Luxury Dinner Cruise in Paris: The Seine's Gourmet Tables

What justifies €150 to €250 on the water

A €115 dinner and a €245 dinner can take place on the same boat, the same evening, on the same route. The difference comes down to four things, and those are what to check before you pay.

First, where you sit. At Bateaux Parisiens, the Privilège and Premier Baie Vitrée levels are the only ones that guarantee a table against the glass; at Bateaux Mouches, Excellence gives priority, not a guarantee. Second, small dining rooms: Maxim's serves on two boats seating 40 and 60, a world away from the big cruise boats. Third, the cooking: Ducasse sur Seine cooks everything on board, and the Don Juan II holds a Michelin star. Finally, drinks: champagne as an aperitif and selected wines are included at Bateaux Parisiens and Bateaux Mouches at the upper levels, whereas Ducasse and the Don Juan II quote their prices before drinks. So a €175 menu without wine can end up costing more than a €215 menu with everything included.

The register below places these addresses among all the restaurant boats in Paris; our full comparison is on the Seine river dinner cruise page.

Bateaux Parisiens Premier and Premier Baie Vitrée

At Port de la Bourdonnais, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, Bateaux Parisiens keeps the front of its restaurant boats for its two Premier levels. On the 8:30 pm dinner (back 11 pm, 2h30 on the water, from the BnF to the Statue of Liberty, with live entertainment), Premier, from €215, seats you at the bow, at tables for 2 to 10, with rosé champagne as an aperitif, brut champagne with dessert, and a full menu: amuse-bouche, starter, main, cheese, dessert, petits fours. Premier Baie Vitrée, from €245, adds the table against the big bay window at the front. Just below, Privilège (from €185) guarantees a table for 2 to 4 against the glass, with champagne and selected wines.

The shorter 6:15 pm service (1h15) also offers Premier (from €154) and Premier Baie Vitrée (from €174), but with no music and no extras. On the 8:30 pm dinner you can add an All Champagne option (Pommery throughout the meal, minimum two people), Romantic, Birthday or Wedding — the last two at least 48h in advance. Outside Étoile, a child pays the adult price. The menu changes with the seasons, and the prices quoted are from the latest published list. Our Bateaux Parisiens review goes through each level.

On the platforms, check the service level and the time shown on the offer: the lowest prices are for the entry levels.

Bateaux Mouches Excellence: champagne, violin and piano

At the Pont de l'Alma, on the Right Bank, the Compagnie des Bateaux-Mouches keeps its Excellence menu for the 8:30 pm dinner: boarding from 7:30 pm, gangway closes at 8:15 pm, back at 10:45 pm, about 2h15 on the water. For €170 the aperitif is champagne, the menu runs to starter, main, cheese and dessert, and the wines follow (champagne, Montagne-Saint-Émilion, Chablis). Above all, it's the company's only menu with priority for seats by the windows; none is guaranteed. Prestige, from €135, keeps the wine and the sparkling aperitif, without that priority.

The mood is the most festive of the big houses: a violinist and a pianist in the evening, the dance floor open. The menu pages ask guests to dress up "for your own pleasure and that of the other passengers". Two practical pluses: free parking during the cruise, and a written cancellation made at least 72h ahead is refunded. For a family, Excellence has an advantage rare in this bracket: a child aged 4 to 12 pays €45, whatever menu the parents choose. Our Bateaux Mouches review fills in the picture.

Maxim's sur Seine: Art Deco for a small party

Maxim's sur Seine is a brand of the Paris Seine company, run under license from Maxim's de Paris. You board below the Musée d'Orsay, at Port de Solférino (metro line 12 Solférino, RER C Musée d'Orsay). Two boats carry the house's Art Deco interiors: Le Vert Galant, 60 seats, and Le Bateau Ivre, 40 seats, with a sun deck facing Notre-Dame.

Two departures: 6 pm for 1h15 and 8 pm for 2h15. The three-course gourmet menu is designed by chef Olivier Dugue; a glass of champagne and amuse-bouches are included. A pianist-singer gives the evening a cabaret feel, which is the main difference from the big houses. The official pages show different prices depending on where you look: expect from €145 to €165 for the first departure, more for the 8 pm. The wording about wine on the website is ambiguous: ask what's included before you book. Cancellation terms are those of Paris Seine: a €15 fee per person more than 72h ahead, 50 % between 72 and 48h, the full amount after that.

