Things to do on the Seine river

A Seine cruise is Paris seen from the water, not a way to get between sights: boats loop past the same UNESCO-listed banks between the Eiffel Tower and the Île Saint-Louis, a stretch inscribed since 1991.

A standard sightseeing cruise runs for a fairly short slice of time, enough to fit alongside a day of walking rather than to anchor one, while a dinner cruise takes over the whole evening.

Departure points sit on quays that get crowded, and crowds mean pickpockets and the classic three-card-monte con on the bridges nearby, so keep bags zipped. GetYourGuide lists 211 Seine products, including the long-running Bateaux-Mouches operator, covering both daytime and evening options.