Paris1972-Versailles2003

Here is another goodie from the vault and updating for you and me after finding me another picture that should be here. When I first came to France in 1990 to see my girlfriend and later wife Martine , she took me on a romantic ride on the Seine river with another outfit (see post) having seen these boats on the Seine river, I was curious to have an alternative and tried the Bateaux Mouches cruise. It became one of our rides on the Seine,alternating with the other one over the years, I came back visiting and then living in France for them. I like to tell you a bit on the Bateaux Mouches of Paris !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I

The Bateaux-Mouches pier is located just near the Pont de l’Alma on the Port de la Conference. The ships leave from this point to go up the Seine towards Notre Dame de Paris, passing in front of the Louvre Museum, in front of the Hôtel de Ville and La Conciergerie, etc. The perennials on the block or how river cruising was started by the Bateaux Mouches ,lunch and dinner cruises, night and day cruises.

The Bateaux Mouches Cruise is a must-do when visiting Paris. This boat trip allows you to discover the most beautiful monuments of Paris, visible from the Seine. It’s magical, romantic, and magnificent. The route is as follows: departure from the Pont de l’Alma, then you pass in front of the Musée d’Orsay, the National Assembly, the Louvre Museum, the Hôtel de Ville, the Conciergerie, and Notre-Dame. All boats pass in front of the Eiffel Tower and under the famous Pont Alexandre III, Pont Neuf, and Pont des Arts. The route forms a loop (returning to the starting point). Departure from the Pont de l’Alma (Port de la Conférence,on the Right Bank. Free parking on the quayside for all guests for the duration of the cruise. The Compagnie des Bateaux-Mouches makes it a point to serve only dishes made with selected products each day. morning and freshly prepared. All tables are located along the Seine to allow everyone to enjoy Paris in absolute comfort. All boats have an open-air upper deck, allowing passengers to enjoy all the magic of the City of Lights and a 360° view.

A bit of history I like tell us that the boats had been built in Lyon, in the shipyards of the Mouche district, as it was then called, the fly is a Lyon word and in the local dialect, it designates all the arms of water that come out of the Rhône river ; the flies! South of Lyon, on the left bank of the Rhône, there were many flies! So the neighborhood was so named. The Parisians felled in love with these new Bateaux Mouches, which allow them to move from bridge to bridge faster than any other means of transport in the city. For around thirty years, they were used regularly to cross Paris via the Seine, and enjoyed particular success and affection from Parisians. But around the 1900s, the arrival of the metro made the riverboats obsolete, which gradually fell into oblivion. It was not until after WWII, at the end of the 1940s, that the boats regained their letters of nobility. Jean Bruel founded the current Compagnie des Bateaux-Mouches in 1950, after having restored examples of Bateaux-Mouches from the original universal exhibition to make tourist visits in 1949. And it was him that to improve the marketing of his young company, invents the myth of their creator,aka Jean-Sébastien Mouche. He allied himself with a journalist from Le Monde, who published a fictitious biography of the man, who also created a secret police force, the “snitches”. The Ministry of Transport and the Prefect of Paris also joined in the hoax, inaugurating the Compagnie des Bateaux-Mouches in 1950 by paying homage to this dear Mr. Mouche. The myth of the riverboats was born. Several thousand romantic dinners on the Seine and several million tourists transported later, their legend remains intact.

The Paris tourist office on the Bateaux Mouches :https://parisjetaime.com/eng/activity/bateaux-mouches-p3835

The official Bateaux Mouches: https://www.bateaux-mouches.fr/en

There you go folks, you will have a wonderful day in Paris taking a ride with the Bateaux Mouches, they are the orginals, and full of nostalgia, memories, good times , and family time, Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Bateaux Mouches of Paris !!!  as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, andn many cheers to all !!!