Curious onlookers¹ gathered on bridges as dozens of boats snaked along the Seine river on Monday in a rehearsal² for the Paris Olympics' unique opening ceremony next month.

A total of 55 boats made the journey from Pont d'Austerlitz, named after a French military victory in 1805, to Pont d'Iéna, a stone's throw from the Eiffel Tower, the nation's most striking and best known landmark³.



Officials are confident that the near four-hour ceremony will run like clockwork on July 26.



On the day of the eagerly-awaited event, around 200 Olympic delegations⁴ will join the parade on more than 80 boats. They will make the journey from east to west, along a six-kilometer (3.7-mile) route which has become a major talking point — for its audacity⁵ as a unique open-air event and for its exposure to potential danger.



There will be a final rehearsal, involving the full armada of boats, before the opening ceremony — one which is expected to bring 100 world leaders to the city's embankments, where more than 300,000 people will watch.