Seine River Sightseeing Cruise via Bateaux Parisiens
After our morning tour of the Eiffel Tower, we made our way, by foot, to the boat docking station at Port de la Bourdonnais where we hopped aboard a popular and modern Bateaux Parisiens glass-topped trimaran to embark on a quintessential, scenic and leisurely cruise along the Seine riverbanks.
Port de la Bourdonnai
Bateaux Parisiens trimaran
All aboard …..
Bateaux Parisiens has a fleet of four trimarans, three named after legendary French actresses (Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Adjani and Jeanne Moreau) and another after a French businessman (Pierre Bellon). They each hold up to 600 passengers.
The author
Our trimaran, with terrace and exterior passageways, was well equipped, clean and well maintained, with plenty of outdoor seating at the upper deck.
Jandy and Grace
The company also has nine smaller boats, some of which are used for dinner cruises and private events. They offer high priced lunch and dinner, to the sound of the resident band, with a choice of four different a la carte menus, on separate restaurant boats. All boats follow the same 12-km. long route.
Notre Dame Cathedral
Eiffel Tower
Louvre Museum
The Grand Palais, a large historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located at the Champs-Élysées, was built in the style of Beaux-Arts architecture.
Check out “Louvre Museum,” “Notre Dame Cathedral” and “Eiffel Tower”
A fantastic introduction to the highlights and magic of Paris, we soaked up the passing sights of iconic, world-famous monuments and landmarks as we cruised up and down the Seine River.
Musee d’Orsay
National Museum of the Legion of Honor and Orders of Chivalry, created in 1925, displays a history of France’s honors, medals, decorations, and chivalric orders from the time of King Louis XI to the present, including Napoleonic souvenirs and more than 300 portraits. A special section is dedicated to foreign orders. Its library and archives contain more than 3,000 works.. Located beside the Musee d’Orsay, it is housed within the Hôtel de Salm, built in 1782 by architect Pierre Rousseau for Frederick III, Prince of Salm-Kyrburg.
Registry of the Paris Commercial Court
Check out “Musee d’Orsay“
On the left bank are the Notre Dame Cathedral, the National Museum of the Legion of Honor and Orders of Chivalry, Conciergerie, National Assembly, Les Invalides, the Institut de France, and the Musée d’Orsay.
Paris City Hall, the headquarters of the municipality of Paris since 1357, serves multiple functions, housing the local administration, the Mayor of Paris (since 1977), and also serves as a venue for large receptions.
Institut de France, a French learned society, groups five académies (including the Académie Française). It manages approximately 1,000 foundations, as well as museums and châteaux open for visit..
On the right bank, during the return trip, are the Louvre, the Grand Palais, the Obelisk at the Place de la Concorde, Tuileries Garden, the Paris City Hall, and the Eiffel Tower.
The Conciergerie Paris, located on the west of the Île de la Cité, was formerly a prison but is presently used mostly for law courts. During the French Revolution, hundreds of prisoners were taken from the Conciergerie to be executed by guillotine at a number of locations around Paris.
We also glided beneath beautiful historic bridges (37 bridges span the river), including the famous Pont Neuf. Even the Seine riverbanks, collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991, are a sight to behold.
Check out “Bridges Along the Seine River“
Hotel Dieu, a hospital located on the Île de la Cité, on the parvise of Notre-Dame, is the oldest hospital in the city and the oldest worldwide still operating. Ravaged by fire several times, it was rebuilt for the last time at its present location between 1867 and 1878, as part of Haussmann’s renovation of Paris.
After half an hour, our boat turned around and cruised back up along the opposite bank. Our 1-hour cruise ends back at the original departure point near the Eiffel Tower.
The Palais Bourbon serves as a meeting place of the French National Assembly, the lower legislative chamber of the French government. It is located on the left bank of the Seine, across from the Place de la Concorde.
Bateaux Parisiens: Pontoon 3, Port de la Bourdonnais, 75007 Paris, France. Tel: +33 825 01 01 01 and +33 1 76 64 14 66. Open 9:30 AM – 10 PM. Website: www.bateauxparisiens.com. Admission: adults (€15), children under 12 yrs. (€7), free for children under 3 years old. Ticket will be valid for one year at any given time. Departures: April to September (from 10:15 AM -10:30 PM, every 30 mins., no departures at 1:30 PM and 7:30 PM), October to March (from 11 AM -8:30 PM, at least every hour). Book online in advance to avoid queues. The boat also departs from Notre Dame Cathedral. Audio guide commentary with musical accompaniment, from a handset, available in 13 languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, American, Russian, Dutch, Polish, Chinese, Japanese and Korean). Smoking is not allowed on the boat and animals are not permitted on board.
How to Get There: Champ de Mars Tour Eiffel (RER C) 5 . Nearest metro: Trocadero or Bir Hakeim