A Seine river cruise is one of the best ways to see Paris.
These river cruises are popular because they help you catch the city’s highlights in a short time.
The boats float along the Seine River as you marvel at the beauty of the Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Musée d’Orsay, Notre Dame, etc., passing by.
With so many companies offering Seine River Cruises, it is impossible to decide on one without an expert’s help.
In this article, that’s what we will try to do – help you decide on a Seine River Cruise in Paris.
Table of contents
Summary of best cruises
| Best Sightseeing Cruise | Book Now |
| Best Lunch Cruise | Book Now |
| Best Dinner Cruise | Book Now |
| Best Champagne Cruise | Book Now |
| Best Cruise for Families | Book Now |
| Eiffel Tower + Seine Cruise | Book Now |
| Crazy Horse + Seine Cruise | Book Now |
| Dinner Cruise + Eiffel + Moulin Rouge | Book Now |
| River Cruise + The Louvre | Book Now |
Selecting the Seine River Cruise
There are more than ten companies that offer numerous kinds of river cruises in Paris.
Besides, there are different flavors of cruises – some plain sightseeing, some are lunch cruises, and some dinner cruises.
And then there are select themed cruises that get launched for days such as Christmas, New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s day, Bastille day, etc.
That’s why choosing the right Seine River Cruise is no easy task.
What’s the best Seine cruise for someone may not be the best for you.
Continue reading to know what you must consider before booking your Seine River Cruise.
Factors affecting river cruise experience
Nine factors influence your cruising experience on the Seine River.
Before booking your Seine river cruise tickets, please read and understand them –
Port of departure
Since the Seine boat tour is short, a convenient departure location helps you club one or more Paris attractions.
If your river cruise sets sail from Eiffel Tower or Notre Dame, you can then club them together and make it a 3-4 hour activity.
Price of cruise tickets
Almost every Seine River Cruise in Paris allows kids under four years of age for free.
Adult tickets range from 14 to 20 Euros while the kids aged 4 to 12 get approximately 50% discount on the adult tickets and thus pay 7 to 10 Euros.
The price difference isn’t much between the numerous cruises, but if you are on a budget or a large group, it does impact.
Type of narration and languages
What is the point of being on a Seine River Cruise and not knowing what you are seeing?
That’s why narration is essential during your river cruise in Paris.
Live guide
Some Seine boat tours have live guides who narrate stories and anecdotes about the buildings and places you will get to see.
Most times, they also take questions from the cruisers.
Usually, the Live Guides speak both English and French.
Pre-recorded narration
Pre-recorded narration is also quite popular among Seine River Cruises.
Such narrations are available in many languages (sometimes even up to 20 languages).
Some boat tours even give printed handouts in multiple languages.
Some cruise companies provide their own audio devices for you to listen to this pre-recorded guided tour.
In recent times, some of the cruises have started asking visitors to download their free audioguide app on their smartphones.
The only problem with a smartphone audio guide is that you need headphones (or earphones) to listen.
Type and size of boats
There are two types of boats – the pleasure boats and the restaurant boats.
As you may have guessed by now, if you are planning a pure sightseeing cruise, you will be boarding a pleasure boat.
If you book a lunch or a dinner cruise, you will be boarding a restaurant boat.
As for the size of the boat, they come in varying sizes.
The most popular Seine River Cruise company has massive boats, but that also means many people.
Therefore, we recommend medium-sized boats for your river cruise in Paris.
The cruise route
Since the Seine river runs through the city of Paris and all the major attractions are lined up next to it, there is no difference in the routes the different companies follow.
Some of the major landmarks you will see when on your Seine River cruise are:
1. The Eiffel Tower
2. Musée du Louvre
3. Musée d’Orsay
4. Notre Dame Cathedral
5. Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris
6. Île de la Cité and Île Saint-Louis (the two islands)
The routes change if you book a Parisian Canal cruise against a Seine River cruise, so be watchful.
Duration of the cruise
Almost always, the Seine sightseeing riverboat tours are one hour long.
Lunch and dinner cruises tend to be two hours long.
You may spend anywhere from 15-30 minutes boarding the cruise.
Frequency of the cruise
While booking Seine River sightseeing cruise tickets, you don’t need to select any time.
On the day of your cruise, you can land up at the departure point, show your ticket and board the next boat.
That’s why it is essential to book a Paris river cruise with companies offering cruises at a regular frequency.
During the peak months (April to September), the popular cruise companies usually have one boat leaving the shores every 30 minutes.
During the non-peak months of October to March, a cruise sets sail every hour.
Type of experience
You can choose between a Sightseeing Cruise on River Seine or a Food Cruise (also known as a Restaurant Cruise).
