| Many a romantic evening walk along the quais has been rudely interrupted by the sudden appearance of a bulging Bateau-Mouche, with its dazzling floodlights and blaring commentaries. One way of avoiding the ugly sight of these hulking hulls is to get on one yourself. You may not be able to escape the trite narration, but the rides certainly give a glamorous close-up view of the classic buildings along the Seine. Bateaux-Mouches boat trips start from the Embarcadère du Pont de l'Alma, on the Right Bank in the 8e (information tel 01.40.76.99.99, reservations tel 01.42.25.96.10; M° Alma-Marceau). The rides, which usually last an hour, run roughly hourly to every half hour, depending on the season. Summer departures are 10am–10.30pm, winter 11am–9pm. Tickets cost €7, or €4 for under-12s and over-60s. Avoid the outrageously priced lunch and dinner trips, for which "correct" dress is mandatory. The main competitors to the Bateaux-Mouches are: Bateaux Parisiens Notre-Dame, Quai de Montebello, 5e (tel 01.43.26.92.55; M° St-Michel); Bateaux Parisiens Tour Eiffel, Port de la Bourdonnais, 7e (tel 01.44.11.33.44; M° Trocadero); Bateaux-Vedettes de Paris, Port de Suffren, 7e (tel 01.47.05.71.29; M° Bir-Hakeim); and Bateaux-Vedettes du Pont Neuf, Square du Vert-Galant, 1er (tel 01.46.33.98.38; M° Pont-Neuf). They're all much the same, and can be found detailed in Pariscope under "Croisières" in the "Visites-Promenades" section and in L'Officiel des Spectacles under "Promenades" in the "À Travers Paris" section. An alternative way of riding on the Seine – one in which you are mercifully spared the commentary – is the Batobus (tel 01.44.11.33.99), a river transport system operating from May to September. See "Basics" for more details.
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