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Bateau mouche, Paris - Seine River cruises

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One of the most popular trips taken in Paris is the tour boats that carry visitors along the Seine River. These provide a lovely way to enjoy the scenery of this beautiful city, a bit of tranquility in what can be a tiring city to explore, and a chance to see many of the famous monuments from a different vantage point.

The Seine passes right through the heart of Paris, and many of the most well known monuments are close to the river. Among the sights that you will see from your 'bateau mouche' (as the boats are called) are the Eiffel tower, Notre-Dame Cathedral, and the Louvre.

The boats use for your River Seine cruise are large, flat bottomed craft that hold up to 300 people or more, and have an open top and (sometimes) an enclosed lower level. The upper level usually has a glass canopy.

Slightly off topic, the very popular comedy duo 'un gars une fille' made an episode about a trip on the bateau mouche - during which you will learn very little about the trip itself but you might learn a little about French humour:

Back on topic, sorry for the diversion. Most Seine cruises will include a commentary to point out the highlights to you, and last an hour or so.

The normal trip costs about 10 euros for adults and 5 euros for children.

Another popular option is to take the trip during the evening - the perspective you get of Paris is very different at night when many buildings are illuminated.

If you are feeling rich you can also take the bateau mouche trip including lunch or dinner.

History of the name bateau mouche

Note the word 'mouche' doesn't come from 'fly' (the literal translation of mouche). It probably comes from the region in Lyon where the first of these boats came from, although the more romantic notion is that the name comes from 'spy boat' with mouche (fly) being a slang word for spy .

The company that originally launched the popular river cruises 50 years ago, called 'Compagnie des Bateaux Mouches', is still going strong - although there are now numerous competitors offering a similar trip along the Seine. Inevitably, all are going to pass the same Parisian monuments.

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