Drift along the Seine sightseeing

Noteworthy for: A river cruise is a quick way to see a roll-call of Parisian landmarks and learn a little history.

Being part of a group tour along with dozens of other camera-clicking tourists may not be the most authentic way to see Paris, but you can certainly cover a lot of ground, and gliding along the Seine is always a charming experience.

There are lots of similar companies selling a wide range of tour packages (details for Vedette de Paris are listed here) and you can opt for anything from children’s cruises to champagne tasting cruises.

For those tour-averse, or who would like to use the river as a handy way to get around, there is a jump-on, jump-off service run by Batobus with an all day pass for EUR 15.