The Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony will be staged along the River Seine with bumper crowds of up to 600,000 expected to attend, organizers have confirmed.

It will be the first Games to have an opening ceremony not take place in a stadium.

There will be in excess of 160 boats carrying athletes and officials representing more than 200 nations, with a six-kilometer journey between the Pont d'Austerlitz and Pont d'Iena bridges in the French capital.

Organizers said there will be 80 giant screens, with tickets for the lower part of the bank but the free entry for the upper parts.

The closing ceremony will take place at the gardens of the Trocadero that overlook the Eiffel Tower.

"The Games is a unique, once-in-a-lifetime experience," said Tony Estanguet, head of the organizing committee.

"We want people to feel it. [The boats] will pass along the iconic landmarks of Paris - Notre Dame, the Orsay and Louvre museums, the Pont Neuf [Paris's oldest bridge], the Pont Alexandre III, the Grand Palais, the Eiffel Tower.

"It will be the first time people have free access to the opening ceremony, and not just in a stadium. It will also be a popular event."

The Paris Games take place between July 26 and August 11.