Booking choice: The one-hour sightseeing cruise, from $21 per person. Check dates Compare the options below
Many visitors think "bateau-mouche" is just the word for a Paris tour boat. It is also the name of a company, the Compagnie des Bateaux-Mouches, which sails from Pont de l'Alma. Bateaux Parisiens is a separate operator sailing from the foot of the Eiffel Tower.
Book the wrong one and you will be at the wrong pier, about 20 minutes' walk away. The good news: both are solid one-hour sightseeing cruises at similar prices.
The quick answer
They are different companies. Bateaux Parisiens leaves from the foot of the Eiffel Tower (one hour, audio guide in 14 languages, ticket for a set date, from $21). Bateaux-Mouches leaves from Pont de l'Alma (about 70 minutes, web app in 12 languages, ticket with no set date, from $20). Pick Bateaux Parisiens if you are at the tower or want a meal cruise; pick Bateaux-Mouches if your dates are loose.
How do Bateaux Parisiens and Bateaux-Mouches compare?
Same kind of cruise, same price range; the differences are the pier, the ticket rules and the commentary.
| Bateaux Parisiens | Bateaux-Mouches | |
|---|---|---|
| Departs from | Port de la Bourdonnais, foot of the Eiffel Tower | Port de la Conférence, by Pont de l'Alma |
| Nearest stations | Bir-Hakeim, Trocadéro, RER Champ de Mars | Alma-Marceau, Franklin D. Roosevelt, RER Pont de l'Alma |
| Length | 1 hour | About 70 minutes |
| Commentary | Audio guide, 14 languages | Web app, 12 languages, GPS |
| Viator ticket | Set date, any departure that day | No set date or time |
| From (Viator) | $21 | $20 |
| Rating | 3.7 (2,747) | 3.7 (909) |
Starting at the Eiffel Tower? Check your date for the Bateaux Parisiens cruise.
Check dates for the one-hour sightseeing cruiseIs Bateaux Parisiens the same company as Bateaux-Mouches?
No. They are competing companies with their own boats, piers, tickets and staff, and a ticket for one is not valid on the other.
Resellers add to the confusion by calling any tour boat a bateau-mouche. Check the pier on your voucher: Port de la Bourdonnais means Bateaux Parisiens, Pont de l'Alma or Port de la Conférence means Bateaux-Mouches.
How far apart are the two piers?
About 20 minutes' walk: Bateaux Parisiens is on the Left Bank at the Eiffel Tower, Bateaux-Mouches on the Right Bank by Pont de l'Alma, upstream.
If you are visiting the tower, Bateaux Parisiens is the obvious pick: you walk down to the river and board. Bateaux-Mouches suits you better if you are staying near the Champs-Elysées or Avenue Montaigne.
Do they see the same sights?
Mostly yes: both loops pass the Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay, the Conciergerie, Notre-Dame, Ile Saint-Louis and the Eiffel Tower.
The difference is the order. Bateaux Parisiens starts and ends at the tower, so you see it close up at both ends. Bateaux-Mouches starts at Pont de l'Alma and takes in the Eiffel Tower and the Palais de Chaillot along the way. Either way, you get both banks, because the boats turn around and come back on the other side.
Which one is cheaper?
They cost about the same: $21 for Bateaux Parisiens and $20 for Bateaux-Mouches on Viator.
Bateaux Parisiens sells its own tickets for 18 euros online (20 euros regular). Both Viator tickets cancel free up to 24 hours before. At this price the choice should come down to the pier and your plans, not a dollar or two.
Staying near the Champs-Elysees, or dates still open? Bateaux-Mouches sails from Pont de l'Alma on an undated ticket.
Explore the Bateaux-Mouches cruiseWhich is better for a lunch or dinner cruise?
On this site we compare the Bateaux Parisiens meal cruises, which board at the Eiffel Tower and rate 4.7 for lunch and 4.4 for dinner on Viator.
Bateaux-Mouches also runs its own meal cruises, which we have not reviewed here. For the Bateaux Parisiens options, see the dinner cruise guide and the lunch cruise guide.
Where does the Batobus fit in?
The Batobus is a third operator: a hop-on hop-off river shuttle with nine stops and a 24 or 48-hour pass, rather than a one-hour loop.
Its stops include the Eiffel Tower, the Musee d'Orsay, Saint-Germain, Notre-Dame, the Hôtel de Ville, the Louvre and Concorde. Commentary is via a web app in five languages, and guests note there are no toilets on board. It is from $27 and works best as transport between sights, not as a guided cruise.
Want to use the river to get around? The Batobus pass covers nine stops for 24 or 48 hours.
Explore the Batobus hop-on hop-off passWhich should you choose?
Match the cruise to where you are and how you like to plan.
- Visiting the Eiffel Tower the same day: Bateaux Parisiens.
- Dates not fixed yet: Bateaux-Mouches, with its undated ticket.
- Want a lunch or dinner cruise: Bateaux Parisiens.
- Staying near the Champs-Elysées: Bateaux-Mouches.
- Want to hop between sights all day: the Batobus.
Decided on the Eiffel Tower pier? Check your date for the one-hour cruise.
Check dates for the one-hour sightseeing cruiseFrequently asked questions
Is a bateau-mouche the same as Bateaux Parisiens?
No. Bateaux-Mouches is a company (and a nickname for Paris tour boats), while Bateaux Parisiens is a different company sailing from the Eiffel Tower.
Can I use a Bateaux-Mouches ticket on a Bateaux Parisiens boat?
No. Each company only accepts its own tickets, at its own pier.
Which Seine cruise leaves from the Eiffel Tower?
Bateaux Parisiens, from Port de la Bourdonnais at the foot of the tower. Bateaux-Mouches leaves from Pont de l'Alma, about 20 minutes' walk away.
Which is better, Bateaux Parisiens or Bateaux-Mouches?
They rate the same on Viator (3.7 each). Choose by pier and ticket style rather than quality.
Ready to book
Choose your cruise
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Bateaux Parisiens Seine Sightseeing Cruise
- One-hour sightseeing cruise from the Eiffel Tower and back
- Audio commentary in 14 languages on board or on your phone
- Covered glass lower deck and an open upper deck
Bateaux-Mouches 70-Minute Seine Cruise
An open-date cruise from Pont de l'Alma
Batobus Hop-On Hop-Off Seine Pass
Using the river as transport between sights
