dwzemens

We are considering a Grand Circle (GCT) riverboat trip that starts and ends in Paris, and spends four nights docked on the Seine.

Does anyone know where the boats actually dock - specifically? It is important to me to know if the proximity is close to the central Paris sites.

Thanks to everyone!

Travelnut

Ask them where it docks - say someone needs to meet you there...

letsgo39

I suggest you post your question on cruisecritic in the rivercruise forum.
The French rivercruises that I am familiar with spend the first 3 days in a hotel in Paris and than bus passengers to Chalon-sur-Saone where they board their cruise ship.They cruise to Arles where they disembark and fly home from Nice.
I'm sure if you post your question on cruisecritic someone will have the correct information for you.Several people on there have taken cruises in France.
Rivercruising in Europe is a fantastic way to see the countries. You will love it.

dwzemens

I have posted on CruiseCritic.com as I follow that forum, too.

We have traveled with GCT three times and enjoy the cruising.

I had noticed that they did stay in hotels on many of their trips, but the one we are looking at stays on the boat each night, so it's location is critical from my perspective.

Thanks, but still curious about the location.

letsgo39

Sounds like a nice cruise.I like the idea of staying on the ship. Paris is very easy to get around on public transportation.

dwzemens

I agree that both the metro and bus system is easy to use in Paris, and we have used them on previous trips.

But nothing beats a location where you can walk to many of the sites. And since many of the sites are very near the Seine, I sure am curious about where the boat docks.

We don't recall seeing the riverboats when we were in Paris in 2006, which leads me to believe that they dock outside city center.

But the answer still eludes me...but not for long, I bet, as Fodor readers *always* have the answer.

Grandma

We were on a Peter Deilmann cruise... and while I can't remember the specific dock, it was in the Eifel Tower area. We looked up from the deck at the tower... which was beautifully lighted. GCT, would probably be in the same general area. We took a taxi from there to the Marmaton (sp?) museum which was relatively near. A trip to that museum from our usual hotel on the Rue du Bac would have been much longer.

dwzemens

Thanks for the info...I received a similar comment over at CruiseCritic. It does not seem particularly central nor does the area look much like the more central Paris area.

Travelnut

I'm not following on where this docking location is... Is it somewhere between Radio France and the Eiffel? That's pretty central considering you're limited to staying on the boat. You can certainly enhance your sightseeing movements by using the metro and buses, just like all the rest of the land-side tourists do.

janisj

&quot;<i>It does not seem particularly central nor does the area look much like the more central Paris area.</i>&quot; Huh? The Eiffel Tower IS in central Paris. Not in the very center of the city at the Louvre or such. But definitely in central Paris. LOTS of people stay in hotels near the Eiffel Tower by choice - so why wouldn't that be OK on a boat?

dwzemens

According to my map, the Quai is about 1 km from the Eiffel Tower and in the opposite direction from Notre Dame, for instance.

We have been to Paris twice and have used both the bus and metro, so I am familiar with it. However, we enjoy staying in the 5th and consider that &quot;central&quot;.

Certainly a mile from the Eiffel tower, in the opposite direction, is less &quot;central&quot;.

I appreciate the comments. I am trying to determine the &quot;value&quot; of staying on the boat in a less than &quot;central&quot; area, and in an area with relatively less scenic appeal.

Make sense? We are going with four folks who have not been to Paris before and the proximity to the more &quot;central&quot; sites is important, I think. Just trying to balance out the cost vs. location conflict.

NeoPatrick

Twice in the past we have walked along the river from Parc Citroen to the Eiffel Tower and noticed larger river type cruise ships docked there. They are very near the &quot;mini&quot; Statue of Liberty. I'm assuming that is the area being talked about above. Other than to the Eiffel Tower itself, no it's not very convenient for walking to most sites. I certainly understand a slight hesitancy regarding staying in that location compared to the 5th, 6th, or 4th for example.

dwzemens

Thanks for the further comment, NeoPatrick. It is what it is, I suppose. I was just hoping for a more central dock as is the case in many other cities!

SeaUrchin

I have taken that cruise and the dock is pretty far down the river, we took taxis into and out of the center of town.

dwzemens

Thanks to you, too, SeaUrchin. Our friend's first visit to Paris will not be in the ideal location, but the boat can only dock where it docks, eh?

SeaUrchin

It is a nice walk from the ship to a pleasant neighborhood with cafes and shops. A bus dropped us into central Paris and we taxied back at night.

dwzemens

For clarification, it seems as though the river boats dock near the Andre Citreon park, as shown by the purple arrow in this map taken from the Paris Metro System.

http://tinyurl.com/3csay5

This gives a good view of the dock location relative to the center of the city.

Any further thoughts? I really appreciate the information given!

Grandma

Yeah..that's the place. Don't know how old you are... but unless you really like to walk................
We took a taxi from our boat to our hotel on the Rue du Bac which was on the edge of the 7th .. almost in the 6th.... and it was a bit of a trip. From the Rue du Bac we could walk to all the major sites. Just across the river to the Louvre, etc. Orsay was just around the corner. We've been on GCT trips and often their &quot;hotels&quot; are on the fringe. Could you arrange an upgrade?

dwzemens

@Grandma: This is where the boat docks, and the entire stay in Paris is on the boat, so there is nothing to upgrade! Thanks for advice, however.

Travelnut

Just a note to check the metro map, b/c the new tram line opened over a year ago, and it might be a good way to reach one of the N/S running lines... T3 starts at Pont du Garigliano and connects with Metro lines 8, 12, 13, 4 and so on. Otherwise, RER-C will whisk you around to the 'middle' in no time.