Paris by Night Cruise – Bridges of Paris – Part II

Part I of this post covered half of the bridges Tim and I passed on our Paris by Night Cruise. This post will cover the bridges that link the Île de la Cité and the Île Saint-Louis to the left and right banks of Paris. It will also include two bridges near Viking Fjorgyn that we did not see as we started on the cruise. I’m reposting the map of the bridges here for reference.

Map of the Bridges of Paris

Pont Saint-Michel was constructed in the 1850s during the Second Empire and links the left bank to the Île de la Cité. The imperial “N” adorns the tympana above the piers.

Pont Saint-Michel

Petit Pont is a small bridge built in 1853, linking the left bank to the Île de la Cité.

Petit Pont

Pont au Double is a cast iron bridge near Notre-Dame Cathedral that also links the left bank to the Île de la Cité. It was constructed in 1883.

Pont au Double

Pont de l'Archevêché is the narrowest road bridge in Paris and was built in 1828 to link the left bank to the Île de la Cité. Also known as Lovers Bridge, it is where people began installing love locks after this practice was stopped on the Pont des Arts.

Pont de l'Archevêché

Pont de la Tournelle was built in 1928 and connects the left bank to the Île Saint-Louis. A pylon topped with a statue of Saint Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris, is located on the left pier’s cutwater.

Pont de la Tournelle

Pont de Sully is in reality two separate bridges that meet at the tip of the Île Saint-Louis, linking the island with both the left and right banks of the city. This cast iron bridge was constructed in 1876 during the Second Empire. Our boat crossed under the southern span, turned around, and then crossed under the northern span. This was as far upstream as we would travel on the Seine.

Pont de Sully

Pont Marie, one of the oldest bridges in Paris, opened in 1635 and connects the right bank to the Île Saint-Louis. Each of the five arches of the bridge is unique, and the niches in the abutments have never been filled with statues.

Pont Marie

Pont Louis-Philippe was built in 1862 and connects the right bank to the Île Saint-Louis. Bullseye-style windows encircled with laurel wreaths decorate the piers.

Pont Louis-Philippe

Pont d'Arcole connects the Place de l'Hôtel de Ville on the right bank with the Île de la Cité. Constructed in 1856, it was the first bridge of its kind in Paris, with not a single supporting pier in the river and with only one low sweeping arch.

Pont d'Arcole

Pont Notre-Dame was constructed in 1914, although a bridge in some form has existed at the site of this bridge since at least the pre-Roman tribal era. The bridge links the right bank with the Île de la Cité.

Pont Notre-Dame 

Pont au Change connects the Île de la Cité from the Palais de Justice and the Conciergerie to the right bank. The current bridge was constructed in the 1800s during the reign of Napoleon III, and the imperial insignia with the letter “N” is located above the piers.

Pont au Change 

Our boat then passed under the northern span of Pont Neuf, which is described in Part II of this post, and then the other bridges described there. Because our boat had to circle around the Île aux Cygnes to reach Viking Fjorgyn, we passed two additional bridges downstream from Pont de Bir-Hakeim.

Pont Rouelle is a railway bridge first constructed for the 1900 Paris Exposition. The bridge was abandoned in the 1930s, but it reopened in the 1980s.

Pont Rouelle

Pont de Grenelle was constructed in 1966, replacing an earlier bridge that had stood since 1873. The bridge passes through the Île aux Cygnes and behind a replica of the Statue of Liberty. Viking Fjorgyn was docked just upstream from this bridge.

Pont de Grenelle and Viking Fjorgyn

The Paris by Night Cruise was a fantastic excursion, and we had perfect weather for it. It was a perfect finale for our France’s Finest cruise with Viking.

Tomorrow morning, we disembark from Viking Fjorgyn, so I’m glad we finished most of the packing earlier this afternoon. Since we didn’t return from our night cruise until 11:00 pm, I’m especially glad our luggage won’t need to be outside our door until 8:45 am.