I'd like to take one of those Seine River Cruises that goes by the Eiffel Tower at night when it lights up. I will be doing this in June so It gets dark rather late. I found one that starts at 9:15pm but it serves a 3 course meal. Does anyone know of a cruise at that time that does NOT serve dinner or include alcohol int the cost?
Posted by
Long Beach, Ca, usa
2819 posts
Vedettes de Pont Neuf are strictly cruises, cost about 17 euro per person, last an hour, have live commentary, and have several cruises daily (and nightly). You can prebuy your tickets online or buy them that day. We have taken their cruises 5 or 6 times and are always happy with the results. Bateaux Mouches is another company that does cruises only. Dinner cruises are often not recommended on this forum because while dining, you are missing the sights. If you do Vedettes, get in line a bit ahead of time to snag a seat on top for the best views. Take a wrap or jacket as it is usually cooler on the river than on land. The narration is in French, but we have always has a narrator repeat a lot of it in En glish. To my mind it is one of the best bargains in Paris.
Posted by
OP
44 posts
Thanks - I looked at these but they do not leave late enough in the day to see the Eiffel Tower light up at night.
Posted by
Chicagoland
1639 posts
sheeryjb,
Are you on the correct site Vedettes du Pont Neuf?
I'm looking at their June calendar and they have departures at late as 10:45 pm.
They offer a nice cruise with live commentary. Arrive early so you can get good seats upstairs.
Posted by
OP
44 posts
I must have been on the wrong site. I found this and for when we want to go it says the sun sets at 10:25 but their "night time' cruises start at 10:45. That is the one I will book - I am afraid if we book the 10:15 it may not be dark enough when we pas the tower. Thanks for your help.
Posted by
OP
44 posts
I booked the 10:15 cruise for May 31st. I corresponded via email with the company and this is what they recommended. The actual sunset time is wrong their website - it really is 9:45. Thanks so much for your help.
Posted by
Salem, Oregon, USA
3654 posts
I did the sunset cruise on Vedettes du Pont Neuf in August. I advise getting to the dock at least 30 minutes ahead of your cruise time to get a good seat on the side of the boat (as opposed to the middle seats). The cruise is perfectly timed for the Eiffel Tower lights and the boat does turn around there so you'll get a good view if you're on the opposite side when the lights start.
Posted by
San Diego, California, USA
1870 posts
I took the last cruise on June 15th last year and it was perfectly timed for the sparkling of the tower. It wasn't super crowded but it is first come, first seated so spending a few minutes sitting in line is worth it get the seats you want.
Enjoy,
=Tod
Posted by
OP
44 posts
I signed up for May 31 at 10:15. Sunset is 9:45 so this should be perfect!