Seine River Cruise Tickets and Tours

There are really only three price bands on the Seine, and knowing which one you want takes about ten seconds. Everything below is the current live from-price on GetYourGuide for the exact ticket named.

Where to buy Seine river cruise tickets: book online in advance rather than at the quay. Every ticket here is sold through GetYourGuide with instant mobile delivery and free cancellation on most options, which matters on the Seine because sailings genuinely sell out on summer evenings and the pier queues are worst for people buying on the day. There is nothing to print and nothing to collect.

If you want the full verdict on which one to spend your money on, read which Seine river cruise is worth it.

Paris has three long-standing sightseeing fleets on the Seine and they board at completely different points on the river. Turning up at the wrong pier is the single most common Seine cruise mistake, so check the departure point on your ticket before you set out.

• Bateaux-Mouches boards at its own pier at Pont de l'Alma, Port de la Conference in the 8th arrondissement, on the Right Bank. Nearest metro: Alma-Marceau (line 9). This is the fleet behind the evening lights cruise from €18 and the dinner cruise from €115. Big glass-roofed boats, the most recognisable name on the river.
• Bateaux Parisiens boards at its pier at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, on the Left Bank. It runs the one-hour sightseeing cruise from €18 and the three-course dinner cruise from €115. If you are already visiting the tower, this is the easiest cruise to bolt on.
• Vedettes du Pont Neuf boards at 1 Square du Vert-Galant, on the tip of the Ile de la Cite in the 1st arrondissement, right under the Pont Neuf. Smaller boats and a more central starting point, handy if you are based around the Marais or the Latin Quarter.

The route is broadly the same whichever you pick: the loop takes in the Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay, the Conciergerie, Notre-Dame and the Eiffel Tower. What changes is the boarding point, the boat and whether you get commentary, music or dinner. Pick the pier closest to where your day already is.

The short answer on cost: €18 by day, €18 to €25 by night, and about €115 with dinner. Children's fares and combination tickets vary by operator, and prices move with season and demand, so the from-price on each option above is the live figure rather than a printed rate card.

On timing, daytime cruises are better for sightseeing because you can actually see the facades and the audio commentary has something to point at. Evening cruises are better for atmosphere. The one thing worth planning around is the Eiffel Tower sparkle, which runs for five minutes on the hour after dark, so an evening sailing that has you mid-river on the hour is the one to book. In midsummer that means a late departure, since Paris does not go properly dark until close to 10pm.