4 TR THE NEW YORK TIMES, SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010

BASICSVenetians are especially good at

making centuries-old buildings feelcontemporary. True to form, the Cen-turion Palace, a Sina hotel, whichopened last October in what used tobe part of a monastery, has the shell ofa Venetian Gothic palazzo but an inte-rior finished in high-end modern de-sign. Seen from the opposite bank ofthe Grand Canal, the lobby glowsbrightly, illuminated by a chandeliermade of opaque crystal cubes ar-ranged in the shape of a gondola hull.Not quite sure what they’re seeing (amuseum? a palace?), tourists passingby regularly stop and snap pictures ofwhat has become one of Venice’s mostdistinctive-looking hotels.

LOCATIONThe Centurion Palace occupies one

of the most prime pieces of real estatein Venice, or the world forthat matter: a spot righton the Grand Canal. De-spite its ideal location, itis a safe remove from theareas of the city that getmost clogged withcrowds. The closest stopon the Vaporetto, Ven-ice’s water taxi publictransit system, is aminute away on foot. Soare the Basilica of SantaMaria della Salutechurch, one of the city’smost recognizable land-marks, and the PeggyGuggenheim Collection.

ROOMSThe 50 rooms and suites

look like something straight out of amodernist design magazine. Almostevery surface in our first room, No.601, was white: the walls, the bleachedhardwood floors, the bathtub (just afew steps from the king-size bed). Thetwo chairs at the desk, where a flat-screen television was positioned, andthe bench at the foot of the bed wereupholstered in sky blue, providingstriking accents of color. Thanks to afamily of noisy pigeons that had nest-ed in the eaves near our room, the ho-tel manager graciously moved us toNo. 209, a junior suite. The room wasdraped in sumptuous hues of scarletand chocolate brown. There were dou-ble-height ceilings, a canopy bed andnot one but two balconies that openedup right over the Grand Canal.

BATHROOMThe bathrooms are fit for a king — if

that king’s name happens to be Mi-

das. Ours was gilded from floor to ceil-ing, with gold wallpaper and gold floortiles. Some design accents workedwell, like a square of small LED lightsembedded in the shower floor (whichwas also gold). But some, like the gi-ant shower head in the ceiling (gold,too) that shot sharp streams of waterin every which direction, tried toohard and failed.

AMENITIESThe hotel still has a few technologi-

cal bugs. Reading lights built into thebed’s headboard would sometimesturn on by themselves, or not turn off.The motion-detecting light in our clos-et didn’t work. But the best featurewas a switch by the bed that openedand closed the curtains. There is agym, but it is pretty spare, with just atreadmill and a couple of stationarybikes.

Check In/Check OutVENICECenturion Palace

ROOM SERVICEFor a 12-euro service charge, or $15

at $1.24 to the euro, you can preorder afree continental breakfast (cappucci-no, croissants, fresh fruit, eggs) to bebrought to your room. We opted fordelivery between 8:30 and 9 a.m., andit arrived at 8:41. When I ordered twoglasses of wine at the bar, the waitressoffered to take them to our room. Tomy surprise, there was no servicecharge.

BOTTOM LINEThis is a beautiful hotel. From its at-

tentive service to its sleek, elegantstyling to its sought-after address, theCenturion Palace is not just anothernice hotel, but an experience.

Centurion Palace, Dorsoduro, 173,Venice; (39-041) 34281;centurionpalacevenezia.com. Roomsstart at 250 euros ($312).

JEREMY W. PETERS

A suite at the Centurion, on the Grand Canal.

By SARAH J. WACHTER

THE beauty of the Seine and itstributary, the Marne, hasbeen drawing Parisians andtourists alike since the days ofthe Impressionists. But it’s

not just glittering waters that draw visi-tors, it’s entertainment. It is this aspectthat President Nicolas Sarkozy wants tomagnify with “Le Grand Paris,” a mas-ter plan that includes changes to the le-gal status of the banks of the Seine, theMarne and the Canal de l’Ourcq thatwould allow for further development.

But even in advance of Mr. Sarkozy’splan, the French are trickling back tothe banks of the Seine. In recent years,restaurants have sprung up on old riv-erboats along the city’s spruced-upquais, near the Eiffel Tower and as faraway as the tony western suburb ofNeuilly-sur-Seine. And it’s not unusualto find young French couples spendinga Sunday afternoon dancing to an ac-cordion waltz at a riverside guinguette,one of many small restaurants-cum-dance halls that originally sprang up

starting in the 18th century outside theParis city limits, partly in an attempt tocircumvent a wine tax.

Recently, it’s gotten easier to explorethese often charming spots. This year,through Oct. 2, the mega-tour operatorCityrama (pariscityrama.com) is offer-ing an evening of dining and dancing onFridays and Saturdays at the L’Île duMartin Pêcheur guinguette in Champi-gny-sur-Marne, southeast of Paris.Then there is a floating guinguette, theAntipode barge (33-6-64-74-82-48;through Aug. 8), which sets out on Sun-days on the Canal de l’Ourcq. The bargeruns through northern Paris, docking inneighboring suburbs where singers anddancers help set the pace to an af-ternoon of dancing to traditional guin-guette tunes, as well as to the occasionaltango and gypsy swing.

Giquel, a Seine-side guinguette (33-6-6219-4771) — built in 1875 and restored10 years ago — now resides in Rueil-Malmaison on the western fringe ofParis. On Sept. 19, it will host one of itsregular “guinguettes éphémères,” an af-fair that switches locations. (There arespecial guinguette events year round,so if you miss out on the fun this sum-

mer you can visit culture-guinguette.com for more outings.)

For those who want to loll along theSeine a bit longer, a handful of the city’s160 barge owners are opening theirquarters to visitors for nighttime stays.Bateau Johanna (33-1-4551-6083; www.bateau.johanna.free.fr), a former Dutchcement hauler that dates from 1936, isdocked near the Tuileries gardens, andhas two cabins available for a two-nightminimum starting at 100 euros, or $124

at $1.24 to the euro, for two people. The Orion (no phone; www.paris

-peniche.fr), which once delivered oil totowns along the Rhône, is now dockedon the Seine with a full view of the EiffelTower (150 euros per night, with a two-night minimum). The Pytheas, dockedin the heart of Paris (33-1-42-68-05-85;170 euros for two people) at the port ofChamps Élysées, rents its front cabin —popular for anniversary weekends.

For those who relish a briefer outing,the Musée Fournaise (musee-fournaise.com), housed in a guinguette on the Îlede Chatou, has an exhibition throughOct. 31 on the invention of the paint tube— appropriate, since the island is alsoknown as the Île des Impressionnistes.Æ

H E A D S U P

Down by Paris’s Riverside

OWEN FRANKEN FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES

The Seine, long popular for sightseeing, is adding entertainment.

Dance to an

accordion waltz

or sleep in a barge.

More images of scenes down by theriver.

nytimes.com/travel

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