Cruising the Seine

Take a sightseeing or dinner cruise on the Seine River in Paris

Is there anything more romantic than slipping down the current of one of the world's great rivers past 18th century palaces? Well, perhaps killing the canned P.A. sightseeing commentary and getting rid of all the other camera-clicking tourists would help the romantic mood, but if it's mood you're after you can always do it as a more refined dinner cruise (described below).

The classic hour-long float down the Seine with canned multilingual commentary is offered by several companies for about €8–€10:

• Bateaux-Mouches depart from the Pont de l'Alma on the right bank (tel. +33-(0)1-42-25-96-10; www.bateauxmouches.com; Metro: Alma Marceau).
• Bateaux Parisiens leave from pont d'Iena at the foot of the Eiffel Tower year-round, or from quai Montebello at Notre-Dame Mar 24-Nov 5 (tel. +33-(0)1-46-99-42-12; www.bateauxparisiens.com; Metro: Bir Hakeim, RER: Champ de Mars-Tour Eiffel).
• Les Vedettes de Paris also departs from the Port de Suffren at pont d'Iena near the Eiffel Tower (tel. +33-(0)1-44-18-19-50, www.vedettesdeparis.com; Metro: Bir Hakeim, RER: Champ de Mars-Tour Eiffel).
• Les Vedettes de Pont Neuf leave from—surprise!—the pont Neuf at the tip of Île de la Cité (tel. +33-(0)1-46-33-98-38; www.vedettesdupontneuf.com; Metro: Pont Neuf, RER: Châtelet ou St Michel).

After dark, the boats sweep both banks with mega-powered floodlights—illuminating everything very well, but sort of spoiling the romance. These tend to be touristy too, unless you opt for a more refined and romantic lunch or dinner cruises, which are considerably more expensive—€85 to €140—for jacket-and-tie dinners, and the food is only so-so. The setting, however, can't be beat.

A less contrived alternative to the day-time tour is the Batobus, a kind of water taxi (no piped-in commentary) that stops every 15–25 minutes at eight major points of interest: Eiffel Tower, Champs-Elysées, Musée d’Orsay, Louvre, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Notre-Dame, Hôtel de Ville, and Jardin des Plantes. A 1-day unlimited pass €12, and a 2-day pass €14. (tel. +33-(0)1-44-11-33-99; www.batobus.com)

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