One hour on the Seine from the foot of the Eiffel Tower, past the Louvre, Notre-Dame and
Paris's grandest bridges. Sightseeing, lunch and dinner cruises compared, with the official prices.
Official prices alongsideWhat the operator charges, and what Viator adds
Real guest ratingsLive Viator & Tripadvisor figures
Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before on almost every cruise here
Secure checkout on ViatorMobile ticket, instant confirmation
Tickets
Choose your Bateaux Parisiens cruise
The one-hour sightseeing cruise from the Eiffel Tower, in the centre. Beside it, the two ways to
eat on the river with Bateaux Parisiens: the daytime lunch cruise and the 8:30 pm dinner cruise.
The classic one-hour loop from the foot of the Eiffel Tower past the Louvre and Notre-Dame. Dated ticket, no time slot: turn up at the pier any time that day.
What's included
One-hour sightseeing cruise from the Eiffel Tower and back
Audio commentary in 14 languages on board or on your phone
Covered glass lower deck and an open upper deck
Board any departure on your chosen date (no time slot)
Not included: food and drinks, hotel pickup, the boarding photo
The route is almost the same on every boat. What changes is the pier you leave from, whether a
meal is included, and whether you see Paris in daylight, at sunset or lit up after dark.
Bateaux Parisiens sells the sightseeing cruise direct for 18 euros per adult online and 9 euros for
children 4 to 11; under-4s ride free. Children under 12 pay less on the lunch and dinner cruises too. Every cruise
here except the Christmas cruise cancels free up to 24 hours ahead.
What you actually get
One hour, one river, the whole of central Paris.
Bateaux Parisiens has been sailing from the foot of the Eiffel Tower since 1956 and carries more than three
million passengers a year. The sightseeing cruise is a one-hour loop with no stops: upstream past the
Invalides, Pont Alexandre III, the Musée d'Orsay and the Louvre, around the islands for
Notre-Dame, the Conciergerie and Ile Saint-Louis, then back to the tower. The riverbanks you pass are a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Know what you are buying. The commentary is an audio guide, not a live guide, so bring earphones. There
is no food on the sightseeing boats, only vending machines. And Bateaux Parisiens is not
Bateaux-Mouches: that is a different company sailing from Pont de l'Alma, so check which pier your ticket
names before you set off.
1956
The year Bateaux Parisiens first sailed from the Eiffel
Tower. Today boats leave every 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the season.
Eiffel TowerMusée d'OrsayLouvreNotre-Dame
The Seine quays at golden hour, the best light of the day on the river.
01
Where do I board?
Port de la Bourdonnais, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Sightseeing boats use pontoon 3.
02
Do I need a time slot?
No. The sightseeing ticket is for a date: board any departure that day.
03
Upper or lower deck?
Upper for open views and photos in good weather; the glass lower deck in rain or cold.
04
Who might skip it?
Anyone wanting a live guide or a meal: pick the lunch or dinner cruise instead.
The cruise
How your hour on the Seine unfolds
From the pier and back in about an hour. This is the sightseeing cruise; the meal cruises follow the same river, slower.
01
At the pier
Walk down to Port de la Bourdonnais, show your voucher and join the boarding line for the next boat.
15 minutes early
02
Upstream
Past the Invalides and Pont Alexandre III, then the Musée d'Orsay facing the Louvre.
First 20 minutes
03
The islands
Notre-Dame, the Conciergerie and Ile Saint-Louis, where the boat turns around.
Halfway
04
Back to the tower
Down the other bank for the second view, arriving back beneath the Eiffel Tower.
Getting to the pier, tickets and ages, departure times and what to bring: one tab each.
Port de la Bourdonnais, 75007 Paris: the riverbank directly below the Eiffel Tower, on the Left Bank.
Metro: Bir-Hakeim (line 6) or Trocadéro (lines 6 and 9), then a 10-minute walk.
RER C: Champ de Mars Tour Eiffel, about 5 minutes on foot.
Follow the quay down from the Pont d'Iéna; sightseeing boats use pontoon 3, restaurant boats 5 or 7.
No hotel pickup on any of these cruises: you make your own way to the pier.
Adults are 12 and over; children 4 to 11 pay a reduced fare; under-4s ride free on the sightseeing cruise.
Official sightseeing fare: 18 euros per adult online, 20 euros at the booth; 9 euros per child online.
Viator's price is from $21 per adult and includes free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Lunch and dinner cruises are priced by menu and seating: window tables cost more.
Sightseeing boats leave every 30 minutes or so from about 10 am in high season, and roughly hourly from October to March.
Last departures are around 10:30 pm, later on summer weekends; on July 14 the last one is at 5 pm.
