Seine River Cruise and Paris Canals Tour
Paris, France
- 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
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End points
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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.
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
Featured review
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 1,226 reviews
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A great way to see another side and historic part of Paris. The host was very knowledgeable of the waterway and the history of the area and equipment. A must do
Bring sun protection and sit on the upper deck. You can buy snacks on board. People start queueing about 30 minutes before departure time.
We did the afternoon trip and Parc de la Villette was lovely plus it meant a grand entrance to the Seine.
It might have been impacted by the noise of the other tourists but the commentary was difficult to hear. However the crew were lovely and were happy to answer questions.
We sat inside because it was very hot and the experience was great. I think it would have been even more spectacular from the upper deck...on a cooler day.
If you leave from Port Solferino by Musee D'Orsay, look for Paris Canal boatslocked. museum side. We made the mistake of crossing the bridge and didnt see the boat until we were on the other side where the house boats were docked.
The Canal tour was an interesting experience with an interesting part of Paris history. As there are 7-8 locks the tour boat takes you through which takes a large part of the time on the tour.
Once you get to the Seine the tour goes more quickly with more local sights to see!
To make the most of this trip and make it experimental you should move to the front and to the back of this vessel to truly experience the locks.
The ability to text your guide ahead of time is very helpful. They are timely responsive with needed information or guidance.
This is a fun tour that travels through the locks of the canal of the Seine River and experiencing how the canal boats moved along the channels. Beautiful scenery and information about the river and canals.
Very nice leisurely way to see Paris from the water. Amazing to see the French copy of the Statue of Liberty with the Eiffel Tower in the background. The guide was very nice and also funny. Thank you for a nice afternoon.
The tour was canceled without any notification (no call, no text, no email). We took RER and two lines of the Metro, found the right spot in the park la Villette, and we were on time. After a wait, we called the number we found on the pole. We called and only at that time they told us that our cruise was canceled. Needless to say this was our last day in Paris and we waisted half of it. Never again.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
We are sorry to hear about this unpleasant experience. Because swimming was permitted, we had to cancel many departures at the last minute. Please feel free to contact us if you'd like to discuss this further.
Nice boattrip, Lots of information about de Locks en de buildings.
Nice captain and hostes. Nice vieze on the Pint du Neuf
Vey nice. Seeing another side of Paris. Interesting watching how you pass thru the locks. Like the two levels on the boat
Really crowded boat. Didn’t learn much. Guide tried to speak. Just too crowded.
Employees at the dock couldn’t check us ion. Told us, in error, we had to go to Big Bus. We had out ticket bar code ready, but they weren’t scanning.
Great tour with interesting information about the history of the canals, friendly guide and easy to find. This tour is primarily on the canals and does not go past all the sites on the Seine, but it is a unique route well worth seeing!
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you very much for your feedback, we look forward to seeing you again :)
Relaxing and interesting way to learn more of the history of Paris. You always hear about the cruise on the Seine but highly recommend the canals and locks of Canal Saint-Martin. Commentary was excellent.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you very much for your feedback, we look forward to seeing you again :)
I've been on a few tours around the Seine, each with a completely standard commentary and style. Bruno was a fantastic tour guide. His personality and humour really complemented the fantastic trip through and under Paris.
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!
The Seine and canals tour was very informative and enjoyable, a great way to see and learn about the city!
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.
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 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.
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 the canals of Paris. Guide was very good at explaining the history of each of the sites.
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.
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 a good guide. He was very knowledgeable and spoke good English. If you have extra time in Paris I would recommend this tour..
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
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.
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
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.
Great trip on the canals and Seine. Good commentary. Very informative and we would definitely do it again!
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per personWas $29.19(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Seine River Cruise and Paris Canals Tour
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