I would like to take one of the boat trips on the Seine while in France, but there are several companies to choose from. I'm not sure of which one to choose. I want the trip to last about an hour (not interested in dinner or lunch cruise.)
Also, do the cruises start and finish at the location? For example, the tours that start from Pont Neuf, do they return to Pont Neuf?
Do tickets need to be purchased earlier in the day for a dusk/evening trip?

Hi Piglet,
We took the cruise from the Pont Neuf in April. It does begin and end at the same location. We boarded around 9PM. That was either the last cruise or 2nd to last of the evening, but it was April so they may cruise later in the summer. We just showed up and bought our tickets. The trip lasted about one hour.
If you do a search, there is a lot of info about each of the cruise companies.

Hi!

Bateaux Mouches leave from near Place D'alma, and yes, The Vedettes du Pont Neuf leave from Pont Neuf. Both do a loop and return. The 2/3 times I've been I have never had trouble just walking up and getting tickets. Best time to go is after dark when the buildings and bridges over the Seine are lit up. I found the commentaries to be a little weak, so go for the view!

Enjoy!

Mike

We took the Bateaux Mouche ride on the Seine in the evening. I second Mike's comment...the evening cruise is just beautiful. The buildings, bridges, Eiffel Tower are all lit up.

Take lots of pictures and have fun.

Carol

Sunset is a nice time to take oneof these cruises. They do return to the place of departure.

Hi Piglet,

If you take the Vedettes-de-Pont-Neuf cuise you can print out a discount coupon from the internet. Just enter the number of people in your party. It's a 1E savings per person.

The Bateaux Mouches does a slightly larger circuit that goes around the Statue of Liberty.

adrienne

When we were in Paris sunset was much later in the evening than I was used to in the US. Closer to 10 PM. I did a daylight cruise but should have done both.

We did the Pont Neuf. Get there about an hour before the cruise, purchase your tickets, and have a drink in their cafe.

The cruise is a BYOB. You can purchase there, but it is a little expensive. Stop at a wine & cheese shop and bring your own "stuff." It is wonderful.

There are four firms running similar sightseeing trips lasting an hour or so: Vedettes du Pont Neuf (www.vpn-cpn.com}, Bateaux Mouches (www.bateaux-mouches.fr), Bateaux Parisiens (www.bateauxparisiens.com) and Vedettes de Paris (www.vedettesdeparis.com) - the last two both leave from near the Eiffel Tower. At popular times, all have half-hourly departures and there is no need to book. The Bateaux Mouches are the biggest boats, carrying 1000 or more passengers, and the Bateaux Parisiens, with three boats carrying 600 each, are second-biggest. The two smaller firms are slightly less impersonal.

This sounds like another wonderful thing to experience in Paris. There is so much to do there it seems.
Are one of these boat tours more conveniently located in the city than another? Or are they all parked in the same general area of the Seine?
Thank you.
Anna