Paris hop on hop off boat cruse on the Seine

I don't know what price Viator is selling them for but you can buy Batobus tickets without going through a third party, and just get them when you arrive in Paris if you'd rather not buy online:

http://www.batobus.com/en.html

It's € 17.00 for a standard 24-hr adult pass, or € 19.00 for 2 consecutive days

Timetables are here:
http://www.batobus.com/en/timetables.html

Where to purchase in Paris:
http://www.batobus.com/en/point-of-sales.html

Other details:
http://www.batobus.com/en/batobus-pass.html
http://www.batobus.com/en/FAQ.html

They are IMHO the worst of both worlds. They are lousy transportation and they are unpleasant as a 'cruise' although in fall they are probably less crowded and miserable. I would take a Seine Cruise in the evening and for my daytime transportation, take the metro. If you do want the Batobus just get a a ticket while you are there. It doesnt' require pre-purchase.

What Janet said. The river is not an efficient way to get around. It's slow, infrequent and not necessarily closer to the sights than the metro stations . . . or the buses. . . . or even walking. Les Vedettes du Pont Neuf is a nice cruise - IMO best around sunset. You can save a lot by buying online "anytime" tickets.

The Batobus is like looking from the "ditch" level of the Seine. It's expensive for what it is - 8 stops. You won't see anything, and there are a lot of stairs to climb, but some have a slope.
On the other hand, the cruise ships do a loop, you don't get off, and you come back to where the original dock was. I'd go after dark, when everything is illuminated.
http://www.vedettesdupontneuf.com/home/

I thank all of you for this valuable information. It sounded like a good way to get from a to b But I think we will just walk. What are your thoughts on dinner cruses?

Sure, take an evening cruise if you want. Some buildings are illuminated by floodlight. But eat on dry land where there is a proper kitchen.

An evening cruise when the building are lit up is a good way to start or end the evening. Les Vedettes du Pont Neuf is the best of several that we have taken. Taking a cruise and having dinner before or after will give you the best of both. Combining them will, in my opinion, short change both.

Hi Kate.

I am going to chime in on the opposite side. I love the batobus. It is one of my favorite methods of transportation. I love the view from the water as it is a different perspective then on land.

While It may not be the most efficient or direct way to get somewhere, I find it relaxing and enjoyable. Don't rule it out until you check it out. I am staying near the Eiffel tower and am looking forward to taking it to some of the major attractions.

There are a few Dinner Cruise options. If memory serves me right, the only cruise that actually cooks on board, the others have the food brought aboard is Calife, http://www.calife.com/english/index.html.

There is also a gourmet bus tour, the kitchen is downstairs & the dining is upstairs, Bustro Nome: http://www.bustronome.com/paris/

Enjoy your trip.

I also really like the option of taking the hop on / hop off boat.
Best to go with the plan that gives you access to both boat and bus as the boat is good for some locations but not so great for others.

The views are nice and the boats are not overly crowded during the day, although slow they can be a nice break from walking.

I agree the night time Les Vedettes du Pont Neuf boat ride is much nicer but also more crowded.

It is very important to realize that both the bus and boat routes, but especially important with the boat that they travel in one direction only. If you are using the boat to site see you have to plan the timing of your stops in order of the boat.
For example if you want to see the Lourve and Eiffel Tower from a starting point of Notre Dame ; you will want to visit the Lourve first otherwise you would be wasting hours circling on the boats to see both in the other order.
So look at the stations but also the direction of the route.

The hop on busses work on a similar concept, so best to plan out the day for either hop on choice.

Rather than take the Batobus and spending money, I would just walk along the quais - it is quiet, there are many car slopes - especially on weekends - where you don't have to go up stairs.

You can go from Bastille, from the yacht club, all the way to Hotel de Ville, then cross over at Pont Neuf to the Left Bank and go to the Eiffel Tower.
https://en.parisinfo.com/discovering-paris/walks-in-paris/paris-river-seine

Consider that if you are on a Seine cruise, you want to concentrate on the views. If you are having a good meal, you want to concentrate on the food. One will distract from the enjoyment of the other if you try them simultaneously. Another one of those plans that sounds so good on paper, but fails to deliver.

Check times for sunset on your visit. Les Vedettes du Pont Neuf runs cruises until after dark all year round, but if you are visiting in late spring or early summer, taking a sunset cruise before dinner could mean a midnight supper.

Some "dinner cruises" are expensive, some are not.
Frankly, I'd go to a nice restaurant, instead of eating airplane-grade food for an exhorbitant price. Most food is pre-prepared from necessity on the boats, anyway.

We also find the Batobus useful for part of our Paris sightseeing. Many of the sites are within a few blocks of the Seine. Use whichever stop is closest to the site you wish to visit even if it is not on the correct bank, there is usually a bridge nearby. The Batobus is also useful when you want to sit down for a bit after too much walking.

The batobus is just transportation along the river, in a circuit with many stops. We used it on the last day of our first visit for a sort of "farewell tour," getting on and off several times to visit or revisit various sights. It's not a practical substitute for buses or the Metro as a way of getting around.

Vedettes de Pont-Neuf, and competing services that start near the Eiffel Tower, take you on a non-stop scenic ride up and down the river, with narration. They run evenings as well as daytime. I like the Vedettes de Pont-Neuf because their narration is live (in English) and their trips start and end in the historic heart of the city. I don't think you need a reservation, which allows you to take the ride when the weather is right.

I agree with others that a dinner cruise is usually a bad choice. Even if the food is good, it competes with the views out the window. At least I've never figured out how to eat a meal with utensils (or even without!) while staring out a window. Not to mention trying to take pictures. Spend the extra money on a nice dinner onshore.