Vendettes du Pont Neuf sunset cruise tickets

In April I enjoyed an evening cruise with Vedettes du Pont Neuf, so not at sunset. It was wonderful seeing Paris floodlit and the Eiffel Tower sparkling in the night.

Just from monitoring the schedules last spring, I did see some departure times sell out. Compared to some of the other Seine River cruises, the V du PN boats are quite small. Even on a cool April evening the boat was full.

There is some flexibility with departure time changes. I booked a 9pm cruise and then discovered I might have a timing conflict. I stopped by earlier in the day to ask about rebooking and was told I could just board any departure.

No matter which you book, you'll want to be in the boarding line early to guarantee a seat on the upper deck.

I took the sunset cruise in August and it was definitely sold out. Not sure when in June you're going but sunset is rather late and the dates I just spot checked only have one embarkation after sunset (around 10:40 p.m. mid- to late-June). You can buy an open (undated) ticket but there is no guarantee you'll get on board if the timed tickets are sold out. If you really want to go I'd book a time specific ticket and hope for the best. Get there at least 30 minutes ahead (45 is better) to get a good seat (no reserved seating). I believe there are covered areas on the boat in the event of rain.

Last time I rode Vedettes de Pont Neuf, I looked up the time of sunset for our chosen day online. Then I went to the Vedettes website and booked for the cruise that began not long before then. At that time there was even a small discount for booking ahead of time online. The cruise is an hour, so you will go up and down the river in that time. Figure on getting close to the Eiffel tower about halfway through. Get in line about a half hour early to snag a seat up top, for the clearest views. Bring some kind of wrap unless it's hot out. It gets a little cooler on the water than on land. I am guessing that the evening cruises fill up faster than daytime ones. The lights are nice, but after dark you do see less.

Sunset in June is about 22h and you are on a river, not a lake or coastline. It's not like sitting on Waikiki beach, sipping Mai Tais, and waiting for the green flash. I really do not understand the significance of the "sunset" on a Seine River cruise. Sure, you pay an extra 10€ and get a glass of champagne (probably crémant) taking either the 21h45 or 22h14 departures and the latter is actually after official sunset.

My advice is to go whenever it is convenient and to enjoy the view. To enjoy the sunset, book a late table at Les Ombres and hope for a clear evening.

https://www.lesombres-restaurant.com/en/

Thanks everyone—this is very helpful information! Having read all of this, I think I’m not going to focus on the sunset cruise at all. I’ll aim for evening (which gives us a lot more flexibility and time slots to choose from since sunset is so late) and check the website periodically to see if everything seems to be selling out. If so, I guess we’ll pick a date ahead of time and take our chances with weather. If not, I’ll wait as late as possible to book and hope the weather forecast doesn’t change too much.

Great advice about arriving 45 minutes early to snag good seats and we’ll definitely do so. We’ll also make sure to bring an extra layer— I often get chilly.

On a day where I expect a great sunset (Paris is not noted for this, but can have dqzzling red salmon skies on occasion) I like to go to the Pont Alexandre -- a beautiful bridge with gorgeous views of Paris including the Eiffel Tower up and down the river. It is my favorite spot for sunset.

To clarify, the reason to book a sunset cruise is so you're at the Eiffel Tower when the sparkles start at the top of the hour. It has nothing to do with watching the sun set. This why you want a cruise that falls after the sunset time and not before, as the cruise is timed to arrive at the Eiffel Tower to catch the light show (which isn't on until after the sun sets).

You don't get champagne unless you specifically book the "happy hour" cruise, otherwise the one hour discovery cruise is the one you want. If you're going to wait to book tickets, I'd suggest a weeknight over a weekend day.

I agree with CL. You don't need to pay the extra money to get a sunset cruise as all that gets you is a cocktail. Just book any of the evening cruises, and you'll get to see Paris at night and the Eiffel Tower lit up with sparkles.

I was there in early April of last year with two of my grandkids and we booked the 8:15 p.m. boat. Sunset that evening was at 8:30 PM so we got to see that and by the time we reached the Eiffel Tower, it was dark enough that the lights were really beautiful against the darkening sky.

FWIW, I bought our tickets online about 3-4 hours before we went but that was in early April. You might want to book it earlier in June.

Ruth, Wise choice not to focus on sunset. We did so the last time as we were showing Paris first-timers around the city and that was their wish. TBH I prefer seeing the sights in daylight. As Janet notes, you can get a great view of the Eiffel Tower lit up from one of the most beautiful bridges in Europe, the Pont Alexandre III. And definitely sit up top. Vedettes de Pont Neuf has smaller boats, but sitting up top you aren't in a crush of people. I much prefer them to Bateaux Mouches (even if they don 't have a cute name)! As to weather, well you should be fairly secure in June.
Have a wonderful time in Paris!

P.S.
Watch your spelling when going to the VDN website. No "n" in Vedettes.

If you go to the VPN website and go to buy tickets, you can spend 1Euro extra to buy an 'open ticket valid for 1 year'. Just get there 20 minutes before whatever cruise you want.