Paris-as seen from River Seine

Seine River has an important place for the city of Paris. As already pointed out in my earlier post, the Seine River divides Paris into two distinct areas, the northern Rive Droite (Right Bank) and southern Rive Gauche (Left Bank). There are 37 bridges on Seine in Paris alone; some of these are an architecture marvel in themselves. Pont Neuf is the oldest bridge build in 1607. Many famous attractions of Paris are on the Seine river banks, including Notre Dame, Eiffel tower, the Louvre museum, the Orsay museum and Palais de Chaillot.

 It was a great idea for us to have a river cruise. The second day of our Paris visit, therefore, began with the cruise in the river Seine. We had booking for the early morning cruise and we left the hotel at 8 am sharp. This time the weather god was in good mood and there was bright sunshine.

The cruise started with a warm welcome from the English speaking guide and the commentator. There was translation facility in a couple of other languages too. The guide was truly professional in his job and it added to the enjoyment of cruising in this famous river. The boat was packed to the capacity and the mood of the tourists onboard was exceptional.

One by one we started passing through the famous bridges and the sight of the famous monuments brought cheers to all of us on board. Of all the bridges that we passed through, Pont Alexandre III is my favorite bridge. Built between 1896 and 1900, this bridge is a mix of gold, pomp and lustre and decorated with Art Nouveau lamps, making it the grandest of bridges to span the Seine. It's named after Tsar Alexander III.

Pont Alexandre III

Pont Neuf, though not as grandeur as Pont Alexander III, but it did attract attention being the oldest bridge on Seine. Passing through the bridge provided the spectacular view of, the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower which glows in the distance. Being at the Louvre the day before, we could easily spot the museum from the cruise. The sight of the museum from the river gave idea of why it is one of the largest museums in the world. Soon we came across the Eiffel tower. The view of Eiffel tower from the Seine is truly a panoramic one and tempted most of us to have as many pictures as possible. We also crossed other famous bridges like Pont royal and Pont au double but as I pointed out neither match the grandeur of Pont Alexander III, although all bridges have some historical value and significance.

Notre Dame Cathedral is another great piece of architecture that is any photographer’s delight. It’s a great marvel of gothic architecture. Its magnificent towers and stained glasses provided a breathtaking view under the bright sunshine.

The tour lasted one hour and is full value for the money spent. For those who are visiting Paris for the first time, Seine river cruise on the very first day will certainly give an opportunity to have a glimpse of major attractions of the city as well as give a feel of the city. We did the day cruise but the night cruises are also worth undertaking because of the spectacular illuminations of the bridges and the monuments at night.