Paris has a natural heritage in its geographical layout marked by the curve of the Seine which runs through the capital from east to west over 13km. The river dissects the city in two, the Right Bank and the Left Bank. To link the two banks together, many bridges have been built from the founding of the city to the present day. The oldest are the Petit Pont and the Grand Pont, built in 52 BC by the Parisii tribe which had settled on the Ile de la Cité and to which the city owes its name. The most recent bridge is the Simone de Beauvoir footbridge, inaugurated in 2006.

There are 37 bridges and footbridges on the Seine and 15 on the city’s canals. In the daytime, and at night when they are illuminated, they offer stunning views of the city and you can admire the changing colours of the sky and water and the play of light reflected on the buildings. The Seine quaysides, from the Pont de Sully to the Pont Alexandre III and the Pont de Bir-Hakeim, are one of the most beautiful urban fluvial landscapes and are a Unesco listed heritage site.