Explore Paris by boat!
Fancy exploring Paris in a far more interesting way than by metro or by bus? Then why not try the boat! This article will tell you more about this unusual mode of transport around Paris. Are you dreaming of standing up on the deck shouting “I’m the king of the world!” with your hair blowing in the wind and the stunning city of Paris in the background ? Or do you simply just want to see another side of Paris ? Well, this is the article for you! Here are two Parisian boats that will take you along the river Seine.
Batobus in Paris
What is the Batobus?
The Batobus is definitely an out-of-the-ordinary mode of transport! This is a boat that takes you all along the Seine to see the main sites of Paris.
How does it work?
The idea is that it works just like a bus : you get on and off wherever you like. Each station is next to a museum or a Parisian monument.
You can catch this river shuttle at 8 different stations: the Eiffel Tower, the Musée D’Orsay, Saint-Germain des Prés, Notre Dame, the Jardin Des Plantes, Hôtel de Ville, the Louvre and the Champs-Elysées. But make sure you know which way you’re going!
The Batobus runs every 25 minutes from 10am to 7pm in the winter and every 20 minutes from 10am to 9:30pm in the summer. The full circuit takes 1 hour and 36 minutes.
You can purchase tickets online, at the airport (Paris Charles de Gaulle 1 and 2), or at each Batobus stop. There are prices for 1 day, 2 days, one year and for a special treasure hunt for children. All of the Batobus prices can be found here..
Bateaux Mouches
What are Bateaux Mouches?
Bateaux Mouches are the go-to tourist boats in Paris and are very popular! Carrying passengers for over 60 years, these glass boats let you discover the beauty of Paris from the Seine, both by day and night. The Bateaux Mouches also offer wonderful lunch and dinner cruises, with world-class food, for a romantic rendez-vous on the Seine.
How does it work?
The cruises last approximately 1 hour 10 minutes and enable you to see about twenty of the city’s most prestigious landmarks.
Boats leave from the Pont de l’Alma, on the right bank, in the 8th arrondissement. They pass the Concorde bridge, the Musée du Louvre, the Hôtel de Ville, the Conciergerie, the Ile de la Cité, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Ile Saint Louis, the Pont Neuf, the Musée d’Orsay, Invalides, the Eiffel Tour and finish at the Palais de Chaillot before returning to their starting point.
To choose your departure time, we recommend that you check the travel information here. Boats usually depart every 30 to 40 minutes.
Prices vary from 5.5 euros (kids) to 13.5 euros (adults) for a simple cruise. A meal on-board one of the Bateaux Mouches can cost anything from 55 to 263 euros (see here).
You can buy your Bateaux Mouches tickets online, by phone or at the departure counter on the Pont de l’Alma.
