulogne, Bois de Vincennes.
Locate and view the top sights on Paris sightseeing map: on one map, monuments, museums, parks and gardens.
Locate top tourist sights on Paris tourist map. It includes monuments, museums, gardens, shopping venues, restaurants
Paris cruises pass along the Eiffel Tower
