Description: A ride on a bateau mouche costs €8 for adults and €4 for children. There are regular departures—hourly and half hourly from the Pont de l'Alma.
The boats are large and spacious, the best views are from the seats on the top level. The only disadvantage is you are not under cover you get wet if it rains, and really hot if it is sunny.
There is a pre-recorded commentary but it is given in about 7 different languages. We found it almost impossible to concentrate on what was being said, gave up eventually and just enjoyed the ride.
The boat trip is relaxing and enjoyable. The Seine runs through the historic heart of Paris and has more than 30 bridges. The most interesting one for us was the Pont Neuf—the oldest bridge which is close to Notre Dame Cathedral.
The Seine is the spine of Paris and has a beautiful urban landscape. Many of the famous Paris monuments are on the river banks - for example Notre Dame, the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower - so you see a lot from the bateau mouche. The view of the Eiffel Tower from the boat was most impressive.
It was also really interesting to see all the activity on the river banks—lots of people walking, relaxing, reading, and playing music. We also saw all the boats preparing for the evening dinner cruises with tables nicely set for dinner. This would be a lovely thing to do—see Paris by night from the river. Our son is still a little too young for this at the moment.
The whole boat trip lasted around an hour. We enjoyed it because it gave us a unique view on the city. The bateau mouche is to Paris what a gondola ride is to Venice - a wonderfully touristy way to see the city from a different perspective.
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