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PracticalWhere to board in Paris

Seine River Cruise Departure Points: Where Each Boat Leaves From

The big one-hour cruises start at the foot of the Eiffel Tower (from two different quays), at Pont de l'Alma and at the tip of Île de la Cité, under Pont Neuf; dinner cruises are spread out from Solférino to Javel.

Boards at

Eiffel Tower Port de la Bourdonnais · Metro: Champ de Mars – Tour Eiffel (RER C), Bir-Hakeim (6), Trocadéro (6, 9)

Eiffel Tower
Port de la Bourdonnais (pontoon 3) and Port de Suffren
Pont de l'Alma
Port de la Conférence, right bank
Center
Square du Vert-Galant, under Pont Neuf
Key metro
Bir-Hakeim (6), Alma-Marceau (9), Pont Neuf (7)
RER C
Champ de Mars–Tour Eiffel, Pont de l'Alma, Musée d'Orsay, Javel
Step-free access
ramp from Pont de Bir-Hakeim down to Port de Suffren

Updated October 17, 2026Facts checked against official sourcesContains affiliate links

Piers: what you can book

9 offers · Prices checked on October 17, 2026

Departs

Platform

See everything on GetYourGuide →See everything on Tiqets →See everything on Headout →

A cruise ticket names a company, rarely an exact quay, and that is where people miss their boat: at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, two companies board on either side of Pont d'Iéna, and a dinner booked as "Eiffel Tower" may actually leave from Passy or Javel. This page goes quay by quay, from the busiest piers at the Eiffel Tower to the dinner piers in the west and the canal piers upstream, with the metro, the companies that board there, the access (stairs or ramp) and where the ticket office is. Where does the Seine river cruise start and end? For every sightseeing cruise and dinner, at the same pier. To choose the ticket itself, see Seine river cruise tickets; to go back to the overview, the home page.

Île de la Cité and Île Saint-LouisÎle aux CygnesPont amontPont NationalPont de TolbiacPasserelle Simone-de-BeauvoirPont de BercyPont Charles-de-GaulleViaduc d’AusterlitzPont d’AusterlitzPont de SullyPont de la TournellePont MariePont Louis-PhilippePont Saint-LouisPont de l’ArchevêchéPont au DoublePont d’ArcolePetit-PontPont Notre-DamePont Saint-MichelPont au ChangePont NeufPont des ArtsPont du CarrouselPont RoyalPasserelle Léopold-Sédar-SenghorPont de la ConcordePont Alexandre-IIIPont des InvalidesPont de l’AlmaPasserelle DebillyPont d’IénaPont de Bir-HakeimPont RouellePont de GrenellePont MirabeauPont du GariglianoPont avalupstream · Bercy →← downstream · JavelRight bankLeft bankBnF libraryBercyJardin des PlantesÎle Saint-LouisNotre-DameHôtel de VilleConciergerieInstitut de FranceLouvreMusée d'OrsayTuileriesConcordeNational AssemblyGrand PalaisInvalidesPalais de TokyoTrocadéroEiffel TowerStatue of LibertyMaison de la Radio Bercy Austerlitz1 cruises Rapée Arsenal · Bastille1 cruises Jardin des Plantes Henri IV Hôtel de Ville Notre-Dame1 cruises Pont Neuf2 cruises Pont des Arts Louvre Orsay · Solférino10 cruises Champs-Élysées Invalides Pont de l'Alma18 cruises Debilly1 cruises Eiffel Tower35 cruises Suffren9 cruises Île aux Cygnes Beaugrenelle Grenelle Passy9 cruises Javel5 cruises Javel Bas

PierBridgeIsland

Schematic: positions follow the river kilometre, not to scale. Right bank above, left bank below.

Reading the Seine: upstream, downstream, Right Bank, Left Bank

The vocabulary of the quays is not intuitive, so let us pin it down. The Seine crosses Paris from east to west: it enters at Bercy (upstream) and leaves after Javel and Pont du Garigliano (downstream). The Right Bank is to the north (Louvre, Concorde, Hôtel de Ville, Trocadéro), the Left Bank to the south (Eiffel Tower, Orsay, Latin Quarter): facing downstream, the Right Bank is on your right. In the middle sit two islands, Île de la Cité and Île Saint-Louis, plus Île aux Cygnes, a thin tree-lined strip near Grenelle.