A live guide or an audio guide helps you explore the city during a sightseeing cruise, while during the restaurant cruise, the prime focus is dining.
The boat crew may point out significant attractions for you, but that’s about it.
Most of the time, restaurant cruises offer live musical entertainment.
A formal dress code is a must for all dinner cruises (no jeans, sports shoes, shorts, or caps). More on Dinner Cruises on River Seine
Available offers
Since there is a good demand for Seine River cruises, there are hardly any direct discounts or offers.
However, if you have bought a Paris Pass or are planning to buy one, you can go on a Paris River cruise at a discount.
The next best way to get a discount on your Seine River Cruise tickets is to book one of the many combo tours of Paris, which also includes a cruise.
Companies offering Seine River cruises
Many companies offer highly rated Seine River Cruises.
However, four of them stand out for the quality of experience they provide.
At the end of this section, we also share our favorite River cruise operator in Paris.
Bateaux Mouches
Bateaux Mouches is the oldest company offering River cruises.
They have the biggest boats – double-decker open-top boats with orange seats.
Their cruises leave from Pont de l’Alma (right bank) in the 8th arrondissement.
They don’t offer live guides, but their pre-recorded narration is available in most popular languages, including English.
Adult ticket (13+ years): 14 Euros
Child ticket (4 to 12 years): 6 Euros
Infants get in for free.
Final Word: Since they are the most prominent company offering river cruises in Paris, they have massive boats it gets crowded.
We DO NOT recommend them.
Canauxrama
Canauxrama offers two-hour long scenic boat tours along the Seine River.
Their cruises generally set sail in the evening, from Marina Arsenal facing 50 Bd de la Bastille (near Place de la Bastille). It is in the 12th arrondissement.
Their boats come in numerous sizes, and a live guide on the vessel points out the landmarks in English and French.
Adult ticket (13+ years): 18 Euros
Child ticket (4 to 12 years): 9 Euros
Infants get in for free.
Final Word: This company is better known for its canal cruises than Seine cruises.
Also, since they aren’t available all through the day and the frequency of their Seine cruises is low, we DO NOT recommend them.
Vedettes de Paris
Vedettes de Paris operates relatively smaller-sized boats, and they offer run-of-the-mill Seine cruises.
Their River cruises leave from Port de Suffren (near Eiffel Tower) in the 7th arrondissement.
There is no live guide, but one can hear pre-recorded narration in French, Spanish, and English.
Adult ticket (12+ years): 15 Euros
Child ticket (4 to 11 years): 7 Euros
Infants get in for free.
Final Word: Tourists who have been on these Seine River Cruises have been neutral about this boat tour operator.
We recommend them only for their Champagne Cruise on the Seine
Vedettes du Pont Neuf
Les Vedettes du Pont Neuf offers a barebones Seine Cruise.
They offer basic 1-hour cruises on the Parisian river in their small and medium-sized boats.
Their departure point is very close to Notre Dame – Square du Vert Galant near the Pont Neuf on the edge of Île de la Cité.
Live guides alternate between English and French during their commentary.
Adult ticket (13+ years): 14 Euros
Child ticket (4 to 12 years): 7 Euros
Infants get in for free.
Final Word: Since they are a cost-conscious cruise operator, there is no guarantee on the quality of boats and live guides.
We DO NOT recommend them.
Bateaux Parisiens
Bateaux Parisiens is the most popular company offering cruises on river Seine.
They have medium-sized boats with the lower level covered by glass.
Their cruises depart from two places:
– From Port de la Bourdonnais (near the Eiffel Tower)
– From Quai de Montebello (near the Notre Dame)
They offer both Sightseeing Cruises and Restaurant Cruises.
Usually, a local guide is available in the lower level of the cruise boat, and in the upper level, you must rely on a pre-recorded narration.
The local guide alternates between English and French.
During peak months of April to September, they have a cruise sailing out every 30 minutes.
And during the non-peak months of October to March, their frequency is one every hour.
Final Word: This company offers the best Seine River Cruises because of the following reasons:
– Comfortable two departure points you can choose from
– Excellent frequency ensures you don’t have to wait long
– Just the right size of boats mean you aren’t sailing the Seine with 100s of other tourists
Continue reading to learn about the Seine River cruise tickets they offer.
Seine River Cruise tickets
Having identified Bateaux Parisiens as the best Seine Cruises company, let’s see the different cruises they offer.
But before that –
How online cruise tickets work
The moment you purchase the Paris River Cruise tickets, they get emailed to you.
On the day of your visit, show the tickets in your email, on your smartphone, and board the boat. No need to take printouts!
Since you would have bought these tickets online, you get to skip the line at the attraction’s ticket counter.
