Seine

The Seine River, the second-longest river in France at 482 miles (776 km), is so intertwined with Paris that it is the most well-known of all French rivers. It begins modestly approximately 30 kilometers northwest of Dijon in the Côte d'Or, then surges northwest to Troyes in Champagne, noted for its medieval alleyways and outlet retail complexes. The strong river then runs past the Fontainebleau forest, through Melun, Corbeil, and finally into Paris. This is the core of the Seine, the river that divides the city between the right and left banks, constituting the most important part of life and cityscape in Paris.

From here, it travels via Mantes and Rouen, where it was a major component of the 19th-century Impressionist movement, where it was painted in all seasons and under all lighting conditions. Between the picture-book town of Honfleur and the industrial port of Le Havre, the Seine drains into the English Channel.

Length: 777 km