Seine River Cruise for Family

Darn, that's a passel of questions. Sunset won't offer much since the river's down in a concrete ditch. Night is pretty good, however. If the batobus is running after dark (proably not in the summer), and you already have a ticket make that your night ride. Boats don't give you a real good orientation since you're down in the ditch and only get to see what's along the quai. Motion sickness is out of the question. No need for reservations. The batobus works well with a walking tour since it gives you a chance to sit and gape. I'm anti- St Martin, but even if I weren't it doesn't show you as much as a full loop on the Seine.

Hi Negan! It will be fun with your kids in Paris! Is your international flight arriving in Paris? If so, you will need to play it by ear on the first day. The kids will be very tired and probably cranky. That said, a Seine River Cruise or Hop On Hop Off tour might be great to get some fresh air either for 1st day or 2nd day. Both will give you an overview of the city. Although all of the sights can't be seen from the river, it does show how Paris grew up around the river. Pick a river cruise that is close to your hotel. Also, there are bike tours (Fat Tire Bikes at the base of the Eiffer Tower) and other places to take during the day or at night that orient you to the city. I would not recommend the St. Martin canal cruise for kids unless you want to go to the modern Science Center at the Parc de Villette (good for kids, it says) at the turn around point. Check out the parks, especially Luxembourg Gardens, so they can run around. Also the Champs de Mars, the park where the Eiffel Tower is. Bring something small they can play around with outside. A frisbee or yoyo or ...... YOu can also pick up lunch fixings at the bakery, deli, pastry shop, and small grocers/markets and eat in the park. Saves money and doesn't require your kids to sit still! Hope these suggestions help you have a terrific time!

Your kids will be wonked out for the first day, and possibly more. (and you, too). Your kids will want/need to nap that first day. A normal Seine river cruise is neat and not to be missed with kids. However, they're not great for orienting you on the city. The HO/HO buses do a much better job of that, but are much more expensive. I think you can plan the river cruise and the walking tour in the first day. Just plan on buying the kids pastries and/or other treats to keep them going. Don't book the cruise in advance, just see how you're doing when you're there. Definitely don't try to do any museums or other "serious" sightseeing until you think your kids have adjusted a bit. And don't be surprised if they don't remember anything from the first day, other than that they were tired. Enjoy your trip!

Thank you all so much. Yes, I imagine that we'll all be quite tired! I think we'll try for a sunset cruise. If not, just a regular hop-on hop-off ... And it would be ideal to do this on our first day.
Thank you also for letting me know about St. Martin, as well as for all the extra suggestions and tips.

Your kids will probably like it, but I'd play it by ear. Our trip was problematic because: It was cold, windy, sprinkly, and cloudy. My girls, 12 & 15 did not want to sit outside and I don't think they saw much from inside. We were the last 4 people to get on with several bus loads of people. There were no seats outside, the tourists were very pushy, but, ha, we took their seats when they got up to take pictures. The river was high, and so the bateau could not go under all the bridges, and no one could sit on the very top. We did not go around Ile de le Cite, so did not get to see Notre Dame from the river. That all sounds like I'm griping-I'm really not. I'm still glad we did it, but I don't think my daughters were. If the weather is bad, skip it. I'll go again.

Karen, thank you also. We'll make sure to go only if the weather is good and yes, we'll play it by ear.

In response to Ed, I'm pro-Canal St. Martin - but not at night. It's only a good tour if you just want to relax for awhile and see an out-of-the-way part of Paris. It would be too long for your first evening. Taking one of the regular Seine cruises your first evening is a great way to get a lot of fresh air and get over jet lag. But I agree that night is better for the lights.

Thanks, Doug.