Now for the five types of Seine River experiences, you can book –
Sightseeing cruise
This sightseeing cruise on the Seine ticket gets you one hour on a cruise boat.
Many tourists believe that this is the best Seine sightseeing cruise ticket out there and one of the best ways to marvel at the city’s monuments.
The departure point is just below the Eiffel Tower, which makes it a convenient option.
With this ticket, you can board the cruise all through the day – the boats set sail once every half hour.
The audio guide is available in 12 languages, and an attendant/guide is also present on board in case you want to ask questions.
Ticket Price
Adult ticket (12+ years): 15 Euros
Child ticket (4 to 11 years): 7 Euros
Lunch Cruise
The Lunch Cruise on the Seine helps you combine Parisian cuisine with a sightseeing cruise on the Parisian river.
Live musicians play in the background even as you enjoy a classy meal on-board the Restaurant cruise.
Tables are available for two to ten people in a group, and the dress code is casual (but no shorts are allowed)
The boarding point is at the foot of Eiffel Tower, and everybody is expected to be seated by 12:30 pm.
The two-hour lunch cruise starts at 12:45 pm.
Lunch cruise menu
You must choose from three menus – the Etoile Service, Privilege Service, or the Premier Service.
Etoile Service gets you a starter, a main, and a dessert of your choice.
Besides a starter, a main, and dessert, the Privilege Service also gets you a window seat, plus a cheese selection and some fine wine.
In addition to everything mentioned above, Premier Service gets a table at the front of the boat and a welcome glass of champagne.
Ticket Price
Étoile Service: 59 Euros / person
Premier Service: 89 Euros / person
Dinner Cruise
The dinner cruise on River Seine is a two and a half hours long lavish affair.
The boarding starts at 8 pm at the foot of Eiffel Tower and goes on till 8.15 pm, and at 8.30 pm, the cruise leaves the port.
The dress code for this exceptional dining gourmet cruise is casual, but shorts aren’t allowed.
Even as you enjoy your four-course meal and wine, a live singer and their band play modern French standards.
During this cruise through the City Of Lights, you will journey along the south bank, before looping around Notre Dame and traveling back along the north bank of River Seine.
This is also known as the Gourmet Dinner Cruise because of its elaborate menu.
Dinner cruise menu
While booking this Seine dinner cruise, you must choose between four different menus.
Etoile Service: This service gets you a starter, a main, and dessert, and a special rate for kids under 12 years of age.
Découverte Service: If you opt for this service, you get a table with a panoramic view and a glass of champagne as an aperitif, two starters, two main courses, two desserts, and PetitsFour.
Privilege Service: In addition to an excellent window seat, the Privilege Service gets you a glass of champagne as an aperitif, a selection of premium wines with your starter, main, cheese dish, dessert, and PetitsFour.
Premier Service: This offers the best menu on offer. It gets you a table at the front of the boat, two glasses of champagne (one as an aperitif and another with dessert), and a selection of premium wines and mature cheese with an appetizer.
Besides this, you also get your choice of starter, main dish, dessert, and PetitsFour.
Ticket Price
Étoile Service: 99 Euros / person
Découverte Service: 139 Euros / person
Privilège Service: 169 Euros / person
Premier Service: 205 Euros / person
If you prefer a cheaper (and yet classy!) dinner cruise instead, check this Early evening dinner cruise
Champagne Cruise
Note: This cruise is offered by Vedettes de Paris, yet another of our favorite boat tour agencies in Paris.
We added this in our list of favorite Seine River Cruises because it isn’t as simple as a sightseeing tour and not as elaborate as a Seine dinner cruise.
This Champagne Cruise on River Seine is the favorite of visitors who want a little extra but want to keep the costs in check.
You get one glass of champagne (or liquor) or one French crêpe (or muffin) with a soft drink per person during this cruise.
The audio commentary is available in English, French, and Spanish.
The point of departure is the Vedettes de Paris pier in Port de Suffren, which is right in front of the Eiffel Tower.
These Champagne cruises start from 11.15 am and go on till 9 pm.
Ticket Price
Adult ticket (12+ years): 20 Euros
Child ticket (4 to 11 years): 12 Euros
Paris River Cruise combo tours
Parisian tourists love combo tours which include a cruise on River Seine for three reasons:
1. Since the Paris cruise is usually a 1-2 hour activity, tourists get to add one more activity/attraction to the day’s itinerary
2. Combo tours are cheaper than if you book the activities individually
3. Some of these combo tours come along with a talented Parisian guide, and the tourists love listening to stories from a local
The most popular Paris river combo tour is the one that offers a visit up the Eiffel Tower (you visit either the Tower’s second floor or the Summit) and then follows it up with a Sightseeing Cruise on the Seine.
