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L'Insolite Boat Cruises on the SeineAre you turned off by tour groups? Skip the big-name Paris sightseeing boats and cruise on L'Insolite, a boutique vessel for independent travelers.
ABOVE: L'Insolite cruises the Seine from early April until late September each year.
Cruising on the Seine is fun on any size boat, but the big Paris sightseeing-boat companies share a dirty little secret: They cater heavily to tour groups, and their ships are often packed with hundreds of tourists. In contrast, L'Insolite is both intimate in scale and free of tour-bus crowds. If you're an independent visitor to Paris, it's the ideal vessel for your sightseeing cruise on the Seine. About L'Insolite:
The boat is basically an oval with open decks that are protected by an overhead canopy. You can sit at either end or in chairs that are set up in the center area when the vessel is used for cruising. The boat also has a bar, vending machines, and toilets.
How to buy tickets:
If you see only the sign, look down the stairs, and you should see an employee selling tickets at a podium next to the moored boat. Bateaux de Paris recommends that you be at the boat 15 minutes before departure.
If you want a recorded narration, you can pay a modest supplement for an audioguide in French, English, German, Italian, or Spanish. (During our cruise, we skipped the narration and just enjoyed the scenery along both banks of the Seine.) More photos:BELOW: The captain of L'Insolite waits for passengers before departure. (The boat normally has a crew of two--the captain and a sailor--with a third Bateaux de Paris employee on shore to sell tickets.)
BELOW: Passengers board L'Insolite at the bottom of a staircase that leads down from the Pont Saint-Michel.
BELOW: This fisheye image shows seating under the Insolite's roof canopy. Passengers can move around or change seats whenever they wish.
BELOW: For taking pictures,
the best seats are in the bow and stern.
BELOW: Side-facing seats also offer great views. To see the shore up close, sit on the right (starboard) side. You'll have views of the Right Bank from the Pont Saint-Michel to the Eiffel Tower, and of the Left Bank after the boat turns around for the return journey. (If you'd rather watch river traffic, sit on the left or port side.)
BELOW: The toilets on the Insolite are accessible, but you won't find it easy to reach the boat in a wheelchair.
BELOW: L'Insolite passes under a bridge toward the end of its 75-minute cruise on the Seine.
Note: Few visitors to Paris are aware of L'Insolite, and the boat hasn't had many passengers when we've seen it cruising. We think you'll enjoy it if you want a pleasant, relaxed sightseeing experience without being surrounded by large tour groups. For up-to-date information in French, including this year's schedule and ticket prices, click here. >
About the author:
After 4-1/2 years of covering European travel topics for About.com, Durant and Cheryl Imboden co-founded Europe for Visitors (including Paris for Visitors) in 2001. The site has earned "Best of the Web" honors from Forbes and The Washington Post. For more information, see About our site, press clippings, and reader testimonials. |
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The roundtrip voyage starts at the Pont Saint-Michel, cruises
along the Right Bank to the Eiffel Tower, turns around, cruises along the Right
Bank to the Institut du Monde Arab (just east of the Île Saint-Louis), then
turns again and returns to the Pont Saint-Michel. Total cruise time is about 1
hour 15 minutes.
As you walk across the Pont Saint-Michel from the Île de la Cité to the Right Bank,
look for a temporary sign and an employee selling tickets at the top of the
stone stairs that lead down to the Seine embankment. (This will be on the left
side of the bridge as reach the Right Bank.) 
Fares are quite reasonable, with special rates for seniors and
children from 5 to 12 years old. Kids 4 and under travel free.
Durant Imboden