We all know the Bateau Mouches. Taking a cruise along the Seine, with one of these boats, can help you get to know Paris by watching it from its river and even relax for an hour while you are carried around. I admit that I like these cruises because they give me a different perspective of the city I visit. I begin my story today with some useful advice:
– Arrive on time. You can buy your ticket online or “last minute”. Remember just that you can’t book your seat.
– The route is only one, the same for all cruises, and you have to choose only the time that is most convenient for you.
– Departure time: choose it carefully! There are a lot of cruises, so you can choose the one that fits well in your daily journey!
– Cruise duration: the cruise is about 1h and 10, the departure times are various (and many) during the day. The ticket costs € 13.5. To be sure that there are no price changes and for the exact departure times, I refer you to the company official website.
– Boarding pier: just “below” the Ponte de l’alma and is well signposted along the road. You can not see the signs, clearly visible even when it is dark. The path is circular, so at the end of the cruise, the boat will always bring you back here (if you want another tip, check first the means that, from here, will take you where
you want to go once the tour in bateau mouche will finish). The boats are quite big and at 19:30 we found few people (which allowed us to move quickly between outside and inside, without risking “losing the place” and limiting the fact of having other people in the photos). If you have chosen a time when there is a little turnout of tourists you will undoubtedly be able to take some pictures without people in the middle, but keep in mind that there is the probability that you will have someone in front of you. Our tour starts on time, at 19:30, and thanks to explanations in various languages we “make our way through the buildings of the city” without difficulty.
During the tour, we saw most of the most important buildings in the city, from the Eiffel Tower to the courthouse passing through Les Invalides, Notre Dame, the Grand Palais and the Louvre. The musée d’Orsay and la Concorde are obviously into the tour, like many other places quite crucial in Parisian history. My final advice is only one: enjoy the ride without too many thoughts, follow the explanations, while trying to
identify the places the guide is talking about. Sit back, enjoy the lights of the city that flows around you and make friends with a different perspective of the town: I’m sure you will appreciate it too.
If I recommend going for a bateau mouche ride?
Yes, if you want to see the city from a different perspective than usual;
Yes, if you are looking for a way to get a rough idea of Paris if it is your first trip to the city;
Yes, if you want to “study Paris” in relaxation;
No, if you don’t care about anything and you will not follow absolutely anything that happens around you.