Paris History: La Seine : The old buildings, the riverboats, the changes of colour reflected by the water, the gardens, and the 32 bridges (many of them handsome) compose one of the worlds grandest, yet most endearing cityscapes. Along the river are two of the great set pieces of urban spectacle in the contemporary world. The first sweeps down from the Palais de Chaillot on the Right Bank, crosses the river to the Eiffel Tower, and continues through the gardens of the Champ-de-Mars to the 18th-century Ecole Militaire; the other begins at the Seine and marches up a broad esplanade to the golden dome of the Invalides.