Siene River Cruise
 

Which one to do? There seem a few options and I am clueless. Should I purchase here or once i get to Paris. Best time of day to go? How long do the rides take? I know there are a few with dinner options but I heard that was not worth it and not great food.
Apologies for all the questions...

I personally prefer the Vedettes du Pont Neuf - smaller boats.

No reason to pre book -

Vedettes de Paris - about an hour and a half, no need to prebook. Don't do dinner cruise.

Hi SX,

Best time to go is at dusk.

Eiffel Tower blinks and flashes on the hour, after dark.

Have you considered a 2-day pass on www.batobus.com?

((I))

I'll ditto on the Vedettes du Pont Neuf

http://www.vedettesdupontneuf.com/

I've also done the Bateux Mouches a couple of items, which are located near Place D'Alma/Iean. I prefered the Vedettes beacuse they we smaller boats, and for their location near Notre Dame.

http://www.bateauxparisiens.com/
http://www.bateauxdeparis.com/bateaux_mouches-paris.php

I think most people here have found the dinner cruises somewhat expensive. It might be nice, but I think combining a pre-cruise meal with a nighttime cruise would be the ideal combo.

Night time cruises are recommended because Paris at night is beautiful. Buildings and bridges are lit up, neon cafe signs from the shoreline, the Eiffel tower twinkling as you go by, quite magical.

Depending on time of year, do a quick check to see when sundown is. I don't think there is any need to pre-book, but there is an internet discount coupon.

There is also a nice park at the loading dock that I discovered on my last trip, go there for a pre-trip view of Seine/Louvre...

Another thing to consider is that a lot of restaurants start their dinner service around 7:30/8..so with Vedettes you could have dinner on Left Bank/Islands and have an easy walk over for late evening cruise.

I haven't used the Batobus (kind of like a ferry). You might consider that during one of your days to get from point to point, and see the Seine during the day.


Hope this helps,
Mike

If you pre-book the Vedettes you will save 1 or 2 euros..it's on their web page. I like these because the ships are smaller, but it probably doesn't make a lot of difference once on are on it.

These rides are good for three reasons...1) a warm, sunny afternoon, 2) a warm clear night, and 3) a not-so-nice afternoon because you can sit inside and still enjoy the ride and tour.

Pjk

Pre-book you save 4 Euro. Download a coupon to save 2 Euro. ((b))

Vedettes du Pont Neuf

We take a cruise every time. Sometimes twice. We always do it the night before we leave and sometimes in the middle of a trip just because we are close and feel like sitting for awhile.

On the du Pont Neuf boats are the tickets good for any time/ day or are they for a specific day/time?

topping

We purchased our tickets right there on the pier before we boarded the boat. I'm not sure how they handle the internet purchase -- I don't think they are for any particular date/time. http://www.vedettesdupontneuf.com/billet_en.php((b))

We intend to buy our tickets there but will want to buy them ahead of the day/time we are going to use them and wondered if the tickets are stamped for a certain day/time or if they are general and can be used on any day/time.

I purchased my tickets for the Vedettes du Pont Neuf on-line for our May trip. The pre-paid tickets are good for one year, so you don't have to worry about knowing in advance when you want to take the boat tour. You just show up with your receipt and identification.

For our party of 6 (including two kids), we saved 20E by buying in advance. I'd say that's enough for a round of ice cream cones!

thank you so much for all the info! I can't wait to go..sounds fantastic!!:)

Could one of you please clear something up for me? Is it a "round trip" cruise, or do we get on at Pont Neuf and off somewhere else? Or can we get on/off, on/off? Our hotel is on the Ile de Cite and I believe the vedettes leaves from Ile de Cite. But we'd probably want to get off at the Eiffel and then return to Pont Neuf when ready to settle in for the evening.

Any info appreciated! Merci!

All of the Seine cruises are round trip; you board and go back to the same place. Except for the Batobus. This is a hop-on-hop-off ship for which you can buy either IIRC a one-day ticket, a multi-day ticket, or a ticket good for a week. No limit to the times you can get on / off.

Pjk