Champagne Cruise Along The Seine – On Board With The Bubbly

Paris + a bateau + the River Seine + champagne. Combine all of your favorite things by taking a champagne-fuelled cruise down the Seine River. That's exactly what we did recently and we can promise that this activity will be a true highlight of your next visit to Paris.

Not only was the cruise informative and scenic, we felt it was a VIP experience from beginning to end. Oh — and we got to drink champagne the whole time! Come with us on a virtual Seine River Champagne Cruise…

The Boat With The Bubbly

The VIP service started the minute we presented our reservation voucher at the ticket booth at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, on the left bank of the Seine. (Just below where the carousel is.) We got our first little tingle of pleasure when we were sent to the front of the line, with visions of bubbles and boats dancing in our heads.

Once the bateau had docked and was ready for passengers, we were the first to board and were led to the private deck at the front of the boat. That, of course, is our favorite section — the place reserved for VIPs. We found chairs set up for us along with an exclusive open-air space at the box, which we discovered was perfect for viewing the sights of Paris as we drifted past. A flight of three champagnes chilling on ice (with multiple bottles of each) with real champagne glasses arranged on a small table.

As we departed from the base of the Eiffel Tower a curtain was drawn to separate our champagne party from the other passengers. We were free to take a seat, or head outside to the private deck. In front of us lay the best of Paris as we passed the Pont Neuf, the Islands, the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, and just about every other Paris attraction you can think of.

Sailing past these world-famous monuments and under those historic bridges, we listened as our host, a professionally-trained sommelier, took us on a journey of exploration with champagne as the focus. During the cruise, we tasted three very different champagnes — a brut, a demi-sec and a rosé. The pours were generous and each champagne tasted distinctly different from the others.

Our sommelier took us through each of the varieties, explaining what they were and how they were made, and also answered champagne questions…as well as questions about life, love, Paris history, and what to pair with each of the champagnes. As we pondered the meaning of life, glass of champagne in hand, with the sun setting over the Seine river, we asked ourselves, "Does it get better than this?"

Talking to a Sommelier

After the cruise we had a chance to catch up with Olivier, one of the sommeliers who hosts these magical tours and asked him some champagne-challenge questions.

• What's your favorite part of the Champagne Seine Cruise?
  Being reminded how beautiful Paris is, and how happy people are to be here.
• What's the most surprising or silliest question you've had about champagne?
  "Rosé champagne… is that Mexican champagne?"
• What's your favorite food pairing with champagne?
  I love it with fresh oysters
• Why would you recommend a champagne cruise on the Seine?
  It's a chance to cruise the Seine without feeling like part of a large crowd. You get to be in a private room with a private deck at the front of the boast, so the experience feels exclusive, while still being good value for money.
• If you were on a desert island, what champagne would you bring?
  Whatever champagne brand I chose I would bring a Jeroboam of it. (A Jeroboam is the equivalent of six 750 ml bottles of wine !)
• What's your favorite landmark, monument, or bridge you can see on the champagne cruise?
  I'm in love with the Pont Neuf. (Despite its name, "neuf" meaning "new", Pont Neuf is the oldest bridge in Paris. Built in 1578, it links the Left Bank with the Right Bank on the western point of Ile de la Cite.)
• What's your favorite champagne memory?
  When a gentleman proposed on the champagne cruise. She said yes!