• Bateaux-mouches provide great vantage points for Paris sightseeing.seine river, paris image by Laura Frenkel from Fotolia.com
  
  Few things are more evocative of the soul and romance of Paris than a trip down the River Seine on a bateau-mouche (glass-covered, pleasure boat). They provide a great vantage point for viewing some of the city's most historic sights, particularly in the stretch of the Seine around Ile de la Cité and Ile Saint-Louis, where tourists will see the Eiffel Tower, Musee d'Orsay and Notre Dame. Numerous operators offer varying embarcation points along the Seine, and some offer dining options, too. (Prices listed are per person as at 2010.)
  
  

City Discovery

• Discover France! website offers a wide variety of Seine cruises. Their 105-minute lunch cruise departs from Pier 7 at Port de la Bourdonnais daily at 12.45 pm. Passengers enjoy French cuisine, while being serenaded by a painist and violinist and taking in unimpeded views of the sights. Prices,as of 2010, depend upon your seating and start at $67.66. City Discovery also offers a 150-minute dinner cruise, with entertainment and dancing, departing daily at 8.30 pm from Pier 7. Prices start at $123.84.
  
  Discover France!
  
  P.O. Box 310185
  
  Newington, CT 06131-0185
  
  discoverfrance.net
  
  

Bateaux Vedettes du Pont-Neuf

• Located at the famed Pont Neuf bridge in the center of Paris, Bateaux Vedettes du Pont-Neuf features day and evening cruises taking in sights including the Eiffel Tour, the Louvre and Notre Dame Cathedral. One-hour cruises start at $15 and depart approximately every 45 minutes from 10.30 am to 10 pm, as of 2010.
  
  Bateaux Les Vedettes du Pont-Neuf
  
  Square du Vert Galant
  
  75001 Paris
  
  011-33-1-46-33-98-38
  
  vedettesdupontneuf.com
  
  

Pariserve

• Pariserve website offers cruises which include land options, such as its Dinner at the Eiffel Tower, Seine Cruise and Moulin Rouge Show option; a six-hour excursion, operating daily April through October and Friday and Saturday evenings November through March. Passengers enjoy dinner at the Altitude 95 Restaurant at the Eifel Tower before departing for a 90-minute cruise, followed by a show at the Moulin Rouge. The meeting point for this tour is the Cityrama Tours Agency, 4 place des Pyramides, 75001 Paris. Prices start at $238 as of 2010.
  
  Pariserve
  
  Pont Neuf Multimedia
  
  7 Rue Gay Lussac
  
  75005 Paris
  
  011-33-1-42-71-40-31
  
  pariserve.com