Guide · The Eiffel Tower piers

A Seine river cruise from the Eiffel Tower: which pier, which boat

Most Seine river cruises from the Eiffel Tower leave from two quays at its foot. Here is who boards where, how tower and cruise tickets combine, and how to see the sparkle from the water.

Check availabilityfrom $21 · free cancellation possible

Editorial team, champagnecruiseparis.comUpdated October 26, 2026Read time: 6 min20 sources

Bookable here: the tour Paris: 1-Hour Seine Cruise departing from the Eiffel Tower 4.4 (88,509 reviews) 1 hour from$21per person Check availabilityFree cancellation up to 24 hrs before

Quick answer, at the foot of the tower

01Port de la Bourdonnais: The busiest sightseeing hour boards at pontoon 3, from $21.
02Port de Suffren: Electric boats with live commentary and the Champagne cruises board here.¹
03Tower plus cruise: A 3-hour combination with elevator access, from $68.
04The sparkle: 5 minutes at the start of each hour after dusk.²
05Quieter start: The private boat leaves from Port de Javel Haut, downstream.

Why so many cruises start at the tower

The Eiffel Tower is the obvious place to begin a Seine river cruise. It stands right by the river, it is the landmark every visitor finds without a map, and from the water it rises over the quays in a way you never see from the street. Ville de Paris calls it a remnant of the Universal Exhibition of 1889, and a cruise from its foot shows how it anchors the whole western reach of the river.³

Two quays sit below the tower. Port de la Bourdonnais is the long quay on the tower's side of the river where the big glassed sightseeing boats load. Port de Suffren, by the Pont d'Iéna, is where the fully electric fleet of Vedettes de Paris boards.¹ ⁴ The Batobus also has a stop at the foot of the tower.

This concentration is convenient, but it also means crowds. In peak season you may wait in line on the quay before boarding, and one listing warns that busy times can mean waits of up to 2 hours. Arriving early, booking a timed slot or starting elsewhere are the ways around it, and this page covers all three.

Along the tower's quays

Who boards where, from west to east

Port de Javel Haut

Private boats

Opposite the Liberty statue, downstream.
Pont de Bir-Hakeim

Two-level bridge

The metro runs on the upper level.⁵
Port de Suffren

Electric fleet

By the Pont d'Iéna, with live commentary.¹ ⁶
Port de la Bourdonnais

Glass boats

Pontoon 3 for sightseeing, 5 and 7 for meals.
Pont de l'Alma

Another fleet

Right bank, departures every 30 minutes.⁷ ⁸

Port de la Bourdonnais: the big glass boats

The most booked boat tour at the Eiffel Tower boards at Port de la Bourdonnais, pontoon 3, and makes a 1-hour round trip past Les Invalides, the Musée d'Orsay, Notre-Dame, the Hôtel de Ville, the Louvre and the Grand Palais. It has audio commentary in 14 languages, is wheelchair accessible and starts from $21, with 88,509 reviews.

The same pontoon serves an illuminations cruise for the evening and a day or sunset hour that adds an ice cream, a drink or a dessert at Les Terrasses du Trocadéro before or after. Meal cruises use pontoons 5 and 7 a little further along: the 2-hour lunch with a 3-course menu sails at 12:45 pm, and the 2.5-hour dinner with live music asks you to finish check-in 15 minutes before departure.

Read your ticket for the pontoon number before you set off. The quay is long, the boats look alike from the street, and the staff at one pontoon cannot board you on another company's boat.

Reviews

The most reviewed cruises at the tower

reviews

Review counts as each GetYourGuide listing shows them.

At the tower

Cruises from the Eiffel Tower compared

Cruise	Boards at	Length	Price
Sightseeing, audio guide	Bourdonnais, pontoon 3	1 hr	from $21
Illuminations	Bourdonnais, pontoon 3	1 hr	from $21
Evening, music	Port de Suffren	1 hr	from $29
Champagne glass, shared	Eiffel Tower	1 hr	from $37
Champagne tasting	Port de Suffren	1 hr	from $91
Lunch, 3 courses	Bourdonnais, pontoons 5/7	2 hrs	from $91
Tower & cruise combo	Avenue de la Bourdonnais	3 hrs	from $68

Starting prices per guest from each listing; check the exact pontoon on your ticket.

Three ways to start at the tower

A sightseeing hour, a glass of Champagne or tower and river together

Most booked

Sightseeing hour

Pontoon 3

Length: 1 hr
Audio: 14 languages
Price: from $21

Check the times

Paris: Seine River Cruise with Champagne from Eiffel Tower

Electric boat

Champagne hour

A glass at the bar

Length: 1 hr
Guide: Live, French & English
Price: from $37

Check the times

Paris: Eiffel Tower Access by Elevator & Seine River Cruise

Combination

Tower and cruise

Elevator access

Length: 3 hrs
Cruise ticket: Valid 6 months
Price: from $68

Check the times

Decision helper

Which tower cruise fits you?

