What the Seine means to Paris

If the Seine didn't exist, Paris probably would never have been born at all. Artifacts from 40.000 years ago witness that the first human settlements ran along the river Seine, in an age when the city area was still a swamp, created as a result of the flooding of the river. Visiting Paris starting from the point in which the city was born, at the river, could make your Paris weekend a historic connotation and could also represent a sentimental approach to your Paris discovery through the breathtaking views the the bateaux mouches gifts it's visitors.

From the Eiffel tower to the Île de la Cité - the island housing the Notre Dame Cathedral in the centre of the Seine on which the Parisii, the tribe of celtic origin, that gave the city it's origins, settled. Historical sites, museums and churches can be seen by taking advantage of a river cruise on the Seine. Many companies suggest this trip to tourists as, with the fine characteristic of the boats, that they are half open air and half enclosed in glass, and the Pont de l'Alma point of departure- made famous being the site of the unfortunate death of Lady Diana- the excursion is very informative.

In just an hour and a half you have the possibility to see Paris from the river of which the city was born and, if you like, it is even possible to eat lunch or dinner on board at one of the glass covered tables. If, on the other hand, you would like to follow the course of the river without taking the barge tour, the walks along the Seine offer a different way of discovering Paris, with green stalls managed by "bouquinistes", the retro booksellers who  are famous for selling rare copies. Visiting Paris along the "rive gauche", the part along the south of the Seine, or following the "rive droite" to its north, the political, financial and economic area of the city, passing along the 37 famous and infamous bridges, that allow visitors to pass from one side of the city to the other at will, means discovering the true meaning of the Seine's Paris.