Nine stops, day passes and a few rules to know before you board. To see where the Batobus fits among the other companies, see our Seine cruise companies page; for the step-by-step how-to, our Batobus and hop-on hop-off boats guide.
What the Batobus is, and who runs it
The Batobus bills itself as the only hop-on hop-off river service on the Seine: a loop line, fixed stops, a pass valid for one or two days. The company sells it as transportation, a way to skip the métro between two museums, rather than as a tour. That is the right way to look at it.
Behind the brand is the Compagnie des Batobus, a company registered at Port de la Bourdonnais. The official site does not say so, but its contact details are those of Bateaux Parisiens, and the travel trade press reports that Sodexo Live! runs three companies on the Seine: the Batobus, Bateaux Parisiens and Yachts de Paris. So we describe it as a Bateaux Parisiens group service. According to Wikipedia, the line was launched in 1989, for the bicentenary of the French Revolution; the trade press now puts it at more than 600,000 passengers a year, about 70 % of them from abroad.
The catalogue is short. Passes: 24 hours, 48 hours, annual, and a two-day pass that combines the Batobus with the Big Bus double-decker. A game kit for kids, "Enquêtes à bord" (onboard detective). No meals, no narrated cruise, no night departures.
GetYourGuideEiffel Tower
Paris: Hop-On Hop-Off Seine Cruise Pass with 9 Stops
4.4 (6,612)
from €23Check dates
GetYourGuideEiffel Tower
Paris: Onboard Investigation Cruise Tour, Fun Quest Game (in French)
3.2 (3)
from €23Check dates
Batobus on GetYourGuide →Batobus on Tiqets →Batobus on Headout →Prices checked on October 17, 2026
The nine Batobus stops, in the official order
The line runs a loop of about two hours (the FAQ says 1 hour 42 to 1 hour 45 minutes), with roughly a quarter of an hour between stops. In the company's order:
- Tour Eiffel — Port de la Bourdonnais, at the foot of the tower, near the Musée du Quai Branly
- Invalides — Port des Invalides, near Pont Alexandre III; ticket office closed, buy online
- Musée d'Orsay — quai de Solférino, for Orsay, rue du Bac and the Bon Marché department store
- Saint-Germain-des-Prés — quai Malaquais, for the Latin Quarter
- Notre-Dame — quai de Montebello, facing the cathedral
- Jardin des Plantes — quai Saint-Bernard, for the Jardin des Plantes and the Panthéon
- Hôtel de Ville — quai de l'Hôtel de Ville, for the Marais and the Centre Pompidou
- Louvre — quai du Louvre, for the museum, rue de Rivoli and the Tuileries
- Place de la Concorde — Port des Champs-Élysées, for the obelisk and the Champs-Élysées
Beware of old maps: they still show a stop at Beaugrenelle, near Île aux Cygnes, which no longer exists. The line does not go to Bercy, the Bibliothèque nationale de France or the Statue of Liberty. There are ticket offices at Tour Eiffel, Jardin des Plantes, Hôtel de Ville, Louvre, Concorde, Orsay and Notre-Dame. All our stops are on the Seine pier guide.
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The boats: heated, open deck, no restrooms
The company advertises 180-seat heated boats with an open deck and vending machines for drinks and snacks. According to Wikipedia, the fleet includes trimarans named after Paris places (Vendôme, Odéon, Rivoli, Trocadéro, Bastille, Dauphine) and two smaller launches; according to the trade press, the Trocadéro is the line's first plug-in hybrid.
The detail that matters for families: there are no restrooms on board, according to the company's FAQ. On a loop of nearly two hours, plan to get off at a stop if you need to. It is the big comfort difference from a sightseeing cruise, where all the major companies have them.
The luggage rule is strict: bags of 55 × 35 × 25 cm at most, with suitcases and large bags refused for security reasons. Strollers are accepted, folded and handed to the crew, who stow them at the front. Bikes come on board only if the boat is not full. As for dogs: guide dogs, muzzled dogs on a leash or small dogs in a bag, and the crew can refuse.
Batobus tickets and prices: official site, ticket office and platforms
On the company's website the 24-hour pass costs €23, €13 for ages 4 to 11. The 48-hour pass costs €27 (€17 for a child) and the site advertises it as a web exclusive. The annual pass is €73 (€48 for a child). The two-day Batobus + Big Bus pass is listed at €84 (€49 for a child). The age under which kids ride free is not clear on the site: ask at the ticket office.
At the ticket office, holders of a Navigo, Imagine R or a few other transit passes pay less: about €18 for the 24-hour pass, €22 for 48 hours, €53 for the annual pass. Ticket offices take cash, cards, French checks and chèques-vacances holiday vouchers.
The 24- and 48-hour passes are counted in consecutive hours from your first boarding, not in calendar days; the FAQ adds that they run during opening hours. Unused tickets stay valid for six months after purchase.
On the platforms, we found the official price of the 24-hour pass, €23.
| Platform | Listing | Rating | Price | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GetYourGuide | Paris: Hop-On Hop-Off Seine Cruise Pass with 9 Stops | 4.4 (6,612) | €23 | See on GetYourGuide |
| Headout | Batobus: Seine River Hop-on Hop-off Boat Tour | 4.6 (5,098) | €23 | See on Headout |
| Direct | Batobus, 24-hour pass (online) | — | €23 | Official site ↗ |
Lowest adult price per person in euros, checked on October 17, 2026. Times, menus and options can differ between platforms; check before you pay.
