Seine River Cruise and Crepe Tasting near the Eiffel Tower Paris

Port de la Bourdonnais and the Eiffel Tower

Your Seine cruise starts at Port de la Bourdonnais, the riverside quay right at the foot of the Eiffel Tower on the Left Bank. Completed in 1889 for the World's Fair, the iron tower rises 330 metres above the Champ de Mars and is the symbol of Paris. Seeing it from the water, framed by the bridges and the trees along the quays, is one of the great classic views of the city.

Boats leave every 30 minutes from April to September between 10:00 AM and 10:00 PM, and every 45 minutes from October to March between 10:30 AM and 9:00 PM. Arrive at Pontoon 3 a little early in high season, when waiting times can be longer. If you are wondering how to get to the Seine cruise pier, the nearest metro is Bir-Hakeim and the RER C stop is Champ de Mars Tour Eiffel.

Les Invalides, Grand Palais and Place de la Concorde

Heading upstream, the boat passes the golden dome of Les Invalides, built in the 17th century as a hospital for old soldiers and now housing the Army Museum. Opposite stands the Grand Palais, with its huge glass roof, created for the 1900 World's Fair, and the gilded Alexandre III Bridge, often called the most beautiful bridge in Paris.

A little further on, Place de la Concorde opens up on the Right Bank, the largest square in the city, with its ancient Egyptian obelisk and fountains. From here the Champs-Élysées runs toward the Arc de Triomphe. The audio guide explains the history of each landmark as you pass, so you understand what you are seeing without missing the view.

Musée d'Orsay and the Louvre

The Musée d'Orsay is easy to recognise from the river by its two great clocks: the building was once a railway station, opened in 1900, and now holds one of the world's finest collections of Impressionist painting. Across the water, the long facade of the Louvre stretches along the Right Bank for nearly a kilometre.

The Louvre was a royal palace for centuries before becoming the world's most visited museum, and from the boat you see its galleries and the edge of the Tuileries Garden. The cruise is a perfect introduction if you plan to visit these museums later; Louvre and Orsay tickets are best booked in advance, and our team can help you add them to your trip.

Ile de la Cité, Notre-Dame and the Hôtel de Ville

The heart of the cruise is the Ile de la Cité, the island where Paris was born more than two thousand years ago. The boat passes beneath the Pont Neuf, the oldest standing bridge in the city, and alongside the Conciergerie before reaching Notre-Dame Cathedral, reopened in December 2024 after its restoration, with its Gothic towers, flying buttresses and new spire.

On the Right Bank you see the Hôtel de Ville, the ornate neo-Renaissance city hall, before the boat turns and heads back downstream toward the Eiffel Tower. This part of the river, between the islands, is lined with the green boxes of the bouquinistes, the riverside booksellers, and is among the most photographed stretches of Paris.

A crêpe at Trocadéro facing the Eiffel Tower

Your ticket includes one freshly made French crêpe, cooked in front of you at a kiosk on the Trocadéro esplanade, with chocolate spread or sugar. The esplanade, between the two wings of the Palais de Chaillot, offers the most famous viewpoint of the Eiffel Tower and is a short walk across the Pont d'Iéna from the pier.

You can enjoy the crêpe before or after the cruise, at any time between 10:00 AM and 10:00 PM, so there is no stress about timing. Many visitors take the cruise in the late afternoon and then walk up to Trocadéro at dusk, crêpe in hand, to watch the tower light up and sparkle on the hour after dark.