One of the best ways to see the beauty of Paris and experience the romance in the air is via a Seine River cruise. These boat rides are short cruises that include sights of most of the top tourist attractions in the city.
Most of companies offer Seine River cruises that last for around an hour, with the pickup and drop points being the same unless specified otherwise. Some of the companies also offer private boat cruises and/or dinner cruises in addition to the sightseeing Seine River cruises. Tickets can be purchased at the dock, online, or over the phone.
Before purchase the ticket for a Seine river cruise, tourists need to decide whether they are willing to pay extra for a themed, or a meal/dinner, or private cruise. It is also important to verify the price of the ticket, the departure port, the boat route, the languages of narration, the boat size, and the duration of the cruise.
Seine River Cruise – Night or Day (Which is better?)
It boils down to personal preference. Since Paris is a city of lights, the Seine River Cruise turns out to be even more romantic at night. But it is also beautiful in the city, especially when you are looking for bright day-light photos. Make sure that you are taking alone a good camera that takes great pictures and video at night, if you want to treasure the memory of your trip. Most rides are an hour long.
Seine River Cruise – Best Providers and Reviews
Listed below are some popular providers of Seine River cruise.
- Bateaux Mouches Seine River cruise: This company started its boat cruise services after WWI and is thus the oldest in the business of Seine River cruises. The boats of this company are some of the largest; they are double-decker, big, open-top boats and feature orange seating thereby making them easily visible. Guests can check out the picturesque landscape while on the open-top deck. The company also offers special event, dinner, and lunch cruises.
- There is recorded narration in several languages as well as printed brochures. The departure point is 8th arrondissement’s Pont de l’Alma. As of mid-2018, kids under 4 years have free entry, tickets for kids aged between 4 and 12 cost 6 Euros, while adult tickets are priced at 14 Euros. It is best to reserve the tickets in advance as it is a popular Seine River cruise provider.
- Canauxrama Seine River cruise: This company is known for its canal tours in the city. It also offers Seine River cruises (often in the evenings) that last for 2 hours. The boats tend to be of different sizes, but most feature an open-top deck and a closed deck at the bottom.
- There is live narration in English and French by a tour guide. The cruise departs from Marina Arsenal in the 12th Adult tickets cost 18 Euros, tickets for kids aged 4 to 12 are priced 9 Euros, while younger kids can travel free. Alcohol, beverages, and snacks can be purchased on the boats.
- Bateaux Parisiens Seine Cruise: This company has a big fleet with different kinds of boats with varied designs. Most of the boats however have just 1 level with glass covering and are medium sized. Special event, dinner, and lunch cruises as well as special family-based cruises with kid activities and music are also offered.
- There are two departure points, namely, Quai de Montebello/Notre Dame and Port de la Bourdonnais/Eiffel Tower. The former offers live narration in four languages, while the latter features commentary via audio gadgets in multiple languages as well as live narration in the lower sections. Adult tickets cost 15 Euros, tickets for kids aged 3 to 13 cost 7 Euros, while younger kids can travel free
- Vedettes de Paris Seine River cruise: This operator of Seine River cruises has a fleet of small-sized boats. The boats vary slightly from each other in terms of their configurations, but most can ferry around 249 guests on a single trip and feature outdoor and indoor seating. The company also offers special kids cruise, themed cruises with snacks, and dinner cruises. Alcohol, beverages, and snacks can be purchased on the boats.
- There are leaflets in 11 languages and recorded audio narration in French, English, and Spanish. Departure point is 7th arrondissement’s Port de Suffren. Adult tickets for Discovery sightseeing Seine river cruise that lasts for an hour cost 15 Euros, tickets for kids aged 4 to 11 cost 7 Euros, while younger kids can travel free. There is another sightseeing cruise with a stop at Escale Pont Marie. Adult and kid tickets for it cost 1 Euro more than the Discovery cruise. Tourists can also get down at Escale Pont Marie and such tickets are less expensive.
- Batobus Seine River cruise: It is a hop-on hop-off cruise service with 9 different stops along the route. All the stops are key tourist hot spots, like the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, and Louvre, etc. This cruise is not exactly designed to be a sightseeing cruise but an economical mode of transport. Tourists can however enjoy varied sights during the boat ride.
- There is no commentary but the staff can answer in French and English. Since there are 9 stops, there are 9 departure points and the boats stop at each of the points for 10 to 20 minutes. Adult 1-day passes cost 17 Euros, for kids aged 3 to 15 it costs 7 Euros, while younger kids can travel free. For 2-day passes, adults need to pay 19 Euros while children’s tickets cost 9 Euros.
- Vedettes du Pont Neuf Seine River cruise: This company started its boat cruise operations in the 1960s. It offers the most affordable Seine River cruise tickets. The fleet is small and features medium and small sized boats. There is covered indoor as well as outdoor seating. The sightseeing tour is real basic and lasts for an hour. The company does not offer special cruises or meals on board.
- The departure point is Pont Neuf Square du Vert Galant near the Notre Dame. There is live narration by guides in English and French. Adult tickets cost 10 to 14 Euros, tickets for kids aged 4 to 12 cost 5 to 7 Euros, while younger kids can travel free.
- Private and Semi-Private Seine River cruises: Semi-private cruises come with a private section, room, restaurant, or boat terrace. Fully private boat cruises are for the exclusive use of the guest. Both offer options of entertainment, drinks, and meals. As per the type of cruise and the duration, tickets for fully private Seine River cruises can cost anywhere between 200 to 2000 Euros.
- In addition to the above mentioned boat cruise operators, semi-private and/or fully private cruises are also offered by Green River Cruises, River Limousine, Viator, and Yachts de Paris.