We would like to take the river seine cruise, do i have to book this in advance or is this something we can just take anytime? we will be coming from the direction of the austerlitz station..
what do you suggest? day or night cruise?

You don't need to book in advance--just turn up at the Bateaux Mouches or Vedettes de Paris docks. We like the evening cruises when the buildings are all lit up, but the afternoon ones are also pleasant because you can see more detail.

Thanks underhill!

There are four firms running sightseeing trips from different departure points (www.vedettesdupontneuf.com, www.bateaux-mouches.fr, www.bateauxparisiens.com, www.vedettesdeparis.com). All take an hour or so and cover the same stretch of river. They generally leave at half-hourly intervals and the biggest boats take 1000 passengers, so you just turn up and buy a ticket. There is also Batobus (www.batobus.com) which makes several stops and offers a "hop on/off" service.

We took the Pont Neuf at sunset and really loved it. It is a BYOB cruise. Buy picnic stuff and wine ahead of time or they will sell it to you on the pier. Their web site has a coupon for a small discount. Took about 1.5 hours.

Has anyone used the Batobus to hop on/off and see the sites that way? Our time in Paris this weekend is short, and we have a 2-year-old, so we knew we wanted to do a Seine cruise. This might be the ideal way to get to see a few more sites (at least from the outside) than we otherwise would be able to.

Are the sites fairly close to where the Batobus lets you off? (Remember -- 2 year old in tow).

Thanks!

We use the Batobus a lot when we're in Paris, but you can't be in a hurry if you're using it - it's about 20 minutes between boats, and you can usually walk or take a bus or métro and get where you're going a lot faster. That said, it's a nice way to get from one spot to another in Paris and enjoy the river at the same time. Yes, the stops are located near to major tourist spots - Notre Dame, Tour Eiffel, etc.

Budman, as usual, your advice is spot on! We do the same thing at dusk and love the fading sunlight and gradual display of city lights.

Haven't done it in the day but the night trip with the Eiffel Tower and buildings and bridges all lit up is pure magic!Enjoy lovely Paris!

Hi Wesch,
>Has anyone used the Batobus to hop on/off and see the sites that way? <

Yes. It is a very pleasant way to see the highlights. We did a full loop and then hopped on/off.

See www.batobus.com.

If you want to buy the monthly pass, you will need a photograph.