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BATEAUX
OR BATOBUS - PARIS SIGHTS BY BOAT
Seine River Cruise Tours of Paris
Ah, the city
of romance, the city of light, and one famous river. So much to do
and so little
time to discover it all. The River Seine is the life’s
pulse of Paris, it begins as a trickling tributary in the Burgundy region
where a saint once had a vision of the Virgin Mary spouting milk (see
Chatillon
sur Seine), courses through the Champagne region,
curving south through the forests of Fontainebleau past the Emperor’s
palace (see Chateau
Fontainebleau), then through the heart of the capital
city. While exploring the sights of Paris, the River Seine
is ever present with
the boats of cruising tourists motoring past below the bridges.
There are
several boat cruise tour operators on the river, which one is best
to choose is
mostly a matter of what sort of experience fits your
fancy, narrated sightseeing from an open deck, or romantic dinner cruise
under glass in the sunset glow as the city of light begins to sparkle
in the gloaming. Or maybe it’s the boat itself which tickles your
curiosity, one named for a French film star will make the cityscape
view more memorable. The cruise boats of the Seine pretty much follow
the same route, from the Eiffel Tower (see Eiffel
Tour Tickets) to the
gargoyles of the Notre Dame (see Notre Dame Cathedral) and the Ile de
Cite and back. Unlike the cruises of the Thames in London (see Thames
River Cruises), there is not a lot of hopping on and off
in Paris.
Bateaux Mouches
The Compagnie des
Bateaux Mouches is the oldest and most famous of the Seine cruise line.
Started in 1949 by Jean Bruel who had the vision to
show visitors to Paris in the post war years the city he loved from the
its most beautiful boulevard with an inventive story. He started with
one of the last steam boats from the 1900 Paris Exhibition and invented
a fictional captain Jean-Sébastien Mouche to front his cruise
tours. The old steamer is long gone and the modern Bateaux Mouches can
be identified by the low wide decks and glass for inclement weather which
can be opened to fresh air when the sun shines.
The Bateaux Mouches offers classic tourist cruises lasting about 1 hour ten minutes on a fleet of 9 vessels as well as lunch and dinner cruises on 5 special dining cruise boats, with a show cruise as well. Tour departures are through out the day and in the evening daily. Basic sightseeing cruises cost €11 for adults (12 and over) and €5.50 for children 5 to 12, children under 4 are free. Lunch cruises are €50 for adults and children under 12 half price. Two levels of dinner cruises are offered ‘ the Menu Prestige at €95 and Menu Excellence at €135, with musicians providing romantic mood, serenading with old French torch songs. The Crazy Horse Show boat which included dinner and entertainment is €205 and €245. Departures are from the Pont de l’Alma in the 8th Arrondisment. Bateaux Mouches
Bateaux Parisiens
The Bateaux
Parisiens is the largest of the Seine cruise operators with almost
half the passengers
on the river traveling in their sleek, cool-looking
water craft. The company began in 1956 with a fleet
of small motor launches until shifting gears in the 1980s. The Bateaux
Parisiens
fleet
is made
up of 12 panoramic glass enclosed boats, 7 of which are named after famous
stars of the French cinema, inviting Paris visitors to take a ride on
Brigitte Bardot, Catherine Deneuve or Yves Montand. The line operates
5 restaurant boats with luxurious sparkling names like The Diamond or
The Cristal. The Bateaux Parisiens offers a range of sightseeing narrated
tours and special Cocktail, Dinner and Lunch cruises. The basic one-hour
sightseeing narrated tour departing from either the Eiffel Tower or Notre
Dame starts at €12, the meal cruises prepared on board by gourmet
chefs from one hour to three hours come with a price range from €45
for a one-hour Champagne Cruise up to €198 for the luxury yacht
experience on the Don Juan II. Bateaux
Parisiens
Batobus
The Bateaux Parisiens
also operates the Batobus (Bateaux – Bato,
get it), Seine river shuttle boats, providing a basic water taxi journey
on the river with on-off stops and no narration or meal service. Tickets
for the Batobus are sold as day passes, available in 1 day, 2 days or
5 days increments, or an annual pass, with operating hours depending
on the time of year, generally from around 10am to sunset, 4:30pm or
5pm in winter, 7pm in spring and fall, and 9:30pm in summer. They do
not run after dark.
Bateaux Vedettes
The Bateaux
Vedettes du Pont-Neuf is a smaller company, with tours departing as
the name
suggests from next to the Pont Neuf at the Ile de Cite. The
Vedettes operates four cruise boats offering live narrated history and
sights commentary. The Bateaux Vadettes craft offer open air seating
on upper decks if you want to get away from the glass of the other companies.
They don’t do dinner cruises, but drinking and snacks are available
at the Captain’s Bar. Prices for the one hour cruise are €13
for adults and teens - €6 for kids 4 to 12. Vedettes
Is a Seine boat cruise tour worth the price? Well, it's what you came to Paris for, ain't it? The cruise experience can vary depending on the time of year and the weather. The best time for cruising the river is May through September. In colder months, the glass covered boats provide more comfort, though trying to view the city through rain drops and foggy mist is probably not the most photogenic of experiences. A romantic dinner cruise with first class service when the glow of city lights reflect on the passing waters can be magical. On some of the dinner cruises prices are based on where you sit in the boat, a guaranteed table next to the window will cost you more. But if you've come to the city of love to surprise your unsuspecting girlfriend with a marriage proposal on a scenic Paris river cruise - I'd go for the window. © Bargain Travel Europe
Read
reviews of Bateaux
Mouches and Bateaux
Parisiens
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TripAdvisor
Bateaux
Parisiens Tour is included with a Paris
Pass
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articles are copyrighted and the sole property of Bargain Travel
Europe and WLPV, LLC. and may not be copied or reprinted without
permission.
See Also:
PARIS SIGHTSEEING DISCOUNT PASS
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Travel Europe and also visit Bargain
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