Boat rides on the Seine?
 

Are they worth it? What's the best time to do it?

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The boat rides on the Seine are on many people's "must do" list; certainly they are on mine. I have used Bateau Parisien and Bateau Mouches; the former was last month, for a daytime trip. The commentary is pretty good, and the photo ops are wonderful. Two years ago, we took an evening ride which was interesting with all the lights, but you couldn't see as much overall. I'm sure everyone has a strong preference for day vs. night, just like on the Eiffel Tower, but you must do the boat ride at least once.

If you have the time, do both--day and night. Just make sure you pick a sunny day for the daytrip.

John, Yes, the boat ride is worth every minute. Hubby and I took Bateau Mouches for a dinner/night cruise along the Seine. It was wonderful. Ride lasted approx 2 hours, and the food was great, surprisingly so. Oh, and the men must wear ties for this cruise.<BR>Francie<BR>

As many times as I have been in Paris, I never tire of taking a boat ride on the Seine. I prefer the Vedettes de Paris and I don't do dinner cruises because the one time I did one I was sorely disappointed by the food and the fact that I couldn't see squat from the table (you can do a night cruise and then go have a fabulous meal at any brasserie in Paris for much less money). If you can snag a cruise at sunset, so much the better. If not, go at night, when tout Paris is lit up and you get a sense of the magical architecture along the Seine. Take a sweater - it can be really cold, even in summer.

I did a river cruise and found the buildings all looked the same. It was rather monotonous. The food was bad beyond words.

My wife, son and I just came back from Paris, and took a daytime ride and really enjoyed it. Seeing the buildings from a different perspective was nice. We took the boat ride without dinner because we wanted to eat dinner at restaurants and not on the boat. Also, we took the tour boat with commentary as opposed to the taxi boats that have no commentary but where you can get on and off at various locations.

For a change of pace, try the boat ride along the Canal St. Martin. It leaves from the Bastille and much less touristy than the boats on the Seine. We have done both and enjoyed both.

Going to Paris in February. Temperatures probably in the low 40's, does anybody recommend a boat ride on the Seine? Picture taking could be difficult thru the windows, and I can picture fogged up windows. Anybody?

I agree with "bumper". We took the cruise from in front of the Orsay along the Seine to Canal St. Martin...3 hours going through many locks and under the Bastille area. It was great; showed us different areas of Paris. We ended up near the Musee de la Musique, had a delicious lunch in their cafe and toured the museum (terrific if you are into music like my son!). Have a great trip!

Mike--by all means take a boat ride on the Vedettes de Paris (they leave from the Pont Neuf), they're smaller boats with decent commentary. Everyone sits outside, so bring a scarf and maybe gloves. I did one at twilight in February and was quite comfortable.

Another vote for the Canal St. Martin cruise (the one leaving from d'Orsay which gives you both the Seine and the canal). Our trip was practically empty so I sat outside until the lock spray drove me in, then out again to watch the children waving as the boat rose to the street level. It does take three hours and a return by metro to mid-city, but it was a wonderful experience. I especially liked the spooky underground part that is about a mile long.