Seine River Cruise and Paris Canals Tour

Paris, France

High interest

Booked 5+ times today.

2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

See Paris’ iconic landmarks and its lesser-known gems on this combo cruise down the River Seine and Canal Saint-Martin. Glide past riverside monuments like Notre-Dame and the Louvre, and then explore a side of Paris many tourists miss as you float through the tunnels, bridges and locks of the city’s historic canal system. Live, onboard commentary from your guide illuminates the story of these picturesque waterways.

This two-in-one tour offers a great combination sightseeing option
Head to the Canal Saint-Martin, an area most boat tours miss
Choose between morning and afternoon departures
Learn insider facts and stories from your guide's commentary

What's Included

Cruise
Live onboard commentary

Gratuities
Hotel pickup and drop off
Food and drinks, unless specified

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting points

Select a meeting point

End points

This activity ends in a different location. See details below:

Itinerary

Get a perspective on Paris unseen by many visitors on this river and canal cruise. Make your way to the departure point near either the Musée d'Orsay or the Villette Basin (depending on the departure time selected), and settle into a seat in the inside cabin or outside deck of a specially designed sightseeing boat.

As you cruise down the gentle currents of the River Seine, admire some of the city’s most iconic monuments, including the Louvre, Notre-Dame Cathedral, and more. Your guide's live commentary provides in-depth background on the passing attractions.

Next, enter the mouth of the narrower Canal Saint Martin to begin a cruise through a historic canal system, built under the direction of Napoleon in the early 1800s. Travel through a dimly lit tunnel beneath the Place de la Bastille, emerging onto a romantic, watery boulevard. Learn the history behind old, authentic Parisian neighborhoods as you travel through a series of locks and lovely footbridges.

This tour concludes at either Port de Solférino near the Orsay or at the Parc de la Villette.

Musee d'Orsay (Pass By)

Place de la Bastille (Pass By)

Canal Saint-Martin (Pass By)

Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Paris (Pass By)

Louvre Museum (Pass By)

Parc de la Villette (Pass By)

The Seine (Pass By)

Cite Des Sciences Et De L'industrie (Pass By)

Ile Saint-Louis (Pass By)

La Geode (Pass By)

Paris Canal (Pass By)

Bassin de la Villette (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible

Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 90 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

IanHouston

A truly different and wonderful.experience. The guide was excellent and kept us informed for the full 2.5 hours. Would definitely recommend this activity.

Reviews

3.6

based on 1,182 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Sunny Day Cruise Fun

Birgit_L, Apr 2026

This was a great experience! Even though I’ve done other Seine cruises, I learned a lot on this one. The St. Martin Canal portion was really fun!

Loved It!

Pierre_M, Mar 2026

The Seine and canals tour was very informative and enjoyable, a great way to see and learn about the city!

Hard going canal trip.

Kevin, Mar 2026

Cruise was interesting and enjoyable except the seats were basic and very uncomfortable. 2.5 hours on hard rigid dining chairs. Also the meeting point address was confusing and 500m from the actual departure point on the canal which is not signposted.

Lovely

sharon_w, Nov 2025

Enjoyable and relaxing canal ride, drops you off on the Saine a short walk from the Eiffel Tower. Good value for money😊

Learned a lot about the...

Kimberly_H, Nov 2025

Learned a lot about the canal system. I've stayed on the Siene during my trips and didn't realize such a cool waterway was right there! Lots of fun going through the locks system and the underground wayerway.

Great Way to See Charming Paris Neighborhoods

Eliezer_G, Nov 2025

A friend and I saved this tour for the last full day of our trip, which turned out to be a great idea: it was a wonderful way to see parts of Paris that we hadn’t had the chance to explore during our visit. The guide was informative, the trip comfortable, and the scenery beautiful.

Excellent experience thru...

Edward_S, Nov 2025

Excellent experience thru the canals of Paris. Guide was very good at explaining the history of each of the sites.

Ok

Robin_C, Oct 2025

It takes a while to exit all the locks on the canal. We were seated inside in the middle and it was hard to hear the guide. The tunnel was very long. It was an ok experience.

Paris Canals

Ellen_J, Sep 2025

We had little knowledge of the Paris canals & this cruise definitely gave us the history we were looking for. It rained most of the time so we sat inside. We were able to be on deck when traveling thru the tunnels.

Had a good experience and...

Roger_W, Sep 2025

Had a good experience and a good guide. He was very knowledgeable and spoke good English. If you have extra time in Paris I would recommend this tour..

