City of Lights: Paris at Night from a Bateau Mouche

A glorious full moon competed with the sparkling Eiffel Tower and the sounds of Offenbach’s “Can Can” as we enjoyed a romantic dinner cruise up and down the River Seine on a Bateau Mouche. What a breathtaking experience! Do yourself a favor and splurge on this when you visit Paris.

Bateau Mouche literally translates as “fly boat” (so named because the boats were originally manufactured in boatyards situated in the Mouche area of Lyon), and these boats have been plying the river showing visitors the best views of Paris since 1949, carrying 2.5 million passengers a year on a tour of Paris from what the company calls “Paris’s best avenue of them all: the Seine.”

We reserved in advance, a wise decision, chose an evening dinner tour, and selected the Prestige Dinner menu, which cost us 105 euros each and now costs 115 euros, or about $123. This included a four-course meal, a bottle of wine, and a glass of champagne, as well as live entertainment. If we’d chosen the Excellence Menu for 40 euros more apiece, we would have had window seats and fancier food; instead we were in the middle of the interior dining room, with a great view of the piano and violin duet playing standards. The boat was surrounded by windows, though, and a short trip to the outdoor upper level afforded excellent views. Next time, I believe I will splurge on the window seats.

Thinking of popping the question? You can choose the “Get a Yes in Paris - Marriage Proposal” package starting at 340 euros per person, which includes a chauffeur to the boat, a special table for 2 in the bow, offers a variety of quality champagnes to choose from. Who wouldn’t say yes to a proposal with Moet and Chandon on a bateau mouche in Paris?

Several competing companies provide essentially the same tour, including brunch, lunch, and simple sightseeing tours.

Enjoy photos of our Seine River Tour from aboard a Bateau Mouche at messysuitcase.com!

INFO

Paris Tourism
Bateaux Mouches
Offenbach’s Can Can

 

Bob’s Tour of Helsinki

Bob spent a day exploring Helsinki, first from aboard a Hop On Hop Off bus, then on foot. He encountered the Helsinki Train Station, Senate Square, HOHO, a traditional spa, the Champs Elysee of Helsinki, the waterfront, a cathedral built by Russia, and more.

He found lunch in a fascinating waterfront market with an amazing array of uniquely Scandinavian offerings (reindeer meat, anyone?), wandered around a port taking in the glorious wooden sailing ships, sauna/swim pools where people dip into the ice-cold water, the Sky Wheel, the Love Locks bridges, and more!

INFO

Visit Finland
Helsinki Guide
Helsinki Hop On-Hop Off bus

Lisa’s Walking Tour of Helsinki

Fresh off COVID quarantine, Lisa tucked Bob (who just tested positive himself) into a hotel bed in Helsinki and went out and about exploring the city on foot. Still congested but no longer contagious, she stayed mostly outdoors and away from people as she walked through the streets, discovering a famous library, striking sculptures, a distinctive church, and the Helsinki Opera House.

Helsinki is made up of lakes, islands and the Baltic Sea. Its outdoor-oriented culture meant she had to watch out for many runners, bike riders and people on scooters.

Over the course of a day, she strolled across the soccer field at Helsinki Olympic Stadium, then visited the Sibelius Monument, a welded steel tribute to Finnish composer Jean Sibelius resembles organ pipes, which is one of Helsinki's most well-known tourist attractions. She enjoyed a cinnamon roll at the famous Café Regatta, a traditional red cottage cafe that has brought a part of Finnish countryside to the middle of Helsinki. Its cafe is famous for fresh cinnamon buns, blueberry pie and other delicacies.

And she visited the unusual Rock Church, or Temppeliaukio Church, an Evangelical Lutheran Church built into a rock. An organist was preparing for a concert and the organ music was mesmerizing.

Enjoy more photos on the Messy Suitcase website! And watch for Bob’s tour of Helsinki next.

INFO

Visit Finland
Helsinki Guide
Sibelius Monument
Café Regatta
Rock Church (Temppeliaukio Church)
Helsinki Olympic Stadium

Helsinki Boat Tour: Is it Better than the HoHo?

Bob managed to grab a spot on a Royal Line Sightseeing boat tour of Helsinki on the very last day of its tourist season. The sky was clear blue, and the crisp early-fall weather was perfect for spending an hour and a half on the Baltic Sea Harbor of this European capital.

With a sun deck above, a bar/restaurant below, and harbor maps laminated to the tables, the boat cruise was an excellent way to get a feel for the city of Helsinki from the viewpoint of its harbor. Highlights included the fortresses that once guarded Helsinki, a church with a lighthouse on top, the Helsinki Zoo, and the jetty where families come to wash their rugs. Seriously!

The tour cost 26 euros, 22 euros for 65 and up, with larger discounts for children and babies. Audio tours were available in a variety of languages. 

Here is how Royal Line describes the tour:

During the 1.5-hour sightseeing cruise, the main historical sights of Helsinki are visited. The large sun decks of sightseeing ships offer the best views of the city from the sea. Behind the memorable cruise, you will hear interesting stories about the history of Finland, wonderful landscapes from the ship's sun deck and the ships' professional crew.

The cruises start from the famous Kauppatori, and along the way you will admire, among other things, the beautiful Merisatama, Eira, Kaivopuisto, Kruununhaa beach and the wonderful UNESCO World Heritage Site Suomenlinna in its entirety.

During the cruise, you can enjoy the most amazing island scenery on the outer deck of the ship and the atmosphere of the summer terrace with the best sea view. All ships have a café-bar that serves snacks and refreshing refreshments.

INFO:

Visit Finland
Helsinki Guide
Royal Line Sightseeing Tours

Tour of Scandinavia, Day 8: Overnight Ferry to Helsinki

As our Tour of Scandinavia began winding to a close, we took an overnight ferry across the Baltic Sea from Stockholm, Sweden, to Helsinki, Finland. We explored the mini cruise ship as we made our way through the Swedish Archipelago, which encompasses 30,000 islands, at sunset. We arrived in Helsinki on an overcast Friday morning. Enjoy the views in the video and more photos on our blog, messysuitcase.com.

ITINERARY

This is what the TourRadar itinerary listed for the day:

Miércoles, 28 De Septiembre De 2022
STOCKHOLM, FERRY

Stockholm (boarding) -
Scenery: Very beautiful landscapes from the boat leaving Stockholm.
Notes: Tonight we embark on a night cruise; Carry your documentation (will be required when boarding) and prepare hand luggage (luggage will remain in the coach). Do not forget warm clothing to enjoy on the deck of the boat. In Finland, the currency used is the euro, if you do not have Swedish Crowns, there are convinient exchange offices on the ship.

Free day in the most beautiful of the Scandinavian capitals. We recommend walking around the historic center and the island of museums.

17.00hrs.- Transfer to the port of Stockholm. We embark on the modern ferry of the Silja Lines company. Restaurants, bars, nightclub, casino, shops, ample rooms ... cruise conditions. Our ship leaves at 19.30 hrs (estimated time at the time of writing this itinerary). The landscapes you can see at the exit of Stockholm are of great beauty (lots of islands). We recommend to enjoy on the deck. Do not forget your camera ! Night on board, double cabins.

Scenery: Very beautiful landscapes from the boat leaving Stockholm.

Notes: Tonight we embark on a night cruise; Carry your documentation (will be required when boarding) and prepare hand luggage (luggage will remain in the coach). Do not forget warm clothing to enjoy on the deck of the boat. In Finland, the currency used is the euro, if you do not have Swedish Crowns, there are convinient exchange offices on the ship.

INFO:

Stockholm
Silja Lines ferry
Tourradar
Europamundo