The Seine: Walk It Before You See Anything Else in Paris

The Seine runs 775 kilometres total. The 13 kilometres through Paris is the city’s spine: Notre-Dame on the Ile de la Cite in the middle of the river, the Louvre facing the Right Bank, the Musée d’Orsay facing the Left Bank from a converted railway station. Walk the quais from the eastern tip of Ile Saint-Louis west to the Trocadero - roughly two hours without stopping - and you will see most of the major buildings from an angle that photographs rarely use. The walk is free, works at any hour, and gives a more coherent sense of the city’s layout than any combination of metro rides can provide.

Notre-Dame

Notre-Dame reopened in December 2024 after a five-year restoration following the 2019 fire. The interior has been restored with new oak pews and updated lighting; the rose windows were cleaned for the first time in decades. Entry is free; timed passes are recommended in high season, bookable through the official Notre-Dame website. The exterior is more intact than many visitors expect after seeing the fire coverage.

Five minutes’ walk from Notre-Dame in the former royal palace complex: Sainte-Chapelle. A Gothic chapel with 15 stained glass windows covering 600 square metres of the upper chapel walls. Entry around €13. It is one of the most complete examples of French Rayonnant Gothic anywhere and is considerably less crowded than Notre-Dame. The light through the windows on a sunny morning is the specific experience worth planning around.

The Islands

Ile de la Cite is the historical core of Paris, settled since pre-Roman times. Ile Saint-Louis, joined by a small bridge, is a quieter residential island with 17th-century townhouses. The main street (Rue Saint-Louis en l’Ile) has cheese shops, wine merchants, and Berthillon ice cream at €3-4 per scoop. Berthillon is frequently described as the best ice cream in Paris; the description is accurate. The queue is worth it.

The Banks

The bouquinistes - secondhand book and print sellers in green wooden stalls bolted to the bridge parapets - have operated on the Seine banks since the 16th century. The current stalls have been there in their present form since the 19th century. Browsing them for old prints and maps is a genuinely Parisian activity that costs nothing unless you find something.

Paris Plages (July through August) closes sections of the Right Bank expressway and installs sand, deckchairs, and activities along the river. It’s popular, free, and worth walking through. The rest of the year, the lower quais on both banks are open to pedestrians and cyclists.

Boat Cruises

Bateaux-Mouches runs from Pont de l’Alma (Right Bank, below Trocadero): approximately €16 for a 70-minute loop. Commentary in 12 languages. Do it once, ideally at dusk, for the waterline angle on the facades. Worth it specifically for Notre-Dame and the Eiffel Tower from the water. Not better than walking; a different experience.

Eating

The restaurants directly on the quais near Notre-Dame and the Louvre are tourist traps without exception. Cross to the Left Bank and walk into Saint-Germain or the 5th arrondissement for food that isn’t priced for captive audiences.

Le Comptoir du Relais (Carrefour de l’Odeon, 6th) does Auvergne-influenced French cooking in a room of about 30 people. Lunch is excellent without booking. Dinner is prix-fixe and needs reservations weeks ahead. Around €35-50. The Vietnamese restaurants on Rue Monsieur le Prince in the 6th serve pho and banh mi for €10-15; the Vietnamese community in Paris dates to the colonial period and the quality is consistent.