Get a map

Jeff_W, Sep 2025

The address given couldn’t have been closer than 1/2 mile from where the boat was docked. They need to have a map to make it clear where to go. Trip was good but the commentary was often not audible. The commentator was good when you could hear it

Great Tour

Jennifer_A, Aug 2025

This tour takes you to parts of Paris you won't see on an ordinary river cruise. Our guide was delightful, informative and never boring. Learning about the lock system of Paris was way cool, the trip through the tunnel fascinating. Watch out for ghosts of those who pulled the old barges. This tour was worth more money than they charged, it couldn't have been better.

Good experience

Mohamed_J, Jun 2025

The experience at all is good and i enjoyed the cruise , the live onboard commentary was very nice The idea that I didn’t find my name in the list which is weird but they allowed me to get in when i saw them the receipt and confirmation mail

Suggestion

Patricia_S, Jun 2025

Passengers should be made aware that the trip does not return to the start and returning to the origin point is the passengers responsibility. A handout of the canal and options for returning would be useful especially to visitors from other countries.

Canal /seine afternoon river cruise

Hilary_H, Feb 2025

Great trip on the canals and Seine. Good commentary. Very informative and we would definitely do it again!

10 out of 10

Fidel_V, Nov 2024

Great tour guide. Lea was delightful. The trip through the canals was interesting. I learned a lot about the history of Paris.

Above and beyond typical Seine cruise

Heather_A, Nov 2024

This tour floats down the canals of Paris in addition to the Seine. Wonderful tour and it was so interesting learn how the canal system influenced French agriculture, commerce, and history. Father-Son team pilots the boat & provides refreshments. Interesting live commentary! Excellent views, plenty of sit or stand space. Dress in layers, as it may be cooler or warmer than you expect depending on season.

Secret passages on a boat

Hillary_F, Oct 2024

Very interesting to ride up the canals through the locks. So much better than just a trip around the island. Having taken several Seine cruises over the years, I enjoyed the change of pace and saw thi gs I have never seen before.

Best canal trip ever

Darren_C, Sep 2024

This was just an amazing trip one of my favourite things we did the history and stories from the staff were incredible I would highly recommend and do it again

Siene boat and canal tour

susanne_p, Sep 2024

The locks and canals, commentary was very good. Only thing I would impove would be better signage at pick up point.

Long, pretty tour

Mike_v, Aug 2024

Very friendly captain and guide! Beautiful tour on the Seine and through tunnels. A bit too much locks, but they are nice to see. Thanks for the history lessons!

Tour guide - No Show

Mary_C, Jul 2024

The tour never happened because the tour guide was not there at the meeting point. We were there 20 minutes ahead of the meeting time and even the officials from the Musee D’orsay tried to Look for the tour guide but couldn’t find him or her. We searched all around the museum.

Paris from the water

lynda_t, Jun 2024

Learning about the history of Paris and seeing the city from the river. Tour guide was knowledgeable and liked having snacks available.

Great trip for intergenerational families.

Les_C, Jun 2024

Our group of 8, spanning 3 generations, really enjoyed the Seine & canal trip. This one way trip took ended at a peaceful area we’d never been before. Some of our party enjoyed the snack bar. The tunnel was interesting, the variety of locks & drawbridges added to the experience. Some of the locks were double. Going to the front of the boat to watch the lock fill with water was fascinating.

Excellent experience

Di_A, Jun 2024

The onboard commentary was excellent, it gave so much history. Given in both French and English. The canal experience with the locks was great. So much info.

Burn 🔥 up a few hours

Evan_G, May 2024

Got to see tents with homeless people along the river- the locks were interesting to experience once but I think we spent 1 hour going through 4-6… the tour operator was good and gave was nice history lesson but the boat ride was a bit of a bust IMHO

Lovely experience

Davina_H, May 2024

We had a lovely relaxed time on the canal trip, was worth venturing down stairs to the front of the boat for a really close experience. Loved every minute. May be a bit long if you have little ones.

Boring

Cody_A, May 2024

Couldn’t understand the guide. Spent more time sitting at gates than moving. Ends in the middle of nowhere.

Loads of great information! Do it!

mary_d, May 2024

Guide was super clear and informative. Learned so much. Small ship and plenty of room to move around. Big windows to see from inside and plenty of deck space too.

Less than I expected

Jeannine_G, May 2024

Challenging to find the starting point in Villiers. Nowhere nearby to rest/snack before start of tour. Locks on Canal St Martin were interesting but by 4th or 5th lock ( of 10), was passe. 2 hours on canal, 1/2hr briefly on short part of Seine. Guide said more in French than English and sound system was poor. Disappointing.