Paris owes its life to the Seine. The city was born on one of its islands — the Île de la Cité — and today the celebrated river flows under 37 bridges as its makes its eight-mile arc through the City of Light. Along the stony banks, which together are designated a Unesco World Heritage Site, every facet of the French capital looks out and beckons.

History and architecture? From the medieval towers of Notre Dame to the 19th-century iron lattices of the Eiffel Tower, the riverside offers a stunning survey, complemented by postmodern structures like the Institut du Monde Arabe. Art and design? In the shadows of the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay, a host of less-famous museums also contain world-class troves. Food and festivities? A gastronomic trail and pulsating party barges assure satisfaction for Epicureans and hedonists. Even some green spaces — the Tuileries gardens, the Jardin des Plantes — unfold amid the urban crush. And getting around is a cinch. Take the riverside 72 bus or the waterborne Batobus — or just walk. The thoroughfares along the river have been mostly closed to traffic and reborn as lively pedestrian promenades.