Pick the line that sounds like your day.

I just want the classic hour I want to go up the tower too I want a glass of Champagne I want to see the sparkle I want to avoid the crowds

The sightseeing hour

Pontoon 3, commentary in 14 languages.

The combination ticket

Elevator access and a cruise ticket valid 6 months.

The Champagne hour

A glass at the bar, live guide.

An evening departure

After dusk the tower sparkles on the hour.²

The private boat

Starts at Port de Javel Haut, downstream.

Port de Suffren: electric boats and Champagne

Port de Suffren, at 2 Port de Suffren by the Pont d'Iéna, is home to the Vedettes de Paris fleet, which the Paris tourist office describes as fully electric and silent, with live commentary in French and English.⁴ ⁶ ¹ Its evening cruise with music is the most reviewed night option, from $29, though that particular boat has no guide and uses an app instead.

This is also where most Champagne cruises at the tower start. One 1-hour cruise from the Eiffel Tower serves a glass of Champagne redeemed at the bar, with boarding 20 minutes before departure and a boat roughly every 45 minutes, from $37. The tourist office lists a Vedettes de Paris option with a glass from the Duval Leroy Champagne house.⁹

For a proper tasting, a sommelier-led cruise meets at Port de Suffren and pours three Champagnes, usually a Brut, an Extra-Brut and a Rosé, in a private area of the boat for 1 hour, from $91. It is the most serious Champagne experience at the tower; the shared glass at the bar is the most casual.

Map

The Seine in Paris, from the Liberty statue to Notre-Dame

First the western reach where the private boats and the Eiffel Tower piers are, then the historic centre with its oldest bridges and the islands.

Map of the Seine in western Paris with the Liberty statue on the Île aux Cygnes, the Pont de Bir-Hakeim, the Eiffel Tower, Port de Suffren, the Pont d'Iéna and the Pont de l'Alma — West: the Eiffel Tower reach

Map of central Paris along the Seine with the Pont Alexandre III, the Grand Palais, the Pont de la Concorde, the Musée d'Orsay, the Louvre, the Pont des Arts, the Pont Neuf, Notre-Dame, the Pont de l'Archevêché and the Pont de Sully — Centre: bridges and islands

1
Liberty statue
The private Champagne cruise meets on the bank opposite, at Port de Javel Haut, and its first sight is this statue on the Île aux Cygnes.
In Google Maps ↗
2
Pont de Bir-Hakeim
Two levels, with the elevated metro on top, either side of the Île aux Cygnes; the city calls it its most filmed bridge.⁵ ¹⁰
In Google Maps ↗
3
Eiffel Tower
Built for the Universal Exhibition of 1889; after dusk it sparkles for 5 minutes at the start of each hour.³ ²
In Google Maps ↗
4
Port de Suffren
One company boards here at the foot of the tower, on a fully electric fleet.¹ ⁴
In Google Maps ↗
5
Pont d'Iéna
The western end of the river stretch listed by UNESCO in 1991.¹¹
In Google Maps ↗
6
Pont de l'Alma
Another fleet boards beside this bridge; its Zouave statue still marks how high the floods rise.⁷ ¹²
In Google Maps ↗
7
Pont Alexandre III
Its first stone was laid on 7 October 1896; gilded bronze Pegasus statues crown its pylons.¹³ ¹⁴
In Google Maps ↗
8
Grand Palais
The Pont Alexandre III points straight at it and at the Petit Palais.¹⁴
In Google Maps ↗
9
Pont de la Concorde
Built between 1787 and 1791, partly from the stones of the Bastille.¹⁵
In Google Maps ↗
10
Musée d'Orsay
Named both by the private cruise and by the 1-hour cruise from the Eiffel Tower.
In Google Maps ↗
11
Louvre
Linked to the Institut de France across the river by the Pont des Arts.¹⁶
In Google Maps ↗
12
Pont des Arts
The first metal bridge in Paris; its love padlocks came off in 2015.¹⁶
In Google Maps ↗
13
Pont Neuf
The oldest bridge in the city despite its name; its first stone went in on 31 May 1578.¹⁷ ¹⁸
In Google Maps ↗
14
Notre-Dame
Building began in 1163.³
In Google Maps ↗
15
Pont de l'Archevêché
The narrowest bridge in Paris, looking straight onto Notre-Dame.¹⁹
In Google Maps ↗
16
Pont de Sully
The eastern end of the UNESCO stretch: 365 hectares holding 23 of the 37 bridges.¹¹
In Google Maps ↗

Open the map in Google Maps

Checklist

Boarding at the Eiffel Tower

Find your boat

The quay and pontoon on your ticket
Arrive early: lines form in peak season
Your ticket on your phone or printed

Plan the evening

A departure close to the hour after dusk
Combination tickets may refund only 50%
A warm layer for the open deck

Price check

What a cruise from the tower costs your group

Choose a cruise and the number of guests.