The Seine piers are built and managed by HAROPA PORT, the public body that runs the ports of the Seine; each company rents its berths there. The canals (Saint-Martin, Bassin de la Villette, Bassin de l'Arsenal) belong to the City of Paris. On the diagram above and in the directory further down, each pier is drawn as a street plate: click it to see the cruises that leave from there. In French, "bateau-mouche" means any sightseeing boat, but the Bateaux-Mouches® company has only one quay, at Alma.

Seine river cruise from the Eiffel Tower: Port de la Bourdonnais

This is the busiest pier in Paris. Port de la Bourdonnais is on the Left Bank, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, upstream of Pont d'Iéna, that is, on the Pont de l'Alma side. Bateaux Parisiens has everything there, on numbered pontoons: the ticket office and boarding for the narrated cruise at pontoon 3, check-in for lunch and dinner cruises at pontoons 5 (Bourdonnais) and 7 (Debilly), and the quayside restaurant Le Bistro Parisien at pontoon 2. The Batobus has its "Tour Eiffel" stop here, and the cruises sold with Big Bus tours and the Seine River Pass® also board at pontoon 3.

Getting there: metro Bir-Hakeim (line 6) or Trocadéro (6, 9), RER C Champ de Mars–Tour Eiffel, buses 42, 69, 82 and 87. The company sends drivers to the public parking garage of the Musée du Quai Branly. At the entrance, bags are searched, and luggage other than small backpacks, handbags and laptop bags is refused, with no left-luggage. Show your confirmation email at the pontoon 3 ticket office; with an open ticket you take the next boat, and leaving the boarding zone is final.

See everything on GetYourGuide →See everything on Tiqets →See everything on Headout →Prices checked on October 17, 2026

Port de Suffren: the other Eiffel Tower quay

Two hundred meters away, but on the other side of Pont d'Iéna (downstream), 2 Port de Suffren is the Vedettes de Paris quay. The company's landmark: with your back to the tower, face Pont d'Iéna and walk down to the quay on the left; three big blue-white-red flags mark the pier. This is also where the cruise included in Tootbus passes and the Ô Chateau champagne tasting leave from.

Access matters twice over: from Pont d'Iéna you walk down stairs; from Pont de Bir-Hakeim, a ramp gets you there step-free, and it is the recommended route with a wheelchair or a stroller. Metro Bir-Hakeim (line 6, with an elevator, about 7 minutes on foot), RER C Champ de Mars (elevator at the Avenue de Suffren exit, about 9 minutes), Trocadéro (6, 9, no elevator, about 10 minutes). No vehicles can drive down to the quay. The Café des Vedettes sells food; only what you buy there can be taken on board.

The classic mistake: a traveler with a Vedettes de Paris ticket lining up at the Bateaux Parisiens pontoon 3, or the other way around. Check the company name on your voucher before you cross the bridge.

Price check Vedettes de Paris evening cruise on more than one platform Difference: €3
PlatformListingRatingPriceWhere
Tiqets Seine River: Evening Cruise with Music Onboard by Vedettes de Paris 4.3 (2,556) €22 Lowest See on Tiqets
GetYourGuide Paris: Evening River Cruise with Music · 1 hour 4.4 (26,102) €25 See on GetYourGuide
DirectVedettes de Paris, Apéro & Musicale (€22 online)—€25Official 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.

Port de la Conférence, Pont de l'Alma: the Bateaux Mouches quay

The Compagnie des Bateaux-Mouches® boards in one place only: Port de la Conférence, at the foot of Pont de l'Alma, on the Right Bank, in the 8th arrondissement, next to the Zouave statue. Metro Alma-Marceau (line 9) is a few steps away, Franklin D. Roosevelt (line 1), RER C Pont de l'Alma, buses 28, 42, 49, 63, 72, 80, 83 and 92. A rare perk in Paris: parking is free for the length of the cruise, and taxis and ride-hailing cars drive right down to the port; there is a taxi rank on Avenue Bosquet, across the bridge.

