seine river cruise rick steves

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Seine River Cruises?

Hi everyone,

In a previous thread, someone recommended that we take a sunset river cruise, but that we depart from the Notre Dame dock/stop instead of the Eiffel Tower.

I saved that info, but am having trouble finding a company that leaves from the Notre Dame stop and would love some experience based recommendations.

Regarding time: In my searches, it looks like the only ones that may sail at/around sunset include dinner; is this accurate?

All the Seine companies have evening cruises without dinner -- you can just walk up and get a ticket -- no reservations needed. I don't know of one at Notre Dame. WE have used Vedettes Pont Neuf which launches from just under Pont Neuf -- the stair down is by the statue of Henri IV in the middle of the bridge.

There is also a boat that launches at the Eiffel Tower and one that goes from a dock just upriver on the right bank from Pont d'Alma.

I like Vedettes du Pont Neuf because the boats are comfortable, the narration is live, you can sit up top, no reservation is needed, and they start and end in a part of Paris that's more interesting to me. But the differences between these companies don't matter a whole lot.

I'm sure you can get an evening cruise that doesn't include dinner, though not all the lines may offer that. I think a dinner cruise divides your attention between the scenery and the food, and there's usually much better food available onshore. But it can be a time saver if you want to eat and eyeball on a tight schedule.

Whoah; that company’s site says sunset is at 1039pm in mid June. Is that accurate? That’s like Alaska. :)

We might do the 10:00 cruise to see things as the sun sets.

Paris is further North than Maine

you learn something every day!

I like to use www.sunrisesunset.com for those times. Be sure to tick the box for Civil Twilight. I think this link will work for a calendar for Paris for June 2023. I include them in my daily itinerary so I've got an idea of what I'm working with.

http://www.sunrisesunset.com/calendar.asp?comb_city_info=Paris%2C+France%3B-2.351%3B48.8567%3B1%3B2%3BEurope%2FParis&month=6&year=2023&want_twi_civ=1&want_mphase=1&time_type=0&wsom=0

Of course you can also plug in your other destinations because it looks like you are going to Italy and Switzerland?

I second Dick's posting about Vedettes du Pont Neuf: after trying several of the river cruises I think that Vedettes du Pont Neuf is by far the best. Plan to be 1 of the 1st boarding and find a seat upstairs, outside at the front. Sunset is pretty good but the absolute best was their last night time sailing (in May, I think it was 10:30 p.m.). They paused by the Eiffel Tower to watch it lighting up. Unforgettable.

Sunset is pretty good but the absolute best was their last night time sailing (in May, I think it was 10:30 p.m.). They paused by the Eiffel Tower to watch it lighting up. Unforgettable.

Do you know if this only happens on the last cruise of the night? On our date, it looks like the last departure is 2245. Won't the Eiffel Tower be lit up by then?

All the cruises stop to see the lights once they've begun for the evening. You don't have to be on the last one.

if you take one of the cruises with no food included can we bring our own food? wine ?

Re: bringing your own food or wine on a Seine cruise where refreshments are not served. I am not sure about specific rules, but I wouldn't. The seating is fairly tight, for one thing. Then there's the etiquette aspect. If you want to picnic, I would find a spot on dry land.

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• Cast & crew

Paris: Regal and Intimate

• Episode aired 2012

In Paris, we'll cruise the Seine River, pay a visit to Napoleon's tomb, and take in the majestic Louvre. Then we'll shop in a village-like neighborhood, attend church in a pipe organ loft, a... Read all In Paris, we'll cruise the Seine River, pay a visit to Napoleon's tomb, and take in the majestic Louvre. Then we'll shop in a village-like neighborhood, attend church in a pipe organ loft, and celebrate Bastille Day. In Paris, we'll cruise the Seine River, pay a visit to Napoleon's tomb, and take in the majestic Louvre. Then we'll shop in a village-like neighborhood, attend church in a pipe organ loft, and celebrate Bastille Day.