Sightseeing hour1 hrfrom $21 Champagne hour1 hrfrom $37 Tower & cruise3 hrsfrom $68 Lunch cruise2 hrsfrom $91

People 2

Total from$42

per traveler from $21

Check availabilityfree cancellation

Totals take each cruise's lowest starting fare on GetYourGuide or Viator times your head count, turned into your currency with the ECB daily rate; a boat priced per boat costs the same however many sail, so trust its checkout.

Video

Watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle from the river

The player loads on your tap, not before.

Combining the tower and a cruise

Many visitors want to go up the Eiffel Tower and sail past it on the same day, and combination tickets exist for exactly that. One 3-hour combination includes guided access to the tower by elevator with an English-speaking guide and a Seine cruise ticket, from $68, with 7,609 reviews. Its cruise tickets are valid for 6 months after the tower visit and are handed out at the operator's office on Avenue de la Bourdonnais.

Read the small print on such bundles. That one refunds only 50% if you cancel up to 24 hours ahead, unlike the full refund on the stand-alone cruise tickets compared on this site. In high season the wait to reach the second floor of the tower alone can be up to 25 minutes, so leave a wide gap before any timed cruise.

An alternative is simply to book the two separately: an open-dated cruise ticket that stays usable for 30 days after the date you picked, and a tower visit at a time that suits you. That way the cruise waits for the best light rather than the other way round.

Seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle from the river

After dusk the tower sparkles for 5 minutes at the beginning of each hour, and seeing that from a boat is the moment many people come for.² To catch it, pick a departure that has you near the tower at the top of the hour after dark: either a boat leaving a few minutes before the hour, or one returning to the tower just as the hour turns.

Darkness comes late in summer. At mid-month June has about 16.1 hours of daylight, while December has only about 8.3, so the first sparkle you can see falls late on a June evening and early in a December one.²⁰ The illuminations cruise runs every 30 minutes until 10 pm from April to September and every hour until 9 pm from October to March, which gives more chances in winter.

Photos of the sparkle work best as video or in night mode with the phone braced on the rail. The light reflects on the water, so a spot at the side of the boat facing the tower beats one at the stern. If the sparkle is the main point of your evening, our night cruise guide covers the after-dark boats in detail.

Starting away from the tower

If the crowds at the tower put you off, start somewhere else and let the tower come to you. The Bateaux Mouches boats leave from the Pont de l'Alma on the right bank, a little upstream, and sail about 1 hour 10 minutes with departures every 30 minutes.⁷ ⁸ An evening cruise from the Pont Neuf includes a 10-minute photo stop at the Eiffel Tower.

The private Champagne cruise this site books leaves from Port de Javel Haut, downstream of the tower and opposite the Liberty statue on the Île aux Cygnes, so you meet the tower from the water within minutes of setting off, without the queues of the main quays. It lasts 1.5 hours, includes original French Champagne and is priced per boat, from $457 for the standard boat of up to 4, with larger boats for 8.

Between the Île aux Cygnes and the tower you pass under the Pont de Bir-Hakeim, the two-level bridge with the elevated metro on top that Ville de Paris calls the most filmed in the city.⁵ ¹⁰ It frames the tower beautifully, and it is one of the views a cruise from the tower itself sails away from rather than toward.

Your own boat

A boat, a glass and the lights of Paris.

Private for up to 8, Champagne included, priced per boat, free cancellation up to 24 hours.

Check datesfrom $457 · free cancellation possible 5.0 · 1,838 reviews, verified

You ask,we answer.

Where do the cruises at the Eiffel Tower board?

At Port de la Bourdonnais or Port de Suffren. The big glass boats use Port de la Bourdonnais; the electric boats board at Port de Suffren by the Pont d'Iéna.¹

Which pontoon is the sightseeing cruise?

Pontoon 3. The busiest 1-hour cruise boards at pontoon 3; lunch and dinner use pontoons 5 and 7.

Can I combine the Eiffel Tower and a cruise?

Yes. A 3-hour combination includes elevator access and a cruise ticket valid 6 months, from $68.

When does the Eiffel Tower sparkle?

After dusk, on the hour. It sparkles for 5 minutes at the beginning of each hour.²

Is there a Champagne cruise from the Eiffel Tower?

Yes, several. One pours a glass at the bar for 1 hour; a tasting from Port de Suffren pours three Champagnes.

How long are the queues at the tower piers?

Long at peak times. You may wait in line in peak season, and one listing warns of waits up to 2 hours.

Sources