Siene River : Romantic River Rides of Paris, France

The real essence of the city of Paris is captured by the Siene River,  a 776 km (482 mi)-long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. This famous river flows from east to west through the heart of the city and divides Paris's Left Bank and Right Bank.

It is definitely an unparalleled romantic experience as you lazily drift down the Seine River or Paris' miles-long network of canals. Get a glimpse of some of the city's most mythical spots, enjoy a romantic dinner amid the soft glow of light on the water, or just sit back and revel in the fresh air and delicious floating in a scenic setting.


I needed to take more pictures of the other fascinating buildings and sights along the way as I pass along the Siene river crossing different bridges of all types and designs.

The riverbanks are worth exploring. There are floating restaurants, discos, cafes for those who can afford it, and free benches for all those travelers who are just as happy to enjoy the same view with their own wine, bread and cheese from a local grocer.

 

Tourists and travelers will notice the many splendid bridges, which span the River Seine, some of them several centuries old, and the oldest of these is the Pont-Neuf, whose first stone was laid in 1578 by Henri III in the presence of the Queen Mother, Catherine de Medicis. No other river in the world has been the subject of such poetic fussing, frantic picture-taking, and all-around adulation. 

 

There are many boat tour operators in Paris offering various levels of service form taxi-boats to private dining experiences. The most famous are still the Bateaux-Mouches. There are also lunch and dinner cruises which begin by the Musee Dorsay run by Marina De Paris. There is another sightseeing cruise that sails the Canal St Martin. From the Paris Arsenal Marina to the Parc de la Villette or the other way around the trip takes around two and a half hours.

The best time to go here is generally May through mid-September, when skies tend to be clearer and temperatures in Paris are generally warm.

Beyond the mere technical facts surrounding the river and its environs is a deeper and more inexplicable attraction. The water speaks to us of a past we will never experience but nevertheless find ourselves linked to by association. Staring at the murky river from a cold bridge in a Parisian winter it is impossible not to think of Paul Celan, the tormented poet of the holocaust, who plunged to his death in those same waters, or the less known victims of French revolution when hundreds of bodies were dredged from the depths, or simply the unnamed and uncelebrated who also met their ends at the river bottom.

This is not to say the river represents a cult of death, but it's interesting to conceive of it as part of the full cycle of life. Great triumphs and great tragedies have occurred near the river which less aware tourists view as the background to their photo collection.

*References: Wikepedia.org, GoParis.com and AParisGuide.com