Lunch cruise boards for a 12:45 pm departure; the dinner cruise sails at 8:30 pm, the early dinner at 6:15 pm.
For meal cruises, arrive at least 15 minutes early: the boat leaves on time.
Your voucher on your phone.
Earphones for the audio guide on your own phone.
A light jacket: the upper deck is windy, even in summer.
Sunglasses on sunny days; the glass lower deck gets warm.
For dinner cruises, smart casual clothes.
SightseeingOne hour, any timeA dated ticket with no time slot and boats every 30 to 60 minutes.
Lunch12:45 pm departureThree or four courses with wine, on a glass-roofed boat.
Dinner8:30 pm departureThe longest cruise, with live music and the monuments lit up.
Early dinner6:15 pm departureA shorter dinner cruise that is over before 8 pm.
After darkThe tower sparklesFor five minutes at the start of every hour after nightfall.
Not includedHotel pickupEvery cruise here starts and ends at the pier.
Where the cruise starts
Bateaux Parisiens pier
Port de la Bourdonnais
Port de la Bourdonnais, 75007 Paris, France
The pier sits on the Left Bank right below the Eiffel Tower, next to the Pont d'Iéna. Walk down the
ramps from the quay and follow the signs for your pontoon: 3 for sightseeing boats, 5 or 7 for the lunch and
dinner cruises, 2 for the Bistro Parisien. Expect a security check at busy times, so arrive a little early,
especially for sunset departures.
We started our cruise a half hour before sunset. We were treated to the most beautiful pink sky and a perfectly timed lighting of the Eiffel Tower.
★★★★★
The food and service were excellent! The timing of each serving and pairings were very well thought out! The iconic views along the Seine were tremendous.
★★★★★
This was an amazing experience. The dinner was very good and the sights were incredible along the river. The Eiffel Tower lit up at night from the river was a wonderful view.
★★★★★
Amazing views and a nice sitting break! I would recommend sitting up top and on the side facing the Eiffel Tower. The boat goes up and down the river so you can see both sides.
★★★★★
Such a perfect first day in Paris! We arrived on the overnight from NY so this was a perfect activity to keep us awake, see the city and have a delicious meal.
★★★★★
Most excellent! The epitome of Paris! An elegant evening with delicious food and music. A must-do!
★★★★★
It was comfortable with seats facing towards the river. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed the views from the water. Great pics of Eiffel Tower. I recommend this boat tour for sure.
★★★★★
We booked a window table for the lunch cruise and it was worth it! The city views were fantastic. The food was delicious and the staff were so friendly.
★★★★★
Had just arrived in Paris and were jetlagged. This was an amazing, beautiful, perfect way to stay awake and be introduced to Paris. Incredible scenery and great food and service.
Make a day of it
Go up the tower as well
The boats leave from its feet, so the Eiffel Tower is the natural partner: a guided visit to the
second floor and a one-hour cruise in one booking.
Eiffel Tower Guided Visit and Seine Cruise Combo
★ 4.4 · 1,044 reviews · 2.5 hours
The boats leave from the foot of the Eiffel Tower, so it makes sense to go up it on the same day. This combo pairs a guided visit to the tower's second floor (summit optional) with a one-hour Seine cruise you can take whenever you like afterwards. Note the meeting point is a street corner near the Champ de Mars, not the tower itself.
A Seine cruise is the easiest way to see central Paris in an hour, and Bateaux Parisiens runs the
best-known one, from the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Here is what each ticket buys, what the official price is,
and how to time it so the hour is one you remember.
What the cruise is, and what it isn't
Bateaux Parisiens is one of the big Seine operators, founded in 1956, with a fleet of glass-roofed boats
moored at Port de la Bourdonnais. Its sightseeing cruise is a non-stop loop: you board below the Eiffel Tower,
sail upstream past the Invalides, the Musée d'Orsay and the Louvre, circle the Ile de la Cité and Ile
Saint-Louis for Notre-Dame and the Conciergerie, and return along the other bank. It is not a hop-on hop-off
boat (that is the Batobus), there is no food, and the commentary comes through an audio guide in 14 languages
rather than a live guide.
Government palaces, museums and bridges line both banks between the tower and the islands.
What it really costs
Bateaux Parisiens sells the one-hour cruise on its own site for 18 euros per adult online (20 euros at the
booth), 9 euros for children aged 4 to 11, and nothing for under-4s. On Viator the same cruise is from $21 per
adult, so the price is close; what you get for booking there is free cancellation up to 24 hours before and
the reviews in one place. The lunch cruise is from $96 and the dinner cruise from $144, with drinks included,
and the price climbs with the menu and how close to the window you sit.
