Bateaux Parisiens boat cruises on the River Seine in Paris
The Bateaux Parisiens are a company that operate tours and cruises along the River Seine, and whether you are thinking of a short trip with the family, or a romantic dinner, there will be an option for you to enjoy, not forgetting their floating quayside restaurant as well.
About Bateaux Parisiens
The company was first founded back in 1956 providing boat rides on the River Seine in small motor launches, with the first boat being a yacht that was inaugurated by Rene Coty who was the President of France and it welcomed Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain on board on her official visit to Paris.
Over the years they have expanded their fleet of boats and today there are a total of twelve boats in the fleet, seven of which are the cruise boats for tours on the River Seine and the other five are the restaurant boats.
And since 1987 they have become part of the Sodexo Group, who are experts in the field of hospitality and organise catering and other aspects for well known events throughout the world. As well as being linked with the Bateaux Parisiens, the Sodexo Group are also in partnership with the French Tennis Federation and support the French Tennis Open at the Roland Garros Stadium in Paris, they provide the catering requirements for the Dakar Rally, Royal Ascot, the Paris-Vincennes Racecourse, along with supporting the Tour de France, plus they are linked with the Eiffel Tower restaurants and much more.
So as you can no doubt tell from their prestige, you are definitely assured of a quality service while on board the Bateaux Parisiens, plus they also have a bistro on the quayside with a fantastic view of the Eiffel Tower.
Also, the Bateaux Parisiens cruises now manage the Batobus shuttle service, which is the boat that constantly goes up and down the River Seine with selected stops that is used as a hop on and hop off service for people on holiday in Paris, as well as those living and working in the city.
Additionally, because of the quality of service provided by the company, it not only deals with individuals, but also hosts private and corporate events and caters for well over three million passengers each year that want to discover the monuments in Paris and the famous river from a completely different perspective.
The Bateaux Parisiens boats
We mentioned earlier that there are twelve boats in the fleet, with the first one being the yacht that is called the Bateau Bretagne and has a capacity of only 92 people seated and this is a restaurant boat utilised for private events and for dinner cruises, which was first christened in 1954 by Madame Rene Coty, and bringing tradition with modernity, it was fully restored in 2014 to the delight and enjoyment of its guests.
There are four other restaurant boats, which are classed as Panoramic Boats and are named after jewels and the first one of these introduced was inaugurated in 1984, which is called the Bateau Onyx, that was renovated in 2005.
Then came the Bateau Saphyr that was originally inaugurated in 1989 under the name of Symphonie, yet was completely renovated in 2009 and provides seating for up to a maximum of 160 people.
This was followed by the Bateau Cristal, that was designed by the architect Gerard Ronzatti from the Seine Design Agency, seating up to 260 people for a dinner cruise on the River Seine. And finally the Bateau Diamant, which is the largest restaurant boat in the fleet that can seat up to 340 people, and originally inaugurated in 2002 it was renovated in 2011.
When it comes to the cruise tours on the River Seine, the Bateaux Parisiens have seven boats and these are all named after famous people in the entertainment world, and the first was a motor launch built in 1975. Named the Bateau Jean Marais after the French actor it has exterior viewing platforms and is used for the sightseeing cruises departing from the quay by Notre Dame Cathedral.
Then came two Hydrospaces boats, with the first being called the Bateau Brigitte Bardot that has been in service since 1979 followed by the Bateau Juliette Greco that has been in service since 1982. Another motor launch was added to fleet in 1984 that was named the Bateau Yves Montand, which was renovated in 2008.
The 1990s saw the launch of three Trimarans that were all designed by the architect Gerard Ronzatti and can accommodate up to 580 people on a tour along the River Seine, with over 300 seats being sheltered from the elements.
The first of these trimarans, which was inaugurated by the French actress Jeanne Moreau and bears her name was put into service in 1995, which was followed a year later by the Bateau Catherine Deneuve and was also inaugurated by the French actress herself, then finally you have the Bateau Isabelle Adjani that was put into service in 1999 and after a full renovation was put back into the fleet in 2016.
The Bateaux Parisiens services
The Bateaux Parisiens offers the sightseeing tour cruises on the River Seine with the departure point for the tours being either at the foot of the Eiffel Tower or at the Notre Dame Cathedral on the Ile de la Cite island.
There are also many different packages available such as an enchanted cruise with actors providing singing and history, or if you wish to enjoy a meal as well as a cruise you have the options of a lunch cruise or a dinner cruise, whether it be as a family, in a group or for a romantic evening for two.
