Paris - Quais

It used to be possible to walk along the Quais de la Seine on two levels, but now the lower level on the whole of the right bank and part of the left bank has been taken over by an expressway to speed the movement of traffic. Nevertheless a walk along the upper level, with surging traffic on both sides, offers ample compensation in the magnificent panoramic view of central Paris, round the islands in the Seine.

The finest of all the riverside walks, however, are on the Ile Saint- Louis and the Ile de la Cité.

Responsibility for the quays and bridges on the Seine, which formerly rested with the State, was transferred in 1988 to the city of Paris, which has launched a comprehensive program of renovation of the quays (declared by UNESCO in 1991 a world heritage site).