Passengers on a Seine River cruise will pass some of Paris's most famous landmarks, including Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. Other well-known attractions visible from the river are the Musée d'Orsay (which houses Impressionist art), the Palace of Justice, the city's beautiful bridges and a scaled replica of the Statue of Liberty that stands guard on a small island.
Several companies operate Seine River cruises, but the Bateaux-Mouches (literally, "fly boats") are the best known. The Bateaux-Mouches depart from the Embarcadère de Pont de L'Alma, roughly across the river from the Eiffel Tower in the eighth arrondisement (the closest Metro stop is Alma-Marceau). Another operator, Vedettes du Pont Neuf, departs from the western tip of Ile de la Cité (the closest Metro stop is Cité).
The simplest tours take a little more than one hour to complete. These trips loop along each bank of the Seine and around the two major islands that form the heart of the city. Double-check with the tour operator to make sure the trip comes with commentary in English (or whatever language you prefer). Nighttime tours are a great way to see the city's famous landmarks in a different light. These tours don't cost extra, and they make it easy to understand why Paris is known as the City of Light. Most basic tours cost 10 to 12 euros.
Operators like Bateaux-Mouches also offer lunch and dinner tours. The costs will vary depending on the tour and operator, but expect to pay five or six times the price of a simple tour. Bateaux-Mouches also enforces a dress code on its mealtime cruises, so don't expect to stroll on board wearing shorts and a T-shirt in the summer. While the costs might be high, especially when compared with the price of a simple tour and a meal eaten on land, the pleasure of eating a good meal while floating by some of Paris' most treasured sights can be worth it.
