Seine Cruises in Paris
 

Hello,
My boyfriend and I (both around 30 years old) are planning a trip to Paris in August. I've been looking into Seine cruises and would love some advice.
-Should I enjoy a dinner cruise and if so which one?
-If I just take a cruise (no dinner) would you recommend Vedettes du Pont Neuf or something else?
-If so, are there good dinner places near that area that you would recommend? (Moderately priced, not overly touristy)
-I've read that I can bring cheese and wine on board with me; is that true?
-How early should I arrive before the cruise to get a good spot on the boat?
-I would like an evening cruise. Is there a good time to start the cruise so the Eiffel tower is more likely to be lit up when we pass it?

Thanks for any and all advice!

Chelsey

>>-Should I enjoy a dinner cruise and if so which one? <<

Not IMO. Have a better meal on land and then take an after dinner cruise.

>>-If so, are there good dinner places near that area that you would recommend? (Moderately priced, not overly touristy)<<

'That area' is the whole center of Paris really. My favorite boat trips are these http://vedettesdupontneuf.com/home/

Places on either island or 4th, 5th, 6th in general would be close enough to walk. "Moderate' could mean anything -- what is your actual budget?

>>-I've read that I can bring cheese and wine on board with me; is that true?<<

yes

If you take the boat after dinner it will be dark so everything will be lit up.

While you are allowed to bring food and drink on board the boat, bear in mind that there are no tables, and the plastic seats are right next to each other, like sitting in the bleacher section.

Best to have everything already prepared to eat, so you don't have someone else's elbow in your pâté en croûte.

Thanks for your help. I think we are likely to just bring some wine to drink.

As for dinner, I didn't realize I was asking such a broad question. I'll have to do some research on my own for that.

If anyone else has advice on whether or not to do a dinner cruise or dinner and then a cruise, I'd love to hear your opinion. Also about good companies. Thanks!

I almost always go on a Vedettes du Pont Neuf Cruise when I visit Paris. I am not interested in dinner cruises, though I did one long ago and it was so awful it may have tarnished my appreciation of such things. People whose opinions I respect have had good things to say about the dinner cruises on Le Calife and Les Yachts de Paris, but I find it hard, even if the food is good and not just warmed over, to imagine paying those prices or having to divide my attention between servers and eating and actually watching what the boat is passing, which to me is what a cruise on the Seine is all about. I'd have to be much more of a multi-tasker than I actually am.

Look for boat discounts on brochures and tourist maps and online- they are ubiquitous.

Definitely Vedettes, and go after dark.

Within a very few blocks of their departure point are dozens and dozens of restaurants from cheap street food to bad street cafes to great street cafes to chains (some good, some not) to luxury restaurants, including at least one that has been internationally famous since my grandfather's day.

See the problem?

If I were you, I would probably have a snack and a glass of wine or beer at a street cafe before the voyage, then a late dinner at a brasserie when the trip is over.

Another vote for Vedettes du pont neuf. Get an internet ticket in advance.

http://vedettesdupontneuf.com/home/

Go just as it gets dark and I agree, not a dinner cruise. Find/reserve a great special restaurant and go afterwards. BTW, I usually see many people enjoying wine and picnic along the banks. You could arrive early with your wine and ??? and just relax nearby as you await your time. It will be an excellent evening. Enjoy!

So what makes the vedettes company floats better than the competitors - seems unanimous here that they are and not disputing that - just what sets them apart?

I would naively be under the impression that all such boats are pretty much like peas in pods?

I have not taken a Seine cruise in ages but what can be different.

The cruises along the Seine then into the locks and then the Canal St Martin - under the Bastille and onto La Villette could also be an interesting float.

Vedettes du Pont Neuf uses much smaller boats.
Bateaux Parisiens and other companies specialize in moving enormous crowds on barge-size boats.

TIP-----Get the Vedettes cruise from the Pont Neuf on the 1/2 hour so that you will be at the Eiffel on the hour when it lights up.

I would aim to do the boat just as the sunsets so you can see the city light up and get up to ET around the top of the hour so you can see it twinkle.

http://www.timeanddate.com/sun/france/paris?month=8

Vedettes du Pont Neuf uses much smaller boats.
Bateaux Parisiens and other companies specialize in moving enormous crowds on barge-size boats.>

OK good enough - does that mean Vedettes are more expensive -if so how much?

>>I would naively be under the impression that all such boats are pretty much like peas in pods?<<

That impression is wrong.

>>does that mean Vedettes are more expensive -if so how much?<<

Nope . . .

Go with what hpeabody and TPAYT have already said....and go after dark to see Paris sparkle. We did it last year on a prepurchased, online ticket ( sale price and open time just nominated a night cruise )and arrived at the Eifel Tower just as it began its light show. Delightful. Snack before you go and grab dinner when finished.
PS. It can get very cold up on top where the view is best.

Great information. It is something we would like to do as well. How bundled up should you be in midOctober? We are desert dwellers so although we seek a respite from the heat, we also chill easily. Also did anyone respond to the question regarding the best time to arrive to ensure a good view or is every seat a good one?

The Vedette boats are small enough that every seat is a good seat. I doubt you'll be battling crowds in mid-October, anyway. The only thing I'd add about seating is that the closer you are to the microphone, the easier it will be to hear the narrative, which is often a bit difficult to comprehend.

I don't think anyone can predict what mid-October weather will be like this year. Be prepared for anything. Have layers and rain gear available.

I like sitting on the right-hand side of the boat as you face the front, right on the railing. I have to confess that there probably isn't much difference, but it seems like it, to me.

If you purchase advance timed tickets, get in the correct line - there's a sign on the ticket window - about 20 minutes in advance.