• Simon Griffith
• Rick Steves

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• 2012 (United States)
• Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
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Rick Steves Gave Me a Personal Tour of Paris — Here’s How You Can Get One, Too

This informative guided tour of Paris might just be Rick Steves Europe's best-kept secret.

Kelsey Fowler

As someone who doesn’t mind spending time alone on vacations, I find some of my favorite travel memories include walking around a city or exploring a museum on my own. On a recent trip to Paris, I wanted to experience the history and atmosphere more than the last time I had set foot in the City of Light, when I was focused on checking off the “must see” tourist attractions.

So, driven by the mindset of traversing the city more as a traveler and not a tourist this time around, I decided that, rather than hiring an expensive personal guide, or hopping along on a packed group walking tour, I would turn to one of the most trusted guides in European travel: Rick Steves . Steves is a renowned travel writer, synonymous with European travel and his philosophy of embracing local culture while abroad. The Rick Steves guidebooks are hugely popular — in fact, I picked up the pocket version of the Rick Steves Paris book specifically for this trip.

While I couldn’t book Steves to guide me personally through Paris, I did have the next-best-thing : his audio tour. As I set out to explore the Left Bank, I had the convenience — and added company — of hearing Steves directly in my ear as I started my walk. Great audio guides allow the listener to explore cities at their own pace without needing to map out an itinerary in advance. Simply download the audio tour, head to the first landmark, and hit play.

Steves spent a lot of his 2022 travels talking to himself, carefully noting updates and changes for his 60 self-guided audio tours. In April 2023, Rick Steves Europe republished updated versions of these tours , with guides in Athens, London, Salzburg, Paris, and more. The walking tours are excerpted from Rick Steves guidebooks, and the free Rick Steves Audio Europe app includes bonus features like a companion map, tips, and the full script of each tour.

I opted for the Historic Paris Walk audio tour , as it covered a lot of the neighborhood near my hotel . The tour is advertised as a three-mile journey, and Steves recommends two hours for walking, and another two hours if you choose to go inside the sights.

Zachary Scott/New York Times Magazine/Courtesy of Rick Steves' Europe

Starting out at Notre-Dame de Paris, I was instantly immersed in the story of Paris that Steves tells, building on the history of the city and religion that led to the construction of the cathedral. Even though the Gothic landmark is still undergoing repairs from the 2019 fire, I was able to listen to a good portion of the tour anyway, as Steves hits on a lot of the history and architecture on the outside.

One of the great things about the audio tour is each chapter of the narration has a separate title and picture, making it easy to navigate forward or backward in the audio to find the right location. Walking through the center of the city, I enjoyed having Steves as a companion, bringing me from spot to spot with enough insight to keep even my jet-lagged self interested. His style of narration is friendly and informative. 

The tour also includes verbalized step-by-step directions, so, if you have a good sense of direction, you can easily follow the turns and head to the next landmark or street without missing a beat. (I did have to pause once or twice to look around and make sure I was headed in the right direction.) But it’s easiest to follow the tour in the order Steves has laid out, as I completed almost a full loop around Île de la Cité, from Notre-Dame, to Pont Neuf, the Left Bank, the Latin Quarter, and Place Saint-Michel.

Of course, when I got to the famous bookstore Shakespeare and Company , I had to pause the guide to go inside. And that wasn't the only time I deviated from the tour: when I reached Sainte-Chapelle, I decided to skip that section as well. Because of Notre-Dame’s closing, this nearby church is even more popular now, and the line was too long for me to wait that day. In the updated tour found in the Rick Steves Audio Europe app, Steves does point out this is the one place to get an advance ticket for.

But as I walked through Paris, it truly felt like I had a personal guide with me. I didn’t feel like a tourist at all — I never had to pull out a map or a guidebook, and it made me appreciate walking through the city while learning its history.

The next day, I went to the Musée d’Orsay , one of Paris’s most popular museums, perhaps best-known for its extensive Impressionist collection with works by Van Gogh and Monet, among many others. Here, I pulled out my pocket-sized Rick Steves Paris guidebook (and quietly read it aloud to a friend as we walked the vibrant maze of Manets and Picassos). Steves also has an audio tour of the museum, and others, like the Louvre, if you’re more inclined to listen rather than read. 

