Batobus
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersParis, France
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Batobus does
Batobus is a private Parisian river tourism operator founded in 1989, providing the only hop-on hop-off passenger boat service on the Seine. The service connects 9 docks at major Paris landmarks — Tour Eiffel, Invalides, Musée d'Orsay, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Notre Dame, Jardin des plantes, Hôtel de ville, Louvre, and Place de la Concorde — with a complete loop taking roughly 2 hours and vessels arriving at each stop on approximately 15-minute intervals.
The core product is a time-based transit pass: 24-hour (€23 adult / €13 child), 48-hour (€27 / €17), and annual (€73 / €48) passes, all offering unlimited hop-on hop-off access. Adjacent offerings include a free downloadable audio guide, a €11 gamified Investigator's Kit for children aged 6+, reduced fares for holders of French transport cards (Imagine R, Navigo, Intégrale, Emeraude, Améthyste) and the Carte famille nombreuse, and corporate/private charter services. Batobus also co-markets the Duo Liberté pass with BigBus, combining Seine river and Paris road-based sightseeing for €84 adult / €49 child. Tickets are sold 24/7 online, at on-site ticket booths, and through group/school booking channels.
Batobus operates as a direct-to-consumer leisure service targeting tourists and families visiting Paris, with go-to-market driven by its website (available in five languages: EN, DE, ES, FR, IT), physical ticket booths at each stop, and partnership channels with BigBus and Sodexo Live! (referenced in the site footer). The company has 51-100 employees and is headquartered at 23 Bord de la Seine, Paris. Revenue is generated from per-pass ticket sales (subscription-style recurring in product framing), charter fees, and ancillary product sales. No public revenue, funding, or ownership disclosures are available.
Batobus firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Batobus
- Legal name
- Batobus
- Website
- https://batobus.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Batobus industry classification
Industry- Product category
- River Tourist Transportation
- NAICS
- Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (48721), Inland Water Passenger Transportation (483212), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation (487)
- SIC
- Water Transportation (4400), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sightseeing & Scenic Boat Tours (Harbor, Sunset, Dolphin/Whale Watching) (THAJAJAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Theme & Specialty River Cruises (Culinary/Wellness/Music/etc.) (THAEACAL)
Keywords
Where Batobus is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Paris
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Batobus business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Tourist Pass Sales: Revenue generated from selling 24-hour, 48-hour, and annual passes to tourists visiting Paris who wish to explore the city via the Seine river using the hop-on hop-off service.
- Charter Services: Corporate and private event charter services offering exclusive boat rentals for celebrations, birthdays, and business events on the Seine.
- Duo Liberté Partnership: Joint pass offering with BigBus combining Batobus river service with BigBus land tours, creating a 48-hour combined experience pass.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | 24-Hour Pass - Unlimited hop-on hop-off access for 24 consecutive hours |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | 48-Hour Pass - Unlimited hop-on hop-off access for 48 consecutive hours |
| Subscription | Annual | Annual Pass - Unlimited access for one year |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Pass DUO LIBERTÉ - Combined Batobus + BigBus 48-hour pass |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Reduced Fares - Discounted passes for eligible passengers |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Groups and Schoolchildren - Special rates for group bookings |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels4 records
Batobus product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Batobus operates a hop-on hop-off river boat service on the Seine in Paris, connecting 9 major landmarks (Tour Eiffel, Invalides, Musée d'Orsay, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Notre Dame, Jardin des plantes, Hôtel de ville, Louvre, Place de la Concorde) via a circular route with approximately 15-minute service intervals and a 2-hour round-trip loop. The company sells time-based passes (24-hour, 48-hour, and annual) for unlimited boarding, complemented by an audio guide, a gamified family activity kit, charter services, and a combined land-and-water pass in partnership with BigBus.
Product overview
Batobus operates as a single unified Hop On Hop Off boat service on the Seine river in Paris, with 9 stops connecting major Parisian landmarks including the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, and Notre-Dame. The core offering consists of time-based passes (24-hour, 48-hour, and annual) that allow unlimited boarding at any stop. Additional products include a free audio guide for self-guided tours, the Investigator's Kit family activity, and the PASS DUO LIBERTÉ co-branded pass in partnership with BigBus that combines Seine river and road-based sightseeing. Real-time departure information is available at each stop.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- PASS DUO LIBERTÉ: A combined 48-hour pass partnership with BigBus offering both river and land-based hop-on hop-off tours in Paris.
Products and services
- 24-Hour Pass Unlimited hop-on hop-off access to the Batobus Seine river service for 24 consecutive hours; Adult €23, Child (4-11) €13, with online-exclusive pricing available. Sold to individual tourists and families visiting Paris.
- 48-Hour Pass Unlimited hop-on hop-off access to the Batobus Seine river service for 48 consecutive hours; Adult €27, Child (4-11) €17. Targeted at tourists spending multiple days in Paris.