If you will buy tickets at the dock, allow 30 to 40 minutes before the time you wish to leave.

Check the weather on a live Paris website two days before you leave. Only you can decide how chilly you'll feel with the wind blowing.

If you purchase tickets from the official website, they remain good for one year and you can use them anytime during the morning or evening, depending on what you've chosen. Good idea in case it rains.
http://vedettesdupontneuf.com/tickets/

We enjoyed our cruise; it landed at the dock in front of ET at about 8:58 PM, about Sept 7th. One foot on the dock, and WOW!!!

I had wished that we'd had a little more time to get to a better viewing spot.

I've heard the dinner cruises are unexceptional.

Be aware that ET is in a park; one time we viewed it from a park bench about 500 feet west of it. Is that the Champ du Mars? Then there's a metro stop about 400' east of it.

We enjoy the dinner cruise. Food is not the best, but the food is secondary to the experience. We like having a table to sit at and the ability to just drink wine and chat while we are seeing the sights. It's a pleasant way to spend an evening.

tomboy used "bateaux parisiens", which docks very close to the Eiffel Tower, near Pont d'Alma.
"vedettes du pont neuf" docks near Notre Dame, at Pont Neuf.

I went on the Vedettes du Pont Neuf. I enjoyed it (other than the loud German students!) I paid €8? for the cruise without dinner. I wouldn't bother having dinner on the cruise and just eat something on mainland. I would recommend it!

One difference among the cruise lines is that the Vedettes du Pont Neuf used live guides when I went on them (admittedly several years ago) and I believe some of the other companies use recorded commentary.

An adult ticket is 11 euros bought online, a few more if bought onsite.

http://www.batobus.com/en.html

Batobus is a good alternative - one ticket you can ride all day between nine stops in the heart of Paris at places like the Eiffel Tower, Orsay and Louvre museums, Notre-Dame, etc.

And you at certain times of year at least can do it in the day for basic transit and at night too!

The Batobus is primarily a means of transportation. It does not provide commentary.

It's basically a water taxi. And though it might not be an issue in October, the lines to board can be long and slow. There's no commentary, and it would be hard to time it, for example, to see the lights lit up on the Tour Eiffel. And it's expensive.

It's nothing at all like a cruise.

And it's expensive./

If I read the site I linked it's 11 euros for all day as much as you want and 13 euros for two days- so actually as cheap or cheaper for two days than the 'cruises"- not saying it gives you the trappings of a cruise but goes up and down the same river with the same sights night and in October yes I would think few queues.

The site you linked says 17 euros a day, 19 for 2 days. You are looking at child passes and passes that have to be picked up at the Batobus office in Paris - PITA.

The OP was looking for a cruise, not river transportation.

>>Batobus is a good alternative - <<

Not at all IMO.

It is a water bus - and as buses go it is <i>great</i>. As a cruise it . . . isn't.

The Batobus is not a good alternative for anyone with mobility issues, since most of the stops are accessible by stairs.

It is slow, there is often a long wait to board, and there are only 9 stops. What you will see from the river level won't be much.

If you purchase and print a pass on the internet, bring it along and receive your actual ticket on the first batobus you board.
ww.batobus.com/en/batobus-pass.html

Can metro tickets still be used for Batobus? And I agree it is not anything like a cruise -just curious about the metro ticket thing for my and others info.

It is not the same system. You must purchase a Batobus Pass.

>>Batobus is a good alternative -<<

>> I agree it is not anything like a cruise -<<

Blowing in the wind are we?? >)

thanks for the information about Vedettes -- my DH and I are also going to Paris in mid-October and this sounds like a wonderful idea at sunset, maybe with some hot chocolate if it's chilly. We love playing around with our DSLR cameras and this sounds like we'd have a good time getting creative.

question about the narrative: Is it only in French, or in other languages also?

thanks!

It's in English.

I went on a dinner cruise. We were a large group and it had been chosen because a band was playing Jazz.

My friends said they spent a nice evening.
(I didn't. I don't like jazz and I was in a middle of a bunrnout, I hardly touched my plate). I've always said I'd do it again.

We just did the vedettes pont neuf. The narrator was French and said everything in French and then English. The commentary was very perfunctory. "On your left is the musee d'orsay. Built for world fair in xx year and now it is a museum. On right is this building which is used for this." No color commentary. We also did boat cruises in London and Bruges and both of those narrators were quite colorful and funny. The Bruges guy spoke everything in 3 languages too. So I think it is luck of the draw who you get as a narrator as to how good it will be.

But it was very enjoyable to sit on the top deck and see the sights from the river.

>>Batobus is a good alternative -<<

>> I agree it is not anything like a cruise -<<

Blowing in the wind are we??>

No those two statements are not contradictory despite your high dudgeon at every turn to read things into my statements that are not there - a substitution as I was talking to folks who want to just go along the river by boat and do not care for the often trivial commentary en route- 'on your left is the Eiffel Tower' - people like me.

And for folks who don't care for guided tours and want to do their own tour - Michelin Green perhaps in tow - up and down as much as they want - day or night, also using it for transportation rather than the often hectic metro.

Most folks like you want the trappings of a cruise and that is just dandy but this info was for others who may have thought gee the only way I can experience the Seine by boat is to take a cruise (which again is very fine for those that want it).

Cheers Jan!

I took the Batobus several times yesterday. I was able to show my US college ID so paid €13 for a 2 day pass. It's a great way to sit down and rest and enjoy lovely views. The stops are convenient but fairly ratty. A romantic experience it is not but it's a fun, inexpensive way to enjoy the Seine.