Le Bistro Parisien
There is also a quayside brasserie and bistro in Paris run by the Bateaux Parisiens company called Le Bistro Parisien, which provides an exceptional view of the Eiffel Tower, over the water to the Palais de Chaillot and the Trocadero Gardens not forgetting the River Seine of course.
Plus having been entirely redecorated in 2010, this restaurant in Paris provides an open, airy space inside, along with a lovely terrace that provides a lunch menu, which turns into a traditional bistro of an evening. Yet Le Bistro Parisien also provides breakfasts, as it is open from 9.30am and has continuous service through to 10pm in winter months and until 11pm from April to the end of October.
The Bateau Quais La Terrace, as it is also known, is open from April through to October and offers a variety of different snacks such as sandwiches, pizzas, salads, ice creams and cold beverages, which is open daily from 10am through to 10pm or 11pm during July and August.
For a gourmet break you can enjoy a full meal and even set menus, within the contemporary setting where seasonal ingredients are used. So for example, you could enjoy a Confit duck terine with fois gras, Espelette pepper and fig chutney followed by a Lightly seared salmon, risotto with paella spices and chirzo jus, a cheese course and dessert of chocolate fancier cake with pineapple, lime and a dark rum syrup. Yet like we mentioned things change due to seasonal ingredients and this is just one suggestion for a lovely lunch, plus they also serve vegetarian dishes.
In addition to this, on the wharfs where the Bateaux Parisiens are located, you will find their boutiques for a wide range of different goods including leather goods, clothing, tableware, gift packages, postcards, souvenirs and much more, whether they are to take back home or keep for yourself as a memento of your visit to this tourist attraction in Paris.
You could also opt for the Quayside Brunch as an all you can eat self-service buffet brunch on a Sunday between the hours of 11am and 3am, or you could even add this option to a 1 hour sightseeing tour via booking directly on their website.
Access to Bateaux Parisiens cruises in Paris
The Bateaux Parisiens Tours on the River Seine do not have to be booked in advance and tickets can be purchased at the desk by Pontoon Number 3 on the Port de la Bourdonnais, although if you are going to be arriving with a group of 20 people or more then booking in advance is now essential, and you can now book online and have the ticket on your phone, or you would need to print off your booking confirmation and bring this with you. Also if you do book online, then the ticket is valid for any day and any time you choose, places permitting of course.
The lunch and dinner cruises currently have to be booked in advance online and are a single rate, although in the height of the season there is sometimes the option to book at the ticket office located at Pier 1 on the quay at the Eiffel tower departure point, but the majority of lunch and dinner cruises do now have to be booked in advance due to limited spaces available.
But we would like to point out that although every effort is taken to help people with disabilities enjoy the experience, for those that are disabled, you would not be able to access the toilets on board as a flight of stairs has to be negotiated, yet there are toilets located at the quay where you board the boat.
In addition to this, please remember that if you are booking a Dinner Cruise or one of the special Holiday Cruises on the Bateaux Parisiens, then smart dress is required, also there is a no smoking policy on board all of their boats and animals are not permitted, except for guide dogs.
There are also dedicated dinner cruises on special days of the year, such as Valentines Day, Bastille Day, Christmas Eve New Years Eve, etc, but these do have to be booked well in advance and differ in costs and the themed menu available. Although as with all the dinner cruises, there are menus available for those with special dietary requirements like gluten free, diabetics, vegetarians, etc.
Getting to Bateaux Parisiens
When it comes to getting to Bateaux Parisiens, this River Seine sightseeing cruise company is located at the foot of the Eiffel Tower at the Quay called the Port de la Bourdonnais in the 7th Arrondissement of Paris. You normally embark via Pontoon No 1, but there are no actual parking facilities, only for buses and coaches, so the nearest car park is a short walk away at the Musee du Quai Branly.
However, in order to reach Bateaux Parisiens cruises via public transport in Paris, you will find the Metro station called the Trocadero stop serving Metro line 9 on the opposite bank of the River Seine having walked up through Trocadero Gardens.
Alternatively, you have the Bir-Hakeim stop, which is located to the south west of the Eiffel Tower by walking along the Quai Branly or the quayside next to this road and Bir-Hakein stop serves Metro line 6. It is also right here that you have the Champ de Mars - Tour Eiffel train station serving the RER C train line.
In addition, you have the Paris buses, and the bus line 30 and bus 82 stop by the Pont d'Iena and the bus line 42 classed as the Tour Eiffel stop has the bus stop on the Avenue de la Bourdonnais, which is in between the Champ de Mars Gardens and the Musee Quai Branly, which make any of these a very convenient option to access Bateaux Parisiens.
