Go with the flow

It’s most often associated with picture-perfect Parisian scenes, but there’s plenty more to be found along the route of the Seine.

- Joanna Leggett

When travelling back to France, occasionally I take the ferry from Portsmouth across to the port of Le Havre, in SeineMaritime. From the outskirts of Le Havre it’s just a hop, skip and jump across the amazing Pont de Normandie, one of the longest cable-stayed bridges in the world, to the magical town of Honfleur, in the neighbouring Norman department of Calvados.

I was astounded to learn that the estuary crossed by the Pont de Normandie is, in fact, the mouth of the Seine – the famous river that winds through the heart of Paris. By the time it reaches the coast, the Seine has become a mighty expanse of water emptying into the Channel. And this impressive bridge was built to allow ocean-going vessels to pass beneath on their route to the port of Rouen, some 123 kilometres inland.

In fact, much of this wonderful river is navigable, for the tidal section of Seine-Maritime at Le Havre is followed by a canalised section, where locks lift riverboats up to the level of the river in Paris. After passing through the famous landmarks of the capital, it continues on towards Champagne and Burgundy.

The Seine is France’s second-largest river, with a total length of 870km and, with its tributaries, it drains an area of almost 79,000 square kilometres! It was also – and remains – beloved by artists, painted by the Impressionists time and time again and then by Post Impressionists too, from Bourdin to Matisse. Thanks to them we can see the Seine captured in all seasons, and snapshots of people delighting in it throughout the centuries. But for us to take in all the wonderful places along the route of the river, let’s start at the very beginning.

SOURCE OF THE SEINE