The Best Way To Spend 1 Day In Paris, France
While secretly sitting at the loading point for the boat cruise, I teased my friends about how boring the day was. They didn’t look too happy. They had no idea that I planned a surprise Easter cruise around Paris on the Seine River, and that it was about to commence within the hour. We were all amazed at how fun it ended up being. Needless to say, their frowns turned upside down.
If you have one day in Paris, do the cruise. You’ll cover the most ground, and you’ll get that European appeal. I’ve been to Paris many times, for weeks at a time. I’ve never had a better time than the single day I took the Seine dinner cruise. There are many boat cruises, make sure you choose a good one. I used TripAdvisor to plan a surprise Easter boat trip for our one day in Paris.
Using the river cruise allows you to view many parts of Paris in limited time. Instead of urgency, it gives a sense of relaxation. The food is unique, and pretty tasty. The views are spectacular, and the ambiance is second to none.
You’ll want to aim for a boat with at least two floors. You’ll dine and relax on the lower floor. This will typically have glass viewpoints all around. You can spend the entire cruise here, as most did. Or, you can skip up to the observation deck and enjoy the fresh air. On my particular cruise, every seat was sold. However, only 3-4 people in total went upstairs during the entire several hour cruise.
It was astonishing. We had the entire deck to ourselves 80% of the time. The view from outside is even better. You’ll even get all the people on the parallel walking paths and bridges waving and talking to you as if you’re a celebrity. It’s a fun and friendly experience.
Nate the celebrity
Top deck all to ourselves
You will come very close to the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, and you’ll be able to see the back side. You will likely be traveling during the sunset if you plan it right, so you’ll get amazing, colorful skies. You’ll see the Eiffel Tower during the day, and you’ll also see it lit up and sparkling at night (it usually does this on the hour).
You’re doing a circular trip. You head one direction on the river, you turn, and you head back to the beginning. However, there are cruises which depart at different points. If you choose to start at one POI and end at another, this could save you a taxi fare. Although, you’ll only get one shot at seeing things, and your ride may be shorter.
Again, all the cruises are different. Whether you’re primarily walking or taking a car everywhere, you’ll want to prioritize sites so you can optimize time and position. For example, the Eiffel Tower is a 40–50 minute walk from the Louvre, and the Louvre is a 40 minute walk to Luxembourg Gardens, etc. If you plan your trip right, you can do one set path.
My recommendation is to do the cruise beginning near the Eiffel Tower and let it circle back there. I chose the 8pm cruise + wine. There are different options, but this is the best for a day and night experience. Bring layers because it may be cold with water and windchill.
The best seating is on the main floor. This will, typically, require 3 people groups as each table on the highest step is for 3. Each couple will sit lower on the stepped down sections. These are fine too, but you’ll be closer to other groups. There are seats directly in front of the window as well. If you’re nice, you can ask to be repositioned, but don’t count on it. You can truly view it all from anywhere in the boat, so don’t worry.
“Paris en Scene Boat 3-Course Dinner Cruise”
This is the link to the exact cruise I went on. When I booked it, a few years ago, it was around $75 per person. It is now showing (as of 2022) $45, yay 😁. There will be a plethora of negative reviews on many of these cruises. This is one instance you can ignore these reviews because they’re all angry people that are terrible with directions and tech (Google Maps). Keep in mind that the French places may not be as helpful as you’re used to. Therefore, check reviews for information on exactly what to do, and do your own research to be prepared (if you choose another boat).
Here are two things you can do to ensure you find the right port. Copy and paste the ENTIRE address they provide to maps, including the name. Second method, use my coordinates on my map (click the image). I will show the map and show a photo of the archway right by the bridge. You basically hangout on this bridge until you see the boat stop. It will stop on the side of the bridge opposite of the Eiffel Tower. You can then walk down the steps (opposite side of the river than the Eiffel Tower) and to the little gate where the line will form.
Don’t Get Lost
This is the pick up point (maps link on image)
Your tickets and seating are already sorted, so getting in line first really won’t matter. You’ll show your printed (or digital) ticket, and they’ll walk you down the plank… I mean dock, to the boat. Have your video camera ready because walking in the boat is interesting. The outside of the boat doesn’t do justice to the interior.
Because we initially planned a road trip in the UK, we flew into Barcelona and moved onward to London. We spent 2 days in Barcelona, 1 day in Paris, and 2 days in London before departing for the UK road trip. If you do something similar, you can take a nice train from Barcelona (Spain has the best trains) to Paris. You’d arrive in the Gare de Lyon station. Side note: you can then take the Eurostar from Paris to London (2 hours only).
The hotel we chose was a nice medium between price and quality, the Paris Marriott Rive Gauche Hotel & Conference Center. It’s not too far off the center, and it’s nice. We checked in, dropped our bags, and left. For reference, our train got in at 4pm.
The Luxembourg Gardens were the first stop. This is a large park with some nice architecture. It can be busy, but never overwhelming. You can stroll through it on your way to the Pantheon. Please note that photos of other sites will be on the multiple day blogs of Paris.
Grab a photo in front of the Pantheon, poke around inside, and move along to the Seine River.
Fun Fact: Seine River: pronounced “sen” like saying “send” without the “d”
Here you’ll see the Notre Dame Cathedral. You can nearly see all angles from walking around it, and you can also go inside. I recommend just checking it out, but not waiting for things (like going up to the top).
Now, depending on how early, or late, you arrived, you have a few options. If you arrived earlier (we did not), then you can walk from Notre Dame to the Louvre Museum. You can easily spend your day here. Also, walking along the river is enjoyable and peaceful. If you have even more time, you can walk (or taxi) to the Eiffel Tower and ascend it before your cruise. There’s also later cruises that start at 9-10pm if you want to experience the Eiffel with the day/night experience instead.
If you arrived later, you’ve probably spent your free time and it’s time to head to the boat launch area. You’ll likely have to taxi here, but you can walk. It will take you an hour to walk from Notre Dame. It’s a beautiful walk, so if you have the time, do it.
Once you arrive at the meeting point for the boat, you’ll be nearly at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. You’ll be on a bridge. One side will face the Eiffel, the other will face your loading point. It’s a decent photo op here as well.
Hop on the boat, and enjoy the ride.
The Eiffel Tower
The perfect way to end a day
Side note: on the boat, they’ll have a professional photographer that takes group photos and offers to sell them to you. They’re quite good. Here is one we bought(we got 6 total for $60).
The cruise is roughly 2 hours. It seems longer, which is great. We arrived at port and deboarded at 10pm. We walked to the Eiffel Tower to take photos and hangout under the sparkling lights. It was an amazing day.
