RIVER SEINE ❘ FRANCE’S WATERWAYS


side towns and villages, a trip that can easily be done by car or by bicycle thanks to the 420km Seine à Vélo bike route.


THE SEINE IN THE CITY


Besides scenic strolls, the Seine riverbanks host dozens of attractions throughout the year that visitors can easily miss. Every July and August, Paris hauls in 5,000 tonnes of sand by barge from Normandy to create the Paris Plage. This urban beach covering three quays has a seaside charm, complete with palm trees, sun umbrellas, deck chairs and activities like Tai chi and volleyball, plus outdoor cafés and concerts. Along Les Rives de Seine, a pedestrian promenade extending 2.3km (1.4 miles) on the Left Bank and 3.3km (2 miles) on the Right from the Place de la Bastille to the Eiffel Tower, strollers can play ping-pong, scale a climbing wall or take a yoga or Pilates class. The MuMo mobile museum hosts art shows and you can grab lunch or a snack at its street food stands and four terrace cafés. If you’re feeling sleepy, you can rent a private container for a 90-minute nap or host your own get-together for up to eight people. The banks harbour lively nightclubs like Faust and the Tunnel of Love under Pont Alexandre III, Paris’s most photogenic bridge, while barges docked along the water host everything from restaurants to floating electro clubs. Fluctuart, a new ‘immersive’ contemporary arts centre with a rooftop bar and café overlooking the river, is part of City Hall’s


❯❯ Feb/Mar 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 91


Clockwise from above: Pont Alexandre III and the Grand Palais; Pont d’Iéna and the Eiffel Tower; Notre-Dame at sunset; fireworks over the Seine; Pont Alexandre III; Pont des Arts and Île de la Cite; inset, a vintage postcard looking down over Notre- Dame towards the river


IMAGES © PARIS TOURIST OFFICE/SARAH SERGENT, MARC BERTRAND, FABIAN CHARAFFI


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