The honest small print: the sightseeing cruise rates 3.7, and the complaints are
consistent: long boarding lines at sunset, crowded upper decks and commentary that is hard to hear. Board
earlier than the crowd, sit up top on the side facing the tower, and play the audio guide on your own phone.
If a live host and a seat at a table matter to you, the lunch cruise rates 4.7.
Sightseeing, lunch or dinner?
Take the sightseeing cruise for a flexible, cheap first look at Paris, ideally at sunset. Take the
lunch cruise if you want the views in daylight, unhurried, with a proper French meal and wine: it is the
best rated of the three. Take the dinner cruise for a celebration: the monuments are lit, there is live
music and it lasts two and a half hours, but glass reflections make night photos tricky. The
early dinner cruise at 6:15 pm is the shorter, cheaper compromise.
Lunch and dinner cruises serve a three or four course menu with wine.
Making the most of the hour
Check the sunset time for your date and board 30 to 45 minutes before it. Arrive early, sit on the upper
deck, and have earphones ready. After dark, aim to be near the tower on the hour, when it sparkles for five
minutes. And if you are meeting friends, make sure everyone is heading for the Eiffel Tower pier, not the
Bateaux-Mouches at Pont de l'Alma.
Board before sunset and you get the city in golden light, then lit up.
Straight answers to what travellers ask most about the Bateaux Parisiens Seine cruises.
How much is the Bateaux Parisiens sightseeing cruise?
Bateaux Parisiens' own site sells the one-hour sightseeing cruise for 18 euros per adult online (20 euros regular) and 9 euros for children aged 4 to 11; under-4s ride free. On Viator it is from $21, about the same money, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before. See the ticket guide.
How long is the Bateaux Parisiens cruise?
The sightseeing cruise is a one-hour loop from the Eiffel Tower and back, with no stops along the way. The lunch cruise lasts about two hours, the 8:30 pm dinner cruise about two and a half hours, and the early dinner cruise about 1 hour 15 minutes.
Where does the Bateaux Parisiens cruise leave from?
From Port de la Bourdonnais, 75007 Paris, on the riverbank at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Sightseeing boats board at pontoon 3; lunch and dinner cruises at pontoons 5 or 7; the Bistro Parisien package at pontoon 2. The nearest stations are Bir-Hakeim (Metro 6), Trocadéro (Metro 6 and 9) and Champ de Mars Tour Eiffel (RER C). See the map.
Is Bateaux Parisiens the same as Bateaux-Mouches?
No. They are two different companies with different piers: Bateaux Parisiens sails from the foot of the Eiffel Tower, Bateaux-Mouches from Pont de l'Alma, about 20 minutes' walk upstream. The routes and prices are similar. Read Bateaux Parisiens vs Bateaux-Mouches.
Do I need to book the sightseeing cruise at a set time?
No. The Viator ticket is for a date, not a time slot: show your voucher at the pier and board any departure that day. Boats leave roughly every 30 minutes in high season and about hourly in winter, so queues move, but sunset departures fill up.
Is there a live guide on the sightseeing cruise?
The commentary is an audio guide in 14 languages, on board or on your own phone, so bring earphones. Some departures also have a host pointing out key monuments, but you should not count on a live guide.
What is the best time for a Seine river cruise?
Around sunset. Board about 30 to 45 minutes before sunset to see Paris in golden light and then lit up, and time your return for the top of the hour, when the Eiffel Tower sparkles for five minutes after dark. See the night cruise guide.
Is the Bateaux Parisiens dinner cruise worth it?
For a special night, most guests say yes: it rates 4.4 from 7,463 reviews. The common complaints are glass reflections at night, loud music in some sections, and premium tickets that did not guarantee a window. If views matter most, the lunch cruise rates higher. See the dinner cruise guide.
Is food included on the sightseeing cruise?
No. The one-hour cruise has no meal, only vending machines on board. For food on the water, book the lunch or dinner cruise; the Bistro Parisien package is dinner on a moored barge and a separate one-hour cruise, not a dinner cruise.
Is there a dress code for the dinner cruise?
There is no strict dress code on the sightseeing boats. For the dinner cruise, smart casual is the norm: most guests dress up a little for the evening. Bring a layer if you plan to step out on deck.
Can I cancel my Bateaux Parisiens ticket?
Yes. The sightseeing, lunch and dinner cruises, and every other cruise listed here except the seasonal Christmas cruise, can be cancelled for a full refund up to 24 hours before on Viator.
Is the cruise suitable for wheelchairs and strollers?
Partly. Strollers are allowed, and wheelchair users can usually board the lower, covered deck of the sightseeing boats, but the company does not describe its boats as fully accessible, so contact the operator before you book.
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