Tours, sightseeing tours, activities & things to do | Viator.comSeine River Cruise and Paris Canals Tour
based on 61 reviews
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Location: Paris, France
Product code: 3001CRUISE
61 reviews of Seine River Cruise and Paris Canals Tour
Read what other Viator.com travelers think about the Seine River Cruise and Paris Canals Tour. What they loved, what they liked and what they think could be improved, it's all here to help you make the most of your next trip.
This was a little different but definitely worth the trip. I would recommend this but only after you have done a main tour of Paris.
Reviewed by: Anonymous, Canada, November 2006
The cruise was thoroughly enjoyable, but it would have been more helpful if a precise location of the vessel on the Seine was given. We had difficulty locating it after coming up from the Metro.
Reviewed by: Anonymous, Australia, October 2006
The experience would have been 4 stars except that it was misty at the start and Notre Dame was not clear, although the sun shone in the locks on a beautiful fall day. The boat was lightly loaded, the two crew pleasant and informative.
Reviewed by: Anthony T, Canada, October 2006
Difficult to find the boat - more signs needed! Tour guide was rude to us on numerous occassions. But canal and Seine ride was good experience.
Reviewed by: Anonymous, United Kingdom, June 2009
The trip was not as good as another with another company, one to the great sites on the Seine. Just too much time was spent in the locks and the depressing tunnel that was smelly, dank and mouldy. Couldn't find the place where the boat left from, ended up hiring a taxi who ended up dropping us off where we started and 30 euros later. Need better directions as had to walk and walk and walk to get to the spot. Not advised for those who are not very fit.
Reviewed by: Jim M, Canada, May 2009
The location of the tour boat was not given, it only said the Musee d'Orsay, so you had to hunt along the river to find the pier and I almost missed the boat. Then the tour spent a lot of time in a covered canal so you didn't see anything but the walls and ceiling. Not wonderful.
Reviewed by: Linda B, United States of America, April 2009
Cold and wet.
Reviewed by: Susan H, Canada, October 2008
There were too many interlocking canals. It took so long to go through those. I would have enjoyed more of the Seine River and less of the canals. However, the staff on the boat were very nice and friendly!
Reviewed by: Deborah S, United States of America, August 2008
If you want to go on this cruise, I would suggest that when you call to confirm, get directions and also leave maybe an hour and 15 minutes before the boat departs. I barely made the boat. However, they were very nice because they waited 30 minutes for me. The tour took about 2 and a half hours, and we went through 9 locks; it took each lock 10 minutes to drain out, so we sat there in the boat for about 90 minutes doing nothing. When we finally got through the locks, all of a sudden we see all these really cool attractions like Notre Dame, the Statue of Liberty (yes, they have one just like New York's), and other things. But have your camera ready because you pass by them fast. It is really cool to see Paris at a different angle, but if I was to go again, I would bring something to read or someone to talk to and snacks. You are allowed to bring snacks on the boat, so I would do so. Some boats do not sell snacks or drinks--it's up to the owner--but you can bring anything you want. Another tip is to get directions from where you arrive at the end of the tour to your hotel because you do not go back to where you started, so you may be a little lost. On the other side, the metro is very convenient and easy to use. Enjoy.
Reviewed by: Jessica S, United States of America, June 2008
We missed the boat in the AM session as the documents said to meet in from of the Musee D'orsay. This was not the proper meeting location, the real location was down by the docks considerably further away from the museum. We were able to catch the pm cruise and it was nice, but going through the locks takes a while. It was fun overall, but a headache to find the proper departure location.
Reviewed by: Karielle D, United States of America, June 2008
The description was accurate, you tour the canals of Paris, which means you don't see much along the Seine, and what you do see along the canals is rather passe. There were too many locks to pass through. I found the tour about 1.5 hours too long. A one-hour tour would have been just right.
Reviewed by: Kim H, United States of America, April 2008
This cruise went on for way too long - in fact, I fell asleep it on it. It was interesting going in the first lock, but there are 9 in total, and we just found the trip boring.
Reviewed by: Natasha G, Australia, October 2007
I would recommend starting at the Musee de Orsay. This way you get to go right by Notre Dame, and you will see all of the sights first. Going from the park, you get to go through half and hour of locks and go behind Notre Dame and you really can't see it. The rest of the River Seine cruise is good, but it only last 15-20 minutes after the lock experience. One lock is interesting, however 8 of them is not. The trip guide did not mention them. I thought that the canal trip would be interesting, but having to wait through all of the locks was not worth it. Overall it was good, not great.
Reviewed by: Craig P, United States of America, June 2007
We missed our booked boat as there are NO signs indicating where to board. We were at Pt Solferino 20 minutes before departure time, along with other tourists. At 9:30 we watched the boat sail past. We were able to join the boat for the afternoon return trip but it did spoil our plans for our one day in Paris.
Reviewed by: Anonymous, Australia, May 2007
The trip description is misleading. You actually spend nearly two hours going down seven canal locks, not seeing much of Paris, and then you spend 15 minutes going through a tunnel where you can see nothing and then 15 minutes going up the Seine. This trip was not worth the money, and it was very disappointing.
Reviewed by: David R, United Kingdom, July 2007
