Like Paris, Melun was born on an island. Like Paris, it had its royal castle, its contested bridges and its monk copyists. History then chose its big sister, but the prefecture of Seine-et-Marne retains from its origins the air of a miniature Île de la Cité, set on the Seine upstream from the meanders, and cruise boats sailing up the river from Paris find here a stop full of character.

Île Saint-Étienne, the Ancient Heart

The stop is at the Port de la Reine Blanche, on Île Saint-Étienne, the cradle of the town. This vessel of land in the middle of the river concentrated ten centuries of power: the collegiate church of Notre-Dame founded by the first Capetians, a priory, and a now-vanished royal castle where kings and queens of France stayed. The collegiate church, begun in the 11th century, still watches over the tip of the island, and the nearby Museum of Art and History, steps from the Astrolabe media library set at the water's edge, traces Melun's past, from Merovingian sarcophagi to paintings of the Seine's banks; the town also reminds visitors that it was the birthplace of Jacques Amyot, the humanist who gave Plutarch to the French language.

Two Banks to Explore

Footbridges link the island to both banks. On the north side, the shopping streets climb toward the Church of Saint-Aspais, Flamboyant Gothic rebuilt in the 16th century; on the south side, the quays invite a stroll beneath the plane trees, where the Impressionists came in search of their reflections; houseboats, with geraniums and bicycles on deck, give the prefecture the feel of a home port. The market, one of the liveliest in the department, overflows with Brie-region products; here you hunt for Brie de Melun, the boldest AOC in the family, aged longer than its cousin from Meaux and defended here with hometown pride.

Vaux-le-Vicomte, the Dazzling Neighbour

The major excursion is just ten minutes away by road: Vaux-le-Vicomte, the château that Superintendent Nicolas Fouquet had built by Le Vau, Le Brun and Le Nôtre, and which inspired Versailles. The sumptuous party thrown for Louis XIV in August 1661 hastened its owner's downfall, as he was arrested three weeks later; the estate, which has remained intact, can be visited from its gilded salons to its formal French gardens — in summer, candlelight evenings light two thousand candles there once again, and on some mornings a hot-air balloon rises above the embroidered parterres — and makes for one of the finest half days a cruise on the upper Seine can offer.

The Forest at the Gates

Nature lovers can continue to the edges of the Forest of Fontainebleau, whose tall stands of trees and sandstone boulder fields begin a few kilometres upstream; the Château de Fontainebleau itself is about fifteen kilometres away. The riverbanks, for their part, offer a pleasant loop starting from the port, between the island, the quays and public gardens, for those who prefer to stay close to the gangway.

Practical Info at the Dock

• Mooring at the Port de la Reine Blanche, on Île Saint-Étienne, centre accessible on foot.
• Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame and the Museum of Art and History on the island itself.
• Vaux-le-Vicomte about ten minutes away by road, the stop's flagship excursion.
• Brie de Melun to taste at the market or in the cheese shops in the centre.

Letting the Current Carry You

The river carries the boat between the willows, and the island becomes once more the silhouette that medieval illuminators would have recognized. Melun did not have the destiny of Paris; it gained calm, a cheese with character and a neighbour named Vaux-le-Vicomte. For a port of call, the trade seems fair, and the passenger heading back on board takes a piece of Brie in their luggage and a history lesson in their head.