Living in Paris means I don’t do what I’d consider to be ‘touristy’ things very often. I usually avoid places like the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre, and Notre Dame because I don’t want to get trampled in the tourist crush. But the other week Groupon had a 50% discount offer for cruises with Vedettes du Pont-Neuf. A one hour cruise for 2 people was 12 euros instead of 24. Bargain!
It was raining the day we went so I didn’t get any good photos (I took them from behind glass) but winter is definitely a good time to go because you can easily see all the buildings and monuments through the bare trees.
The cruise starts just below the oldest bridge in Paris, le Pont-Neuf.
We then headed under the pedestrian only Pont des Arts.
The Assemblee Nationale is France’s parliament building and of course you can see la Tour Eiffel in the distance.
One of my favourite museums in Paris is the Musee d’Orsay which not too long ago was a train station.
We then went past the magical Eiffel Tower without having to endure the crowds.
Then the boat turned around and we went under the beautiful Pont Alexandre III.
Next up was the Place de la Concorde with La Grande Roue which I have yet to go up.
Le Louvre is not one of my favourite museums but is definitely one of my favourite Parisian monuments. I love walking around what was once the King’s palace.
Cathedrale Notre Dame de Paris was beautiful even with the rain and grey clouds.
Notre Dame from past the Pont de Sully:
Last up is another of my favourite buildings, the Conciergerie. I love the turrets. It needs a good clean though.
There were only about 10 of us on the boat that day so it was quiet and relaxing. I definitely recommend the Vedettes du Pont-Neuf if you want to take a break from the crowds and relax for an hour as you are taken along the Seine. It would also be a fantastic walk if you have the time and energy and wanted to save a few euros. I think I’ll walk it next spring and see if I can’t get some better photos.
About Andrea
Another thing for me to do!!! Not sure when I am going to get back to Paris .. but whenever it is , I have loads to do
The walk from Notre Dame to the Eiffel Tower along the banks of the river is by far the best walks of my life yet. Fantastic!
Love the river cruises on the Seine! I always recommend them as a great way to get a totally different view of the city.
I’m going to go on the Batobus next time. The hop on hop off style sounds more appealing. Have you been on that one?
I read that all the river cruises are closed at the moment due to high waters in the Seine. Glad I’m not in Paris at the moment with all the crazy weather.
Great pictures. Brings back many fantastic memories of my travels to Paris.
oh this is funny! Every day at the campground we heard the announcement for the river boat tour. It’s so interesting to see pictures from it! It looks like you saw some great things and it’s lovely to see pictures of Paris again. I really want to move there, I fell hard for it.
Paris is hard to resist. I can’t understand why you’d want to move there. It can be a really frustrating place to live at times though.
Paris is so purdy.
Re: your comment above — the Batobus is fun. I did it this summer with my friend and her two kids. While it is not really the most effective way to get from one place to another, what we found is that it gave us a chance to rest while being transported, and the kiddos (ages 6 & 9) were entertained by the view. For sightseeing, resting, and being transported all at the same time, it can’t be beat! If you are in a hurry, though, walking, the bus or the Métro are one’s best bets. The Batobus is sloooooow.
I saw the Seine last week when it had been closed, and it was HIGH. Truly incredible. I’ve not been in the center of Paris this week to see if it has receded or not. It was really up there, though. I can understand why the cruises had to close.
Sounds like it’s worth doing at least once. I might try it next spring when I return.
Did you get photos of the high waters? I remember the first time I lived in Paris, in December 1999, and the Seine was at its peak. From memory I think it overflowed a little before receding. It was amazing to see. I have some photos somewhere but they aren’t digital so I don’t have them online. It’s definitely something you don’t see very often.