The tour circuit of Vedettes du Pont-Neuf boat tours on River Seine in Paris
The Vedettes du Pont-Neuf are sightseeing boat tours that take you along the River Seine and provide a one hour cruise with commentary to give you a completely different perspective of the many different monuments and tourist attractions that you can discover whilst you are on holiday in Paris.
Tour circuit and what you will discover
You actually start off from the Square du Vert Galant, which is one of the pretty gardens in Paris located at the western end of the Ile de la Cite island in the River Seine by the Pont Neuf bridge and hence the name of this tour company.
The Louvre Museum
The first monument that you will see is to your right, is the impressive former royal palace that was turned into a museum in Paris back in the 1700s called the Musee du Louvre, which is now one of the largest museums in the world with an impressive collection including the famous Mona Lisa painting by Leonardo da Vinci.
Le Pont Royale
Paris has thirty-four bridges going across the River Seine and the Royal bridge, as it translates to, is the next tourist attraction you will see, which is one of the oldest bridges in Paris dating from the reign of King Louis XIV, who also decided to construct the Chateau de Versailles.
Musee d’Orsay
Looking along the left side of the river bank you will next see the Musee d’Orsay, which is another art museum in Paris that starts where The Louvre finishes, and the building was originally constructed as a train station in Paris that had a beautiful decor and facade which would welcome people to the 1900 Universal Exhibition.
The Tuileries Gardens
Located in between The Louvre and the Place de la Concorde as you look to your right, you will see the Jardin des Touleries Gardens, which is probably one of the most well known and elegant parks in Paris.
Le Pont de la Concorde
The Concorde bridge, as it translates to, was constructed from stones that came from the Bastille when it was demolished during the French Revolution and this bridge leads to the Palais Bourbon on your left, which is where the members of French parliament meet.
Pont Alexandre III
You will now be travelling under the Alexander III bridge, which was constructed to commemorate the Franco-Russian alliance, and is without a doubt the most luxurious of all the bridges in Paris.
Palais de Chaillot
If you look into the distance at the top of a hill in front of you, you will get to see the Palais de Chaillot, which is home to several museums in Paris including the Musee de la Marine, along with a theatre and a cafe. Plus there is also an esplanade that provides fantastic views of the Trocadero Gardens and the Eiffel Tower along with CineAqua aquarium, underneath, which means this is a fabulous place to visit while on holiday in Paris.
L’Eglise Americaine
Along the bank of the River Seine, if you look to your left, you will discover an American church and next to this is the American college.
Pont de l’Alma
The Pont de l’Alma bridge is where Parisians watch the water levels of the River Seine and it is located by the Place de l’Ama, which is where you will find the Flamme de Liberte that became the unofficial monument in Paris dedicated to Princess Diana who met her untimely death at the tunnel.
Passerelle Debilly
The Passerelle Debilly bridge is one of the footbridges over the River Seine and after passing underneath, you can discover the Palais de Tokyo Museum.
Tour Eiffel Tower
Constructed by Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 World Fair, the Eiffel Tower has got to be the most famous monument and landmark in Paris, if not in the whole of France, and you will be able to see this by looking to your left whilst you are on the Vedettes Pont-Neuf boat tour.
Pont Bir-Hakeim
The Bir-Hakeim bridge crosses to the Ile Aux Cygnes or Swans Island and here just before the boat make a u turn to continue the tour, you will be able to see a Statue of Liberty on the banks of the River Seine.
Pont des Invalides
The Pont des Invalides was constructed to celebrate the battles of Napoleon Bonaparte I, if you look to your left you will see the Grand Palais that houses a museum and exhibition centre and is located next to the Petit Palais, which was constructed at the same time.
Then you continue on your tour under the Pont Alexandre III bridge again, and this time, by looking to your right, you will see Les Invalides, which is home to several museums such as the Musee de l’Armee and the Tomb of Napoleon.
Place de la Concorde
By looking left you can discover the Place de la Concorde, which is a well known square in Paris where marie Antoinette met her fate with the guillotine, yet today is home to the Luxor Obelisk.