The ticket office is on the quay: the company advises going there 15 to 20 minutes before the departure you want. E-tickets carry a barcode scanned at the turnstiles. Lunch and dinner guests are welcomed in a lounge on the pontoon before boarding. A little downstream on the same bank, between the Debilly footbridge and Pont d'Iéna, Port Debilly is home to two upscale restaurant boats sold only direct, the Don Juan II and Ducasse sur Seine: it is not the same quay as Alma. Cruises from Alma head upstream first, like those from the Eiffel Tower: see the detailed route.

Seine boat from Pont Neuf and Notre-Dame: the heart of Paris

In the center, the main pier belongs to Vedettes du Pont Neuf, at 1 Square du Vert-Galant, at the downstream tip of Île de la Cité, under Pont Neuf. You walk down the Pont Neuf stairs, the equivalent of two floors according to the company, which admits that wheelchair access is difficult: the recommended route uses the ramp at 36 Quai des Orfèvres, then the cobbled lower quay. Metro Pont Neuf (7), Louvre-Rivoli (1) or Cité (4), RER Châtelet or Saint-Michel. These boats head toward the Eiffel Tower first, then come back around the islands.

Opposite Notre-Dame, on the Left Bank, Quai de Montebello serves, from April to September, the Bateaux Parisiens Notre-Dame & Champagne Cruise (departures at 5 pm, 7 pm, 8:30 pm and 10 pm, no wheelchair access), the Batobus "Notre-Dame" stop and the Le Son de la Terre barge, which stays moored. Metro Saint-Michel (4) or Maubert-Mutualité (10), RER B and C Saint-Michel–Notre-Dame.

Closer to the Louvre: Port des Saints-Pères / Quai Malaquais, facing Pont des Arts (Le Calife and L'Estello, Batobus "Saint-Germain-des-Prés" stop, metro Saint-Germain-des-Prés), and Quai du Louvre, the Batobus "Louvre" stop (metro Louvre-Rivoli). Finally, on the Right Bank, Quai de l'Hôtel de Ville has a Batobus stop and, at the foot of Pont Marie, the Green River Cruises barge for private outings.

Price check Vedettes du Pont Neuf guided cruise on more than one platform
PlatformListingRatingPriceWhere
GetYourGuide Seine River Sightseeing Guided Cruise Vedettes du Pont Neuf · 1 hour 4.6 (424) €17 See on GetYourGuide
Tiqets Seine River: Guided Sightseeing Cruise by Vedettes du Pont Neuf 4.4 (37) €17 See on Tiqets
DirectVedettes du Pont Neuf, counter (€15 online)—€17Official 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.

Seine cruise near the Louvre and Orsay: Solférino, Concorde, Invalides

At the foot of the Musée d'Orsay, on the Left Bank, Port de Solférino (no. 12, Quai Anatole-France, on the Promenade Édouard-Glissant) is the quay of a single company trading under several brands: Paris Seine, La Marina de Paris, Maxim's sur Seine and the Extime dinners. Paris Canal also boards here for its cruise to La Villette via the Canal Saint-Martin, and the Batobus has its "Musée d'Orsay" stop. Metro Solférino or Assemblée Nationale (line 12), RER C Musée d'Orsay; taxis drop off on Quai Anatole-France.

Downstream, two stops served by the Batobus alone: Port des Champs-Élysées, on the Right Bank, for Place de la Concorde (metro Concorde, lines 1, 8 and 12, or Champs-Élysées–Clemenceau, 1 and 13), and Port des Invalides, on the Left Bank (metro and RER C Invalides), where the ticket office is closed: buy your pass online.

What about Pont Alexandre III? None of the big sightseeing companies has a ticket office there. Some dinners resold under the Vedettes du Pont Neuf name leave from that area or from the Eiffel Tower, never from the Vert-Galant: the exact spot is on your voucher. To compare those dinners, see Seine dinner cruise.

West: Passy, Javel, Grenelle and Beaugrenelle

Past Île aux Cygnes, the quays are mostly used for dinners. Port de Passy, on the Right Bank, at the foot of the Maison de la Radio (2 Rue du Ranelagh, 16th), is the pier of Le Diamant Bleu and Le Théo: follow the flags from RER C Avenue du Président Kennedy–Maison de la Radio.