If you — like me — are not an art student, but still want to appreciate these masterful works, Steves’s guides are helpful in pointing out which works are important to stop at, and what to look for once you’re there. I loved hearing more about the art world throughout history in Paris, and Steves is able to compare and contrast differing styles and movement, and build on that knowledge as you progress in time throughout the museum.

The Steves guides allowed me to explore landmarks and places I wouldn’t have otherwise known about, and get a great understanding of the city without any language barrier. Plus, self-guided tours offer flexibility and independence, while still offering a rewarding and informative experience. 

The Rick Steves audio guides are all completely free. Interested travelers can install the Rick Steves Audio Europe app to download the latest versions of the tours.

Rick Steves' Tips For Planning A Budget-Friendly Cruise Through The Mediterranean

A cruise on the Mediterranean sea might not be the first image that comes to mind when you think of a budget-friendly destination. But even though you'll be passing through some of the world's most iconic places, a cost-effective trip may be more accessible than you think. TV host, guidebook author, and European travel expert Rick Steves has a few tips to help you save money on a Mediterranean cruise via his blog Rick Steves' Europe .

His first tip is to stay in the loop about all the charges you're racking up, rather than looking at the bill at the end of the vacation. While it may seem like only a little here, a little there, all of the amenities on your bucket list cruise can quickly add up, from gift shop purchases to that extra drink at dinner. Set a daily limit for how much you want to spend, the same way you'd budget on land. Little changes can make a big difference. For example, rather than shopping on the ship, you can save your purchases for the port areas. After you disembark, be sure to venture away from the tourist zones for the best deals. You'd be surprised by how walking just a few blocks away from the "tourist traps" can keep your wallet fuller for longer.

Read more: Tips For Spending Less On Food When Traveling

Skip Shore Excursions For Solo Adventures

Shore excursions are a great way to mix up cruise activities and get a taste of each new destination. There's nothing more convenient than getting whisked away to snorkel in the Mediterranean or traverse around Roman ruins, without having to lift a finger. With that said, many of these tours cost a pretty penny. Shore excursions are another expense where it's easy to go over the limit. Instead, consider saving the money by venturing out on your own.

Before you get off the ship, take some time to do some research on Google, social media threads, trip review sites, or Rick Steves'  Mediterranean Cruise Ports Guidebook . Pick a handful of activities to do solo and figure out how to get there. Many cruise stops are easy to navigate, like Barcelona, Nice, and Venice, says Steves on his blog . The must-see landmarks are accessible by taking a shuttle bus, express boat, or pedestrian path. Save your excursion budget for activities that are hard to reach without a little guidance or the sites where you want the extra depth that only a guide can provide.

Take Advantage Of Free Amenities

While the specialty restaurants on board may be tempting, the standard dining room is a safer bet for your budget. Ask the server which drinks are included. Avoid branded items that will cost extra, like sodas and fancy bottles of water. If you still want to enjoy your favorite drinks on board, buy them at the store and store them in your room. Ask whether you're allowed to bring your own beer and wine on board, as that's another way to save some cash. Before you head to the port for the day, eat an extra large breakfast and snag a few fruits or snacks to keep in your day bag, says Steves on his blog .

Beyond food, get creative with free activities. Cruise ships are designed to entertain you , so there will be no shortage of fun things to do onboard. Skim the daily schedule and fill up your time with bingo, art, swimming, fitness, shows, lectures, and dancing to some live music. Instead of the arcade, see if there's a collection of board games somewhere. At night, rather than winding down with a paid movie, see what titles you can discover at the ship's library. Of course, while you can always find more ways to save a little cash here and there, don't let budgeting spoil all the fun. Be mindful of your spending, but do splurge when appropriate. After all, you are on vacation. And, as they say, when in Rome...

Read the original article on Explore .