Parisian boat ride using Vedettes du Pont Neuf

yup, taken it 4 times, I believe. Narrator is live, not recorded; otherwise no substantial difference from Bateaux Mouches.

You might find this recent post helpful.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/boat-ride-on-seine

I took this boat last April and enjoyed it very much, also because the location was convenient.

We've taken the Vedettes du Pont Neuf cruise several times. We like that the commentary is live, and haven't had a problem hearing or understanding it. And their location on Ile de la Cité was close to our preferred hotel in the Latin Quarter.

I found it very convenient, too and really liked it, as did my grandkids. We took the sunset cruise, which takes off about 15 minutes before sunset and arrives at the Eiffel Tower about fifteen minutes after sunset, just in time to see the gorgeous sparkles and brilliance of the Eiffel Tower at night.

You can buy your ticket beforehand, but I would make sure you get there early so you get a good seat on the boat.

I did the same as Mardee and enjoyed it. Definitely arrive at least 30 minutes before a sunset cruise to get a good seat on the top section of the boat.

Yes, we've taken several cruises with them and have always had a good experience. No complaints at all, and will probably take them again on our next visit to Paris.

We took their sunset cruise, June 2025. We enjoyed the cruise, didn't pay much attention to the commentary. Many steps down to the dock and people tend to push on the stairs, if that is an issue for you. Tip: if your cruise includes a complimentary drink - . Lots of people ahead of us in line detoured to the bar before heading to the upper deck. By skipping the detour for the glass of mediocre champagne, we arrived first on the upper deck and snagged the front row seats.

Cynthia,
Are you referring to Vedettes de Pont Neuf or another boat with vedette in the name? I don't recall long ramps or a bar on board. But it has been a while for me.

I like Vedettes du Pont Neuf but they have suspended service for now, waiting for the Seine to subside. The other company with vedettes in the name is Vedettes de Paris which depart, IIRC, from near the Eiffel Tower.

Judy, Yes I am talking about the tour boats which leave from the tip of Ile de Cite. Not ramps, long crowded flights of stairs. We took our sunset cruise June 24, 2025 so my notes, written the next day, are accurate.

Judy, yes indeed there are stairs involved, but they aren't the cruise company's. The stone stairs allow pedestrians to travel between the Pont Neuf street level and the quai down by the water. (See Street View on Google Maps) They weren't particularly crowded any time we used them, but that may be time and day dependant.The only ramp I remember is the gangway onto the boat.

Cynthia mentioned the included Champagne on her sailing.

We are considering the same sailing with the included drink. I think they call them Sunset cruise. They only have two offerred in May. 20:45 and 21:45. Sunset is to be around 22:10 or so. It seems to me the 20:45 is a little early. And they sell the not sunset w/o an included glass sailings for less $ and those sail once an hour so could take a "night" sailing as I think they call it a little later.

So a bit of a wash for me as I dont really care for that glass of bubbly. The main draw is that they say there are fewer pax as a feature on those two sailings. But it is not clear (and yes, I sometimes cyinically read between the lines) if it still a full boat just that it holds fewer pax than their other boats or that they really do restrict the number of seats sold to less than when this ship sails on the regular once-an-hour trips. That would help to justify the cost beyond the bubbles

Did anyone taking one of the included champagne trips feel like they could have sold more seats. Was the top deck filled quickly leading others to inside and maybe not window seats?

You don't need to pay for a cruise with their glass of bubbles.

We often do a Vedettes du Pont Neuf and just take on our own bottle of wine and some plastic glasses, not ideal, but you can't really carry crystal from Australia.

We just went on the sunset cruise in December 2025; admittedly we didn't pay attention to any commentary. We did get the glass of bubbles, which was fine. We did book our tickets in advance, but saw people walking up and purchasing tickets. I'm guessing that is because it was early December and maybe a bit easier to do that.