On the Left Bank, Port de Javel Haut, between Pont Mirabeau and Pont de Grenelle, at the foot of Pont Mirabeau near the RER building, is where Paris en Scène and Le Capitaine Fracasse board. Metro 10 Javel-André Citroën, Charles Michels or Mirabeau, RER C Javel; arrive a quarter of an hour early. Watch out for old pages that still put the Capitaine Fracasse on Île aux Cygnes: it has left that quay, where there is no regular boarding today.

The Escale de Beaugrenelle is the default departure point for Paris Boat Club and its small private boats with a skipper (see private Seine cruise). Port de Grenelle and Port de Javel Bas take the multi-day river cruise ships, whose exact berth is confirmed in your travel documents: that is the subject of our page on Seine river cruises to Normandy.

Upstream and on the canals: Bercy, Austerlitz, Arsenal, La Villette

Upstream of the islands, there are few sightseeing cruises. Port de Bercy is a summer swimming site, not a sightseeing pier. At 36 Quai d'Austerlitz, at the foot of the Cité de la Mode, Green River Cruises sends out its private boats; a little further on, OFF Paris Seine is a floating hotel that does not sail. Port Henri IV (opposite 10 bis Quai Henri-IV, metro Sully-Morland) is the Yachts de Paris events base, and Paris Boat Club can board there on request. Quai Saint-Bernard is the Batobus "Jardin des Plantes" stop (metro Jussieu).

For the canal, there are two ends of the same route. Port de l'Arsenal, with pedestrian access opposite 50 Boulevard de la Bastille (metro Bastille, lines 1, 5 and 8), is the Canauxrama departure point. The Bassin de la Villette, at 19/21 and 13 Quai de la Loire (metro Jaurès or Stalingrad, lines 2, 5 and 7 bis), is used by Paris Canal and Canauxrama; AKWA rents license-free boats at 37 Quai de la Seine, for the basin and the Ourcq canal only. Paris Canal also links the Parc de la Villette (211 Avenue Jean-Jaurès, metro Porte de Pantin) to Solférino. These cruises are one-way: our Canal Saint-Martin cruise page explains how to get back.

Javel Bas

Port de Javel Bas

Metro: Bd Victor – Pont du Garigliano (RER C)15th arrondissementLeft bank

Javel

Port de Javel Haut

Metro: Javel – André Citroën (10), Javel (RER C)15th arrondissementLeft bank

Companies: Paris en Scène, Le Capitaine Fracasse

Passy

Port de Passy (Maison de la Radio)

Metro: Av. du Président Kennedy (RER C)16th arrondissementRight bank

Companies: Trattoria en Seine (Le Théo), Le Diamant Bleu

Grenelle

Port de Grenelle

Metro: Charles Michels (10)15th arrondissementLeft bank

Beaugrenelle

Escale de Beaugrenelle

Metro: Charles Michels (10)15th arrondissementLeft bank

Companies: Paris Boat Club

Île aux Cygnes

Île aux Cygnes

Metro: Bir-Hakeim (6)15th arrondissementIsland

Suffren

Port de Suffren

Metro: Bir-Hakeim (6), Champ de Mars – Tour Eiffel (RER C)7th arrondissementLeft bank

Companies: Vedettes de Paris, Tootbus Paris, Ô Chateau (croisière champagne)

Eiffel Tower

Port de la Bourdonnais

Metro: Champ de Mars – Tour Eiffel (RER C), Bir-Hakeim (6), Trocadéro (6, 9)7th arrondissementLeft bank

Companies: Bateaux Parisiens, Batobus, Le Bistro Parisien, Big Bus Paris

Debilly

Port Debilly

Metro: Iéna (9), Trocadéro (6, 9)16th arrondissementRight bank

Companies: Ducasse sur Seine, Don Juan II (Yachts de Paris)

Pont de l'Alma

Port de la Conférence (Pont de l’Alma)

Metro: Alma – Marceau (9), Pont de l’Alma (RER C)8th arrondissementRight bank

Companies: Bateaux Mouches

Invalides

Port des Invalides

Metro: Invalides (8, 13, RER C)7th arrondissementLeft bank

Champs-Élysées

Port des Champs-Élysées

Metro: Concorde (1, 8, 12), Champs-Élysées – Clemenceau (1, 13)8th arrondissementRight bank