- Annual Pass Year-long unlimited access to all 9 Batobus stops along the Seine; Adult €73, Child (4-11) €48, must be collected at points of sale. Targeted at frequent or local users and repeat visitors.
- PASS DUO LIBERTÉ (Batobus + BigBus) Combined 48-hour pass providing access to both Batobus river service and BigBus Paris road tours; Adult €84, Child €49. Sold to tourists wanting a unified land-and-water Paris sightseeing experience.
- Charter Services Exclusive boat rental on the Seine for corporate events, private celebrations, birthdays, and business functions. Targeted at corporate event planners and private individuals hosting events in Paris.
- Kit Enquêtes à Bord (Investigator's Kit) Gamified detective activity kit priced at €11 for families with children aged 6 and up, designed to make the Batobus river cruise educational and entertaining. Sold to families visiting Paris with children.
Companies that use Batobus
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Batobus technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Batobus partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- BigBuscoreBatobus and BigBus have partnered to offer the Duo Liberté Pass, a unique combined 48-hour pass that allows tourists to explore Paris by both river (Batobus) and land (BigBus). This partnership creates a comprehensive hop-on hop-off experience covering both the Seine and Paris's iconic avenues, with stops at major landmarks including the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, and Notre Dame accessible via both services.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Batobus competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Paris Canal: Paris-based operator running Seine and canal cruises including hop-on hop-off-style tours. Direct substitute in the waterborne leisure transit category.
- Bateaux Parisiens: Seine cruise operator based at the Eiffel Tower offering sightseeing, lunch, and dinner cruises. Competes with Batobus for the same tourist wallet at the same major riverside landmarks.
- Vedettes de Paris: Seine tour operator running frequent departures between the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame with combined tour and cruise offerings. Direct overlap in hop-on hop-off-style Seine itineraries.
- Bateaux Mouches: Iconic Paris Seine cruise operator offering sightseeing and dining cruises from its own quays. Directly competes for the Seine-based tourist leisure spend and operates adjacent pricing models.
- Canauxrama: Paris canal and river cruise operator offering guided tours along the Seine and Canal Saint-Martin. Competes with Batobus for waterborne sightseeing demand in Paris.
- Marina de Paris: Operator of dinner and sightseeing cruises on the Seine in Paris. Competes with Batobus for tourists seeking branded Seine experiences.
- BigBus Paris: Paris hop-on hop-off land tour operator and Batobus's bundled Duo Liberté partner. Comparable sightseer target audience with the same digital pass commerce model on the complementary modality.
Broad incumbents
- CroisiEurope: Major European river cruise operator running Seine itineraries and longer European cruises. Comparable river-based leisure travel product targeting similar tourist demographics.
- CitySightseeing Paris: Global hop-on hop-off brand operating Paris bus tours. Competes for the same tourist use case as Batobus but on land rather than water, making it a broader incumbent in Paris sightseeing transport.
Regional players
- Les Vedettes de l'Ile de France: Regional Seine operator offering tours and ferry-like services around the Île-de-France area. Comparable river sightseeing product serving a broader Paris-region catchment than Batobus's central Seine loop.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Batobus social profiles
Digital presenceBatobus financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Batobus leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Batobus funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Batobus M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Batobus
What does Batobus do?
Batobus operates a hop-on hop-off river boat service on the Seine in Paris, connecting 9 major landmarks (Tour Eiffel, Invalides, Musée d'Orsay, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Notre Dame, Jardin des plantes, Hôtel de ville, Louvre, Place de la Concorde) via a circular route with approximately 15-minute service intervals and a 2-hour round-trip loop. The company sells time-based passes (24-hour, 48-hour, and annual) for unlimited boarding, complemented by an audio guide, a gamified family activity kit, charter services, and a combined land-and-water pass in partnership with BigBus.
Is Batobus a public or private company?
Batobus is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Batobus founded?
Batobus was founded in 1989. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Batobus based?
Batobus is headquartered in Paris, France, in the Europe region.
How does Batobus make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Tourist Pass Sales are the primary driver. The others are charter Services and duo Liberté Partnership.
Who are Batobus's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Paris Canal, Bateaux Parisiens, Vedettes de Paris, Bateaux Mouches, Canauxrama, Marina de Paris and BigBus Paris. Broad incumbents are CroisiEurope and CitySightseeing Paris. Les Vedettes de l'Ile de France is listed as a regional player.
Does Batobus have an API?
No public API is recorded for Batobus.
What industry is Batobus in?
Batobus's product category is River Tourist Transportation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJAJAA, Sightseeing & Scenic Boat Tours (Harbor, Sunset, Dolphin/Whale Watching), with a secondary code of THAEACAL, Theme & Specialty River Cruises (Culinary/Wellness/Music/etc.). Its NAICS code is 48721 and its SIC code is 4400.