Seine River Cruise and on/off open bus recommendations

I dislike HOHO buses and so have no advise there (they are sooooo slow and can only go places on major roads) but I am pretty sure you just buy tickets when you board. We much prefer to use the metro to quickly get where we want to go.

for the river cruises you can simply go whenever you feel like it, the weather is right etc. There are 3 docks I know of: One at Pont Neuf (pretty steep stairs); one just upriver from Pont d'Alma on the right bank -- this one is ramped and easier for people who don't like steep stairs). and one at the Eiffel Tower. You just go when you want and buy a ticket; if you miss the boat, another will be along shortly. IMHO the cruises are nicest at night when the city is lit up and the Eiffel Tower sparkles on the hour.

Vedettes du Pont Neuf is a river cruise company we've used several times and never had to have a reservation. You might want to google them to see if that is still the case. We ususal do one in the evening for the atmosphere of seeing the city all lit up. Gives new meaning to "the city of lights". Not sure about bringing champagne on the boat. Maybe their web site has some information.

Thanks very much, this is all very helpful!

I'm a fan of Les Vedettes du Pont Neuf, but the stairs to the dock may be a problem for your mother. No need to reserve ahead for a standard cruise, just show up when the weather and your schedule both work. I see they have a "Happy Hour" cruise including a glass of wine or beer, plus a bar and food, but I wouldn't recommend anything that might distract you from the views. I don't know whether you could bring a bottle with you on a standard cruise, but you'd also need glasses.

I agree with Janet about the HOHO buses. They might be a good way to orient to the city as a whole by staying on board for the whole loop, but it would take a long time and you certainly don't want to actually hop on and off them as a means of transportation from A to B. The Metro is much more efficient (though has many stairs), and regular buses (same ticket as Metro) take longer but show you the street scenes as you go. The #69 bus, between the Eiffel Tower and Pere Lachaise Cemetery, is a good "orienting" route across the heart of the city.

I know the Metro is the best way to get around Paris but as you mentioned, Dick, the stairs are going to be a problem for my mom. We are not sure what to do because I've heard that cabs are not very reliable and since we're five, we'd likely need two cabs which would become expensive very quickly. Is it true that Uber isn't very reliable either? We love walking and I could easily log over 10 miles a day but my mom not so much. Any advice or thoughts on getting around without having to deal with tons of stairs much appreciated!