Before you buy, do the math: for a single loop with commentary, a one-hour Seine cruise costs less. The pass only pays off if you use it as transportation. Our platform-by-platform comparison is on GetYourGuide, Tiqets or Headout.
Batobus hours and boarding
The published hours are those of the first and last departure from the Tour Eiffel stop. From 1 October to 1 November, every day from 10 am to 7 pm. From 2 November to 31 March, Monday to Thursday from 10 am to 5 pm, Friday to Sunday from 10 am to 7 pm. The summer hours were not on the page when we read it: check the website before your trip.
The company does not publish a frequency. According to the trade press, a boat comes by every 10 to 20 minutes at peak times, less often off-season. In winter, watch the clock: a pass bought at 3 pm on a Monday in November leaves little time for a full loop before 5 pm.
Accessibility. The Tour Eiffel stop is the only one accessible by wheelchair, via a ramp shared with vehicles; elsewhere you have to go down stairs to the quays and sometimes onto the boat. Another answer in the FAQ even says there is no boat access for people with reduced mobility: email the company before you come.
Cancelling. The terms and conditions point out that there is no cooling-off right for a dated leisure service, and only provide for a refund if the company cancels for force majeure. On a platform, the conditions depend on the listing and are shown before you pay.
What it is like on board
No guide: the crew sometimes points out a monument, and that is it. For commentary there is a free audio guide in the Batobus web app, in French, English, Spanish, German and Italian, to listen to through your own earphones. Kids aged 6 and up can play with the "Enquêtes à bord" kit (about €11, in French only), a detective booklet to work through over half a day or a whole day; a treasure-hunt version is also sold on GetYourGuide.
The smartest use, in our view: take the pass on your museum day. Orsay in the morning, off at Saint-Germain for lunch, Notre-Dame in the afternoon, back via the Louvre and Concorde. Add a classic sightseeing cruise in the evening and you have a full day on the Seine (see museum and cruise combos).
Do not mix up three "passes": the Batobus pass (transportation), the Tiqets "Paris-Seine Pass" (Musée d'Orsay, Sainte-Chapelle and the Conciergerie, plus an evening cruise with Vedettes de Paris) and the GetYourGuide "Seine River Pass®", which is a single one-hour cruise from a reseller. None of them gets you onto every boat in Paris. The Big Bus "48-Hour Ticket + River Cruise", for its part, uses the Batobus: see Big Bus and Tootbus.
Who the Batobus suits best
Museum-goers. Orsay, the Louvre, Notre-Dame, the Jardin des Plantes: the Batobus serves most of the big riverside addresses without a single métro change.
Two-day stays. The 48-hour pass, just €4 more than the 24-hour one, is in our view the best deal the Batobus offers.
Families with a stroller. It comes on board, folded — something the other companies do not spell out.
Skip it if you want commentary (no guide), if you have a suitcase (refused), if you use a wheelchair and are not starting from the Eiffel Tower, or if you want to see the tower sparkle from the water: off-season, the line closes at 5 pm or 7 pm depending on the day. For that, see our Seine night cruise guide.
The verdict: strengths, weaknesses and our rating
Pros
- Nine stops between the Eiffel Tower and Concorde, no changes
- Pass valid from your first boarding
- 48-hour pass barely more expensive than the 24-hour one
- Strollers accepted, folded
- Free audio guide in five languages in the web app
Cons
- No guide on board
- No restrooms on the boats
- Wheelchairs: only one accessible stop
- Suitcases refused
- Last departure at 5 pm on winter weekdays
Our scores
- Route and views
- 4/5the whole center, from the Eiffel Tower to the Jardin des Plantes
- Commentary and languages
- 2/5no guide, audio guide in the app only
- Value for money
- 3.5/5worth it from three or four rides
- Comfort and accessibility
- 2.5/5heated boats, but no restrooms and one accessible stop
- Flexibility
- 4.5/5hop on and off whenever you like for 24 or 48 hours
Batobus FAQ
How much does the Batobus cost?
On the company's website, the 24-hour pass costs €23 (€13 for ages 4 to 11), the 48-hour pass €27 (€17), the annual pass €73. Navigo pass holders pay less at the ticket office.
What are the Batobus stops?
Nine: Tour Eiffel, Invalides, Musée d'Orsay, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Notre-Dame, Jardin des Plantes, Hôtel de Ville, Louvre and Place de la Concorde. The Beaugrenelle stop no longer exists.
What are the Batobus hours?
From the Tour Eiffel stop, 10 am to 7 pm every day in October; from November to March, 10 am to 5 pm Monday to Thursday and 10 am to 7 pm Friday to Sunday. Check the summer hours on the website.
Does the Batobus have commentary?
No. A free audio guide is available in the web app, in French, English, Spanish, German and Italian.
Can I bring a suitcase on the Batobus?
No. Bags are limited to 55 × 35 × 25 cm; suitcases and large bags are refused. Folded strollers are accepted.
Are there restrooms on board?
No, according to the company's FAQ. Plan a break ashore on a full loop.
