Paris - Seine River cruises
 

Hello

Can anyone recommend any companies for a Seine River cruise in Paris, any recommendations ?

Also, is the cruise best taken during the day or evening ?


Thanks

If you are in paris the best way to get around is using the batobus on the river. has stops at all the attractions just hop on and off through out the day

Batobus is good for getting up and down the river. But for a cruise w/ commentary etc - the best are probably the Vedettes from Pont Neuf w/ their smaller boats. I much prefer a nighttime cruise since all the bldgs are illuminated. It is gorgeous at night.

Hi ff,

Evening cruise, just before sundown.

They light up the major buildings.

The Eiffel tower blinks on the hour.

If you buy a Batobus ticket (www.batobus.com) you can take a day and night cruise.

Don't bother with dinner cruises. They are expensive and the food is merely pedestrian.

((I))

((I))

janisj is right on.
Don't be afraid to bring your own bottle of wine and snacks (cheese!) and make it a romantic cruise.
Here is their website
http://www.vedettesdupontneuf.com/
Click on "Internet Coupon" and take it with you to save €2 per ticket.

Going at night is definitely way better.

However, last time I was on the Vedettes de pont Neuf, it got to the Eiffel tower on the half hour, which missed the tower doing it's sparkly thing (which is on the hour).

Maybe I just got on the wrong boat, but check the times if that's important to you (and it should be - it's fantastic to see!)

To be complete...there are also boats (Bateaux Mouches) that leave from near Pont D'Alma. They are quite large boats.

I like Vedettes for their size, the commentary is just OK. After sundown is my choice. As others say, skip dinner cruises since they tend to be $$$, unless this is one of your dreams, in which case, go for it...The other good thing about Vedettes is their location..for one thing there is a really nice square just by where you get on (Square Vert Galant) and it is a good central location for finding a reataurant before/after your cruise.

Mike

Without a doubt I prefer the Bateaux Parisiens Dinner Cruise, top notch service, great food, live music. I've taken everyone who visits me here in Paris and they still talk about it! Located in front of the Eiffel Tower.

How expensive is Bateaux Parisiens Dinner Cruise?

I prefer the Bateaux Mouches (www.bateaux-mouches.fr) at Pont de l'Alma (metro Alma-Marceau). More bang for your buck. I would say that daytime is better than nighttime, unless Paris is having a heatwave.

>>Vedettes du Pont-Neuf - Don't be afraid to bring your own bottle of wine and snacks<<

Do you know if they have drinks available onboard? I see it says "Captains Bar" and take-away drinks, but that could just mean soft drinks.

There's a bar where you can go inside and sit down and purchase a drink. Outside there is a concession stand that sells wine/beer/drinks, and some various other items.

Go buy your own if you would like, and bring it with you -- that would be OK. There is no food/drinks sold on the boat itself.

Do download the 2 Euro coupon, and I recommend the sunset cruise with dinner afterwards, depending upon what time of the year you are there. ((b))

Mike, I just wanted to thank you for responding to my questions on the Paris in 1 day thread. Am I interpreting your response correctly thinking that it's <b>possible</b> to buy the tickets ahead of time, but probably not necessary?

brassc, how do we know how to time the cruise so that we pass the Eiffel Tower on the hour?

freddofrog, thanks for starting this thread! :)

Merci, Budman :-)

This was an area I failed to research enough in advance and we consequently were disappointed with our cruise. We ended up on a huge, utilitarian boat (not romantic). They did commentary during the cruise, but in about 6 languages so any remarks were necessarily short and not too enlightening. I also felt like being low on the Seine, while an interesting perspective, really handicapped the view. I much more enjoyed our walk from roughly Gare de Lyon to the Eiffel Tour where we wandered along the river, crossing it multiple times, and really getting a nice sense of the relationship of the city to the river. Of course that is a long jaunt and would not be everyone's cup of tea either. I'll definitely take better heed of the above advice for our next Paris trip!

cageym - You bring up a good point. This is not a yacht or a luxury cruise boat. These boats are &quot;huge, utilitarian boat (not romantic)... commentary during the cruise, but in about 6 languages... and not too enlightening... low on the Seine&quot;.
The boats are steel with fiberglass chairs all in a row.
But at dusk, when the lights are beginning to twinkle on the buildings, bridges and in your eye... a bottle of wine and the person you love most in this world beside you and you think, &quot;I am in Paris&quot;.
Romantic? Hell yeah.

Topping for shaz729