The Louisiane Belle is a paddle-wheel boat that Bateaux de Paris rents for private and corporate events on the Seine in Paris. It takes up to 400 guests across two decks and a panoramic terrace, with up to 180 seated in conference layout on a single deck. It is moored at Port de la Rapée, in the 12th arrondissement, beside a large car park and close to Gare de Lyon and Gare d'Austerlitz.
Seminars and company events
Bateaux de Paris presents its boats as seminar venues for companies of any size. The decks make it possible to set up several separate areas, so a plenary session and a break zone can run side by side. For the Louisiane Belle the company gives an optimal figure of 180 seated people in conference layout on one deck. The layouts offered are plenary, round table and amphitheater. Matching furniture and cloakrooms are provided. Catering, sound, video projection and wifi are available on request.
Outdoor areas let participants step out between sessions, and the caterer has what it needs to prepare coffee breaks and lunch without disturbing the meeting. The official site lists other business formats: general assemblies, product launches, cocktail receptions, company parties, gala balls and year-end parties for employees' children. A turnkey option exists for organizers who prefer to hand over the whole event to the team.
Weddings and receptions
The same boat is rented for weddings, civil partnership celebrations, birthdays, dance parties, communions and bar or bat mitzvahs. The company says it has celebrated 238 unions on its boats. With room for up to 400 guests and a decor in Art Deco style, the Louisiane Belle is the largest of the three boats in the fleet and the one the company recommends for large private parties, weddings and product launches.
Rooms and capacities
The Louisiane Belle has two decks and a panoramic terrace. The company describes it as the largest paddle-wheel boat currently in service on the Seine. Its stated capacity is 400 people. For a conference on a single deck, the optimal seated number is 180.
Two smaller boats belong to the same company. The Belle Vallée, converted into a paddle-wheel boat in 1988, takes up to 80 guests for dinner cruises, small weddings and business meetings. The Insolite, a modern rounded boat, takes up to 60 and is pitched at workshops, team building and afterwork events. Organizers with a smaller group can compare the three boats with the same team.
Catering
The boats are described as fully equipped and customizable, with caterer, DJ, furniture, entertainment and lighting arranged around each event. The pages we read do not name a single mandatory caterer. Ask the team which caterers they work with and whether a coffee break, a lunch or a seated dinner suits your layout.
Getting there
The boats leave from Port de la Rapée in Paris 12. The official site points to Gare de Lyon and Gare d'Austerlitz for public transport and mentions a large car park at the foot of the boats. The company also offers cruises past the Eiffel Tower, the Île aux Cygnes and the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
