During one of the transportation strikes in Paris during the last few years, I found myself looking for a way to get from my hotel near the Eiffel Tower to the Marais. The Metro wasn’t running. Buses were scarce and crowded. And finding a taxi? Forget about it. While one of my favorite things to do in Paris is to walk, the idea of shlepping all the way to the Marais and back again didn’t exactly fill my heart with joy.That’s when it struck me: as familiar as I was with Paris, I had never once, in my 10,000 visits to this magical city, taken its famous Batobus. So I strolled down to the Seine, purchased a 1-day ticket, and hopped on the (water) bus.
One trip was all it took to convert me. This was a great way to get around Paris while seeing the city from a different perspective. It combined the delights of sightseeing with the practicality of transportation.
Batobus traverses the Seine (without guided commentary), letting you hop on and off at 8 strategically located stops: Eiffel Tower, Musée d’Orsay, St-Germain-des-Prés, Notre-Dame, Jardin des Plantes, Hôtel de Ville, Louvre and Champs-Elysées.
You can purchase a day pass or a 2-day ticket and get on and off at your leisure. The service runs all year – except from January 7 to February 9 – as follows:
10:30am to 6:00pm*
10:00am to 8:00pm*
10:00am to 11:00pm*
*Please note that these are the times arriving at their final terminus at the Eiffel Tower. The final departures begin earlier. Boats depart every 15 to 25 minutes, with a full loop taking approximately an hour and twenty minutes.A 1-day ticket – good for unlimited stops – costs 11€. A 2-day ticket, valid over 2 consecutive days, costs 13€.