Hotel Salm
Located next to the Musee d’Orsay, the Hotel Salm is home to the Musee de la Legion d’Honneur, which was the favourite building of Thomas Jefferson.
Pont du Carrousel
Then continuing on, you will see the Pont du Carrousel, which leads to the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, which is the smaller triumphal arch in Paris that was built on orders of napoleon, just as the Arc de Triomphe was. And then you see the Pont des Arts and from there the Palais Conti with the Musee de la Monnaie, home of the French mint.
Ile de la Cite
You are now coming up to the Ile de la Cite again, which is to your left, and this is where the true history of Paris started with the first settlers by the Square du Vert Galant, plus you can find the statue of King Henry IV and the Place Dauphine that was named after his son. Then you will see the Pont Saint-Michel bridge that goes to the Latin Quarter of Paris.
Prefecture de Police
Again on your left you have the police headquarters and the Petit Pont, which is the smallest bridge in Paris, and as you continue you see the Pont Au Double.
Notre Dame Cathedral
The impressive gothic architecture of the Notre Dame Cathedral with the sculptures, gargoyles and towers is a truly impressive tourist attraction, especially when viewed from the River Seine, where you can get to see the magnificent rose window. But from there you see the lowest bridge in Paris called the Pont de l’Archeveche before seeing the Ile Saint Louis island.
Pont de la Tournelle
As you are continuing your sightseeing tour of many tourist attraction in Paris with the Vedettles Pont-Neuf boat tours, you will then get to see the Tournelle bridge in front of you that has a statue of Saint Genevieve, and to the right is where the famous restaurant in Paris called the Tour d’Argent is located.
Pont de Sully
Then to your right of this bridge you will find the Institut du Monde Arabe and the Jardin Tino Rossi by the Saint Bernard Quay that is home to the Musee de la Sculpture en Plein Air, open air museum of sculptures.
Pont d’Austerlitz
And then you will head towards the Pont d’Austerlitz that takes you to the Jardin des Plantes botanical garden, but it is here that the boat turned around again, so that you can get another fantastic view of the Notre Dame Cathedral, which is one of the most visited historical monuments in Paris.
Pont Marie
You will then travel under the Marie bridge, which is known as the romantic bridge and has a tradition that as you pass under it, you should make a wish, then you see the Pont Louis Philippe and to the right is a church that houses one of the oldest organs in Paris. Further along is the Paris city hall, which is called the Hotel de Ville, and in front is a statue of Etienne Marcel, the first mayor of Paris.
Tour de l’Horloge
The clock tower is to your left and at the bottom you will find the oldest working public clock in Paris that is more than 600 years old and has only every been restored three times.
La Conciergerie
The impressive Conciergerie was once a royal palace on the Ile de la Cite, but was turned into a prison, which is where Marie Antoinette was detained prior to her execution during the French Revolution, and this is another incredible tourist attraction with a reconstruction of her cell. Yet there is also the Sainte Chapelle, that was constructed to hold religious relics such as the Crown of Thorns before they were eventually put into the treasury of Notre Dame Cathedral.
Pont Neuf
Although the English translation is New Bridge, the Pont Neuf is actually the oldest bridge in Paris, and the first one not to be constructed with buildings on it, it crosses the Ile de la Cite at the western point by the Place Dauphine and to your right you will see La samaritaine, which is the largest department store in Paris.
But this is now the end of the Vedettes Pont-Neuf River Seine sightseeing cruise, where you disembark at the same point as you start at the quay of the Square du Vert Galant, so that you now discover the many different landmarks, museums, monuments and tourist attractions in Paris up close.
However, you can also get an official Vedettes Pont-Neuf PDF in English that will provide you with additional information on the cruise route along with how to obtain discounts when visiting specific attractions plus even on the cost of the Versailles Shuttle for getting to Chateau de Versailles, all just with this flyer.
Yet to see information on this sightseeing tour and other lunch and dinner cruises that Vedettes du Pont Neuf offer, plus how to access their location and more, please see our other Vedettes du Pont Neuf article.