Orsay · Solférino

Port de Solférino

Metro: Solférino (12), Musée d’Orsay (RER C)7th arrondissementLeft bank

Companies: Maxim's sur Seine, La Marina de Paris / Paris Seine, Paris Canal

Louvre

Port du Louvre

Metro: Louvre – Rivoli (1)1th arrondissementRight bank

Pont des Arts

Port des Saints-Pères (quai Malaquais)

Metro: Saint-Germain-des-Prés (4), Pont Neuf (7)6th arrondissementLeft bank

Companies: Le Calife

Pont Neuf

Square du Vert-Galant

Metro: Pont Neuf (7)1th arrondissementIsland

Companies: Vedettes du Pont Neuf

Notre-Dame

Quai de Montebello

Metro: Saint-Michel (4, RER B/C), Maubert – Mutualité (10)5th arrondissementLeft bank

Companies: Le Son de la Terre (péniche jazz à quai)

Hôtel de Ville

Port de l’Hôtel de Ville

Metro: Hôtel de Ville (1, 11)4th arrondissementRight bank

Henri IV

Port Henri IV

Metro: Sully – Morland (7)4th arrondissementRight bank

Jardin des Plantes

Quai Saint-Bernard

Metro: Jussieu (7, 10)5th arrondissementLeft bank

Arsenal · Bastille

Port de l’Arsenal

Metro: Bastille (1, 5, 8)12th arrondissementRight bank

Companies: Canauxrama

Rapée

Port de la Rapée

Metro: Quai de la Rapée (5)12th arrondissementRight bank

Austerlitz

Quai d’Austerlitz

Metro: Gare d’Austerlitz (5, 10, RER C)13th arrondissementLeft bank

Companies: Green River Cruises

Bercy

Port de Bercy

Metro: Bercy (6, 14)12th arrondissementRight bank

La Villette

Bassin de la Villette

Metro: Jaurès (2, 5, 7bis), Stalingrad19th arrondissementCanal

Finding the ticket office and getting down to the quay: stairs, ramps, security

On almost every quay, you walk down from the street to the lower quay. Two practical exceptions: the ramp from Pont de Bir-Hakeim to Port de Suffren, and the Alma port, where cars can drive down. Elsewhere, expect stairs.

In a wheelchair, the best documented are Vedettes de Paris (ramp, gangway, reserved space on the main deck, priority boarding; the ticket counter is not at wheelchair height, so staff come to you) and Bateaux Parisiens (wheelchairs welcomed in limited numbers, mention it when booking; accessible toilets on pontoons 5 and 7; no access for the Notre-Dame departure). The Batobus only boards wheelchairs at the Tour Eiffel stop. The Bateaux Mouches website says nothing: call the company beforehand.

Luggage: Bateaux Parisiens refuses suitcases, the Batobus limits bags to 55 × 35 × 25 cm, and the Eiffel Tower has no left-luggage. Timing: be at the quay 15 minutes before a sightseeing cruise, 20 to 30 minutes before at Vedettes de Paris, and at the stated boarding time for a dinner, which comes 15 to 45 minutes before departure depending on the company.

Where do the cruises at the foot of the Eiffel Tower leave from?

From two quays on the Left Bank: Port de la Bourdonnais (Bateaux Parisiens, pontoon 3), upstream of Pont d'Iéna, and Port de Suffren (Vedettes de Paris), downstream of Pont d'Iéna.

Where do I board Bateaux Mouches?

Only at Port de la Conférence, at the foot of Pont de l'Alma, on the Right Bank. Metro Alma-Marceau, RER C Pont de l'Alma, free parking during the cruise.

Is there a departure near Notre-Dame?

Yes: Vedettes du Pont Neuf leaves year-round from Square du Vert-Galant, and from April to September Bateaux Parisiens runs its Notre-Dame & Champagne Cruise from Quai de Montebello.

Which pier has step-free access?

Port de Suffren, via the ramp from Pont de Bir-Hakeim. Bateaux Parisiens also welcomes wheelchairs at pontoon 3, in limited numbers.

Where does the Paris en Scène dinner leave from?

From Port de Javel Haut, at the foot of Pont Mirabeau, like Le Capitaine Fracasse. Metro 10 Javel-André Citroën, RER C Javel.

Does the boat come back to where it started?

Yes for every one-hour sightseeing cruise and every dinner; the Batobus is a hop-on hop-off service, and Canal Saint-Martin cruises are one-way.

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