A Week on a Riverboat in Paris

Travel|In Paris, a Riverboat Sojourn on the Banks of the Seine

There’s something about sleeping on a boat. It’s the rocking, of course, and the sound of the water. It’s also the cocoon effect of containment in a small space tucked away from the world. I’m not talking about cruise ships and luxury yachts here. I’m talking about a vessel that gently rocks, just enough to let a person know she’s not on dry land. If you suffer from seasickness, this could be an issue. As for me, I never sleep better than I do on a boat.

Now imagine this boat is docked in Paris. You wake up to a view straight out of a French movie from the 1950s and finish your day under a full moon.

In June I got to experience that (all but the full moon, but more on that later).

My fixation was not a recent one. I’d been eyeing boats — specifically péniches, riverboats used originally for commercial purposes — for more than 30 years, as long as I’d been visiting Paris. Then, at a party in Paris last fall, my last night in the city before heading home to the United States, I met a Dutch couple — Jan and Lydia — who invited me to their péniche for a drink.

Docked along the Right Bank — midway between the Pont de la Concorde and the Passerelle Léopold-Sédar-Senghor — my new friends’ péniche sat in the middle of my favorite city, but in a world of its own, away from traffic and crowds. As perfect a combination as I could dream up.

The evening was warm. We sat on the deck as Jan set out wine glasses and a bottle of Champagne. Across the water, the Eiffel Tower sparkled.

“If you ever hear of someone who might like to rent their péniche for a week or two,” I said, “let me know.”