Step by Step Directions from Tour D'Argent to Pont Neuf and other questions.
 

My dh and I, for our anniversaire (8eme) want to do Saturday night dinner at Tour D'Argent and then go for a Seine nightime cruise. It would be on November 25. So a few Q's:

1. what time should we make the dinner reservation? we want to do the cruise after dinner and we are not too late eaters.

2. Which cruise and time should we take.

3. how long before the cruise should we get to Pont Neuf

4. step by step directions from Tour D'Argent to Pont Neuf - and how long does it take to walk there?

5. w/o alcohol, how much pp should I expect Tour D'ARgent to be - and do they take credit cards? BTW does Jules Verne take cc's as well?

6. any recommendation for what to eat at Tour D'Argent?

7. Is it possible to specifically request a table with a view of Notre Dame for dinner?

Thanks!

one other question - do i just buy tix there or should I get them in advance - I was looking at Les Vedettes Pont Neuf

Hi
the website for the Pont Neuf tour boats is http://www.vedettesdupontneuf.com/
You can check their schedule for Saturday in November. I suggest a cruise leaving Pont Neuf on the half hour; when you arrive near the Eiffel Tower the lights should be flashing as they do on the full hour. No need to buy tickets in advance, and you can print out a discount voucher on the website.

for specific walking directions, go to
www.mappy.com, click on Routes, then on Pedestrian Routes. But any good map like Streetwise Paris can show you that it is an uncomplicated walk.

Yes, T D'A and Jules Verne take credit cards. Tour D'Argent is famous for its duck dishes and they will give you a certificate with your duck's number (as in number sold, not quite as many as McDonalds).
I believe they will agree to make 'best efforts' for a table with a view, but not a guarantee--you can ask when you make the reservation which you should do weeks in advance (or ask your hotel to do it )

Hi R,

Do be aware that TdA has been reduced to only 1 Michelin star.

Sunset on 11/25 is 17:01

((I))

I'll gently repeat my suggestion to buy a good map of Paris, it would seem that you may find a, for example, Michelin Blue guide of some benefit. It is not advisable to only use specific directions from people here (like me!)

I'll throw out the generic fact that restaurants tend to serve dinner starting around 8, but I'll let those who have been to TD to be more specific.

Times for cruises. Someone today posted a link to the four main cruising lines, you may want to browse those. If I had to day, I doubt you could go to TD at 7:30-8PM and be at a cruise that night...I sense that dinner would be a "spectacle" and not be a
"get 'em in and out".

If you go to the website, you'll see the top floor of the bulding has wrap around windows. The bulding itself is a little east of ND, but on the street running above the Seine.

For cruises, I've never had a problem with getting on, so if you were to get there , say, 20 minutes ahead of time.

Exit restaurant, walk along Seine in direction of Notre Dame. There are 5 bridges from Left Bank to Ile de la City (ND island). The last one to the isalnd, after you walk past ND, is Pont Neuf. You go down the steps frpm the street to the boats. Entrance is the Left Bank side of the bridge (side you are on). Probably a good 20 minute walk

If you want specific seating, it may be too late, especially for a weekend night. Book NOW, even for a inside table.

You can buy tickets ahead of time. There is also a coupon at their site. I tend to be more spur of the moment and just show up, but consider that you could decide that day, depending on weather and schedule, to just walk by and get it on your way to somewhere else.

thank you Michel, you have been wonderful on all of my posts and I appreciate. I definitely will get a map; however, I embarassingly admit I'm not great at reading them - hence, the request for step by step directions. thanks to all for the info!

I would hesitate to try to fit in la Tour d'Argent and a cruise in the same night. Even if the timing worked out, if you're anything like me, you'd be spending a large percentage of your dinner fretting about whether you'd be done in time. Not so relaxing.

Last year, we did the dinner and cruise thing with our son. So as to get him to bed not too terribly late, we planned on the 9:30 boat. I had to look hard for a restaurant that opened at 7:30. We went to Le Moulin a Vent “Chez Henri”, which is at 20, rue des Fossés-St-Bernard, in the 5th (but quite close to the Seine), arriving late, at 7:40. It was a nice little restaurant, and one of the few in Paris that had frogs legs. We had a main course and a dessert, then walked to les Vedettes du Pont Neuf, arriving at 9:24 for the 9:30 boat.

So that's one example of how dinner-and-cruise works out.

Here's a link to my trip report from last November. It describes my lunch at TdA.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34718710

My friend and I ordered from the ala carte menu which I think is the same as the dinner menu. Without the alcohol the meal was around 450USD for the two of us. They took Visa.

Or you *could* do the cruise first. As Ira pointed out sunset is at 5pm on that day. If you took the cruise at 4:30, you'd get to the Eiffel Tower at sunset and in time to see the sparkling lights and you'd probably get back to Pont Neuf around 5:30/6pm which leaves you plenty of time to make your reservation at La Tour d'Argent.

Incidentally, I've read that besides requesting a view (and explaining it's for your anniversary), you should arrive early at the earliest reservation possible. Just a suggestion.

Bonne anniversaire!

As the others say you really won't have time after dinner for a walk to Pont Neuf and a cruise

But you will have loads of time for a sunset cruise before dinner. Then a leisurely walk along the Seine to the reastaurant.

If you want a very nice dinner with a view very similar to the Tour d'Argent, but for only maybe 20% of the price, you might consider Ziryab, the Moroccan restaurant on the roof of the Institut du Monde Arabe. It's a modern building with fantastic architecture designed by Jean Nouvel.

kerouac, when you say "similar view" does that perhaps include a bit of the flying buttresses of Notre Dame?

Absolutely. The Institut du Monde Arabe is just one or two blocks farther upriver from the Tour d'Argent.

what would you recommend eating there?

The chicken tagine with lemons is excellent. A pastilla for a starter. Excellent Moroccan wines.

The menu website : http://www.sodexho-prestige.fr/fr/2_6/2_6_4_3.htm

Sorry... the menu section is EMPTY!

Hi R,

Upon further thought, I agree that for what you are paying for dinner at TdA, you don't want to be concerned about making a cruise.

Take the cruise before dinner (bring a bottle of bubbly) or on another day.

((I))

Step by step directions.

Exit restaurant. You'll see the sidewalk along the Seine right in front of you.
Face the river then turn left and follow the sidewalk. You will come to the Pont Neuf which is the fifth (?) bridge. It will be marked, but it is the first one after you pass Notre Dame that goes all the way across the river,not just to the island in the center of the river. Get the boat from the middle of Pont Neuf, down the stairs.

At Tour D'Argent, eat duck. It is their most famous dish and you will get a number for the one you were served.

My 2 (or 6) cents.

I would tend to agree with the sentiments about trying to do a Tour d'Argent dinner (a major 'experience' in and of itself) and a cruise in the same evening.

Td'A takes credit cards, definitely Visa/MC and probably Amex too.

If you can, ask them for a tour of the wine cellar. Incredible -- 500,000 bottles crammed into a tiny little area. Very interesting to see and they are happy to have you tour it (takes 5-10 min tops).

I ate there in April, and would echo the pricing of close to US$500 for two, plus drinks.

All tables have a decent view, as the windows are floor-to-ceiling and the room is simply not that large.

By the way, the duck is great as advertised. I will say, however, that of our party of 6, my wife and I were the only ones to get something other than the most traditional dish (au sang), instead getting one in burgundy or margaux wine sauce which was amazing and possibly better than the others'. Just worth thinking about.