Some prefer to make it a two-day itinerary by adding a HOHO bus tour of Paris to the Sightseeing Cruise and Eiffel Tower visit. This combo tour is most popular with tourists who are in Paris for a brief holiday.
Visitors on a romantic holiday prefer to go on a nighttime Seine cruise in Paris. They choose either Crazy Horse show + night time Sightseeing cruise or the costlier Dinner Cruise + Eiffel Tower + Moulin Rouge combination.
Tourists who love art (or want to see Mona Lisa!) prefer the Louvre Museum + River Cruise tour combination.
For families traveling with kids, we highly recommend the Family city tour + Sightseeing cruise tour.
The local guide stays with you playing games and telling exciting local stories to your kids all through this tour.
Tourists who love biking prefer the Night tour of Paris on bicycle + Cruise combo. One gets to explore the City of Lights after dark in this five-hour tour.
FAQs on Seine River Cruise
While planning their River cruise in Paris, tourists have a lot of doubts.
We try and answer them here –
- Can Seine River Cruise tickets be bought online?
Yes, you can buy Seine Cruise tickets online here.
When you buy them in advance, you save yourself time (you don’t wait in the ticketing counter lines) and money (online tickets are cheaper!).
Usually, tickets are valid for three months to one year after purchase. - Should tickets for Seine River Cruise be booked in advance?
Even though it is not a must to book Seine River Cruise tickets in advance, we recommend you buy them before your visit.
If you already have the tickets when you reach the boarding point, you can avoid standing in the long lines at the ticketing counter.
Online tickets are also cheaper. - Can same-day Seine Cruise tickets be bought?
Yes, you can purchase same-day (or next day’s) Seine River Cruise tickets.
You can do this from the ticket counters at the boarding point, or if you want to save yourself waiting time (and money), you can buy them online. - Which is better – Sightseeing Cruise or Seine Dinner Cruise?
If money is not an issue, or if you are on a romantic holiday we highly recommend a Seine Dinner Cruise.
If you are on a budget or a big group, we recommend the regular Sightseeing Cruise. - Are Seine River Cruise tickets timed?
No, Seine Cruise tickets are not timed.
If you buy an online ticket, you can board the cruise anytime after they start sailing (usually by 10 am) till the last boat leaves the shore (mostly by 9 pm).
This is why booking a cruise with high frequency offers a better experience. - How much discount do kids get on Seine River Cruise tickets?
Usually, kids three years and below join the Cruise for free.
Depending on the tour company, an adult ticket for a Seine boat tour can range from 14 to 20 Euros.
Kids aged four to twelve get approximately 50% discount on the adult tickets so end up paying anywhere from 7 to 10 Euros. - Where do Seine River cruises leave from?
You can board Seine River cruise from many departure points on the banks of Seine.
If you book this Sightseeing Cruise, you can board your cruise from the foot of Eiffel Tower – the most popular departure point for Seine Cruises. - What is the best Seine River Cruise for families?
The regular Sightseeing Cruise works out best for families because it is cheap (cost ranges from 14 to 20 Euros per person), it lasts only 60 minutes and comes with exciting commentary.
You can board this cruise from the foot of Eiffel Tower, which means you don’t have to drag your family around looking for the departure point. - How long is Seine River cruise?
A sightseeing Seine River cruise lasts for an hour.
If you book a Lunch or Dinner Cruise, depending on which company you booked it from, it may take two to two and a half hours. - Do Seine River Cruise sail in winter?
Yes, you can enjoy the Seine river cruise in Paris during the winter months.
Since it gets really cold on the water in winter, you must dress up appropriately.
Most of the cruise boats have covered enclosures that come in handy during the colder months. - Are there Seine River night cruises without dinner?
Yes, you can go on a river cruise in Paris without dinner.
Just book a Sightseeing Cruise and land up at the departure point after dark.
Sightseeing cruise boats keep sailing till 9 pm. - Which is better – Seine River Cruise at night or day?
If you can afford it and if you have the time, you must do the Sightseeing cruise during the day and the Seine Dinner Cruise at night.
If you can’t do both, it is better to do the Sightseeing cruise during the day because you can then get a better view of the City.
Popular attractions in Paris
# Eiffel Tower
# Louvre Museum
# Palace of Versailles
# Arc de Triomphe
# Musee d’Orsay
# Centre Pompidou
# Notre Dame
# Pantheon
# Paris Zoo
# Montparnasse Tower
# Picasso Museum
# Catacombs of Paris
# Opera Garnier
# Sainte Chapelle
# Disneyland Paris
# Seine Dinner Cruise