The Bateaux-Mouches of Paris
The Bateaux-Mouches of Paris in French
In this article, along with a video, we explain where the term "bateau-mouche" comes from. We tell you the story of the Bateaux-Mouches and introduce you to the Bateau-Mouche tour on the Seine.
To make it easier to understand, the video below presenting the Bateaux-Mouches of Paris, includes French subtitles. It is also possible to turn on English subtitles.
You may find the transcript of the video in French on this page. Below, you will find some information on the bateaux-mouches of Paris. This is the English translation of the transcript of the video.
Where does the term "bateau-mouche" come from?
The term bateau-mouche was born in the 19th century on the banks of the Saône, in Lyon, in the Mouche district.
The bateau-mouche was created by two manufacturers, Chaize and Émile PLASSON, and their passenger boat company, the compagnie des Mouches.
A short history of the bateaux-mouches
It was during the Universal Exhibition of 1867 that thirty-two bateaux-mouches were transported by the Saône to Paris. During the Universal Exhibition, the bateaux-mouches were then used to transport passengers and goods on the Seine.
It was only after the Second World War that Jean BRUEL decided to use them for tourism. In 1950, he registered the “Bateaux Mouches” brand and created the Compagnie des Bateaux Mouches. His idea: “to show Paris around its most beautiful avenue: the Seine. "
In order to ensure his success, Jean Bruel even went to invent an imaginary character, Jean-Sébastien MOUCHE, founder of Bateaux-Mouches, by having a bust in his image installed. It was actually a joke from April 1, 1953.
The bateau-mouche tour on the Seine
During your cruise on the Seine, you will be able to admire, among others, the Eiffel Tower, the Place of the Concorde, the Louvre museum, the Conciergerie, the Town Hall, the island of the Cité and the Notre-Dame Cathedral.
You will also pass under many well-known bridges, such as the Alexandre III bridge, the Concorde bridge or the Pont-Neuf.
The Flemotion team wishes you a nice cruise on the Seine on a bateau-mouche!
In addition, we invite you to consult our article with video on 5 very famous Parisian monuments:
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