Seine river level in Paris: are the Zouave's feet wet?

The figure in the block is a height in metres, read on the river gauge at Paris-Austerlitz, near the bridge of the same name. It is not the depth of the river. It is the height of the water above a fixed "zero", set at 25.92 m above sea level according to the City of Paris.

For reference: the level that the dams keep the river at in normal times, called the "normal water level", is 0.82 m on this gauge, according to Voies navigables de France, the French waterways authority. The City of Paris goes on alert when the gauge reaches 2.50 m.

In Paris, floods rise slowly. For a flood like the one in 1910, it takes on average 10 to 15 days to reach the peak, and a major flood is usually forecast two to three days ahead. The riskiest period runs from November to March.

At 2.50 m, the Bras Marie, behind the Île Saint-Louis, is closed to boats carrying passengers. At 3 m, the City starts closing the lower quays to pedestrians and cars, and the Bras de la Monnaie is closed to boats.

The riverside roads then close in seven sections. The first, at 3.20 m, is the Berges de Seine pedestrian walkway, between the Pont Royal and the Pont de l'Alma. Near the Trocadéro, the road between the Pont du Garigliano and the Pont de Bir-Hakeim closes at 3.70 m. The last section, the Citroën-Cévennes underpass, closes at 6.10 m.

At 4.30 m, boats are banned between the Pont de Grenelle and the Bassin de l'Arsenal, which covers the whole cruise route through Paris.

At 4.75 m, the SNCF suspends the RER C at its seven stations inside Paris, including Pont de l'Alma and Champ de Mars-Tour Eiffel. Trains then stop at Austerlitz, Javel and Avenue Henri-Martin. Water can only enter the tunnel from 5.75 m: the closure at 4.75 m is a precaution.

The Zouave is a stone statue by Georges Diebolt, dated 1856. It is 5.2 m tall and weighs about 8 tonnes. It shows a soldier from the Zouave regiments, who distinguished themselves at the Battle of the Alma in 1854, during the Crimean War. Originally, four soldiers decorated the piers of the bridge: a zouave, a grenadier, a light infantryman and an artilleryman.

The 1910 flood made him famous: the water rose up to his shoulders. Since then, Parisians say the Seine is in flood when "the Zouave has his feet in the water".

The bridge was rebuilt between 1970 and 1974, because it was too narrow. The new bridge has only one pier, and only the Zouave was put back, on the upstream side. The three other statues were moved elsewhere, including to Dijon and to La Fère, in the Aisne.

This move has a direct effect: the statue no longer stands at exactly the same height. Sources do not even agree on which way, higher or lower. Asked by Le Monde, the regional planning institute and the regional environment office could not answer. That is why scientists compare floods at Austerlitz, not on the Zouave. Just remember this: if his feet are in the water, the nearby riverbanks are probably closed.

January 1910: 8.62 m, reached on 28 January, with a flow of about 2,400 m³ per second. It is the reference flood for all prevention plans. January 1924: 7.32 m. January 1982: 6.12 m.

June 2016: 6.10 m, during the night of 3 to 4 June. A summer flood, which is rare. The RER C was closed for eight days between Javel and Austerlitz, and boats were stopped for eight days in Paris. The Louvre and the Musée d'Orsay closed.

January 2018: 5.85 m, on 29 January, according to Météo-France. During this flood, photos of the Zouave showed the water at his knees. The last notable rise was in February 2026: Paris was on yellow flood alert on 19 February, with riverbanks closed.

To learn more about the bridges nearby, see our page on the Pont de l'Alma, two minutes from the Flame of Liberty.

This is the practical question for a visitor. As long as the gauge stays below 4.30 m, boats can still run in Paris. Above that, boats can no longer travel between the Pont de Grenelle and the Arsenal, and cruises are suspended.

If you have booked a Bateaux-Mouches cruise and the Seine is rising, check the figure in the block above and the company's announcements the day before you sail. To compare the other companies, see our Seine cruises page.