Dinner

GetYourGuide75 minutes - 2 hoursOrsay · Solférino

Paris: Maxim's Dinner Cruise on the Seine with Live Music

4.5 (614)

from €165Check dates

Dinner

HeadoutOrsay · Solférino

Maxim's Seine River Dinner Cruise with Live Music and Bistro Menu

4.5 (140)

from €165Check dates

See everything on GetYourGuide →See everything on Tiqets →See everything on Headout →Prices checked on October 17, 2026

Ducasse sur Seine: cooked on board an electric boat

Ducasse sur Seine boards at 19 Port Debilly, on the Right Bank opposite the Eiffel Tower. Its boat is presented as the first fully electric restaurant boat in Paris: quiet, no engine vibration, no wastewater discharge, with the kitchen on the lower deck and a cellar of about a thousand bottles. Dinner is at 8:30 pm for two hours, and the route ends at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.

Prices are those of a chef's restaurant, drinks separate. The four-course "Nuit étoilée" dinner costs €175, or €285 with champagne and wine pairing; five courses, €215, or €325 with the pairing. The "Paris est une fête" menu, six courses with champagne and pairing, goes up to €530. The 12:45 pm lunch (1h45) starts at €115 for three courses. One point to be clear on: despite the famous name, the boat has no Michelin star.

Smart dress is required: no shorts, no sportswear and no open shoes for men. Cancellation is free up to 7 days before, less a 3 % fee; between 7 days and 72h, half is due, and the full amount after that. Ducasse isn't sold on any of our partner platforms: you book on its website.

Don Juan II: Yachts de Paris's Michelin-starred dinner

The Don Juan II, the floating restaurant of Yachts de Paris, boards at Port Debilly, on the Right Bank opposite the Eiffel Tower, with free private parking in front of the boat (metro Trocadéro or Iéna, RER C Pont de l'Alma). Watch the address: Port Henri-IV is the company's events base, not the dinner quay.

The pace is that of a fine-dining restaurant. Dinner only, Tuesday to Saturday; boarding from 7:45 pm to 8:15 pm at the latest, because the boat leaves the quay at 8:15 pm sharp. Cruising until 10:30 pm, then a last drink at the quay facing the tower. The single five-course menu — crab, dashi, langoustine, poultry, chocolate — is by Frédéric Anton and has earned the boat a Michelin star since 2022. Price: €250, before drinks.

Dress must be smart, with no tie or jacket required; jeans, sneakers, tracksuits and T-shirts are banned. This isn't a dinner for children: there are no high chairs and no kids' menu. Groups of more than eight book by email. The Don Juan II isn't sold through our partners, who do offer a Yachts de Paris tea-time cruise in the afternoon.

Dress code: what gets past the gangway and what doesn't

In this bracket, dress matters, and at Bateaux Mouches anyone turned away at the gangway is not refunded. The lists differ. Bateaux Parisiens refuses jeans, sneakers, flip-flops, Bermuda shorts and caps. Bateaux Mouches refuses sportswear, flip-flops, Bermuda shorts, caps, sandals, shorts and tank tops — but doesn't mention jeans. Ducasse rules out shorts, sportswear and open shoes for men. The Don Juan II bans jeans, sneakers, tracksuits and T-shirts. Maxim's publishes no rule.

In practice, smart trousers, a shirt or a dressy top and closed shoes get you in everywhere; a jacket is required nowhere. Think about the evening itself, too: the boats are heated or air-conditioned, but going up on deck to photograph the lit tower means standing in the wind. A shawl or a light jacket will be more use than a tie.

When to book, payment and cancellation

No company publishes a minimum booking window for an ordinary dinner, but the seats that justify the price are scarce by definition: there's only one bay window at the front of a boat, and Maxim's has just a few dozen covers. In our view, book as soon as your date is fixed for a Friday or Saturday, and earlier still in August, the busiest month. Bateaux Parisiens options (Birthday, Wedding) must be added at least 48h ahead; the Romantic option can be added on the day.

Payment and cancellation vary a lot. Bateaux Parisiens takes full payment online and never refunds; a date change is sometimes possible by phone, for a fee. Bateaux Mouches refunds a written cancellation at 72h. Ducasse refunds up to 7 days ahead. Paris Seine and Maxim's keep fees from the moment you book. For the Don Juan II, the terms are given when you book. On the platforms, they depend on the offer and are shown before you pay.

Holiday evenings and marriage proposals

Holiday dates push prices up and remove cancellation almost everywhere. At Bateaux Parisiens, Christmas Eve dinner on 24 December sells for €200 to €335, the 25 December dinner for €170 to €295, and 31 December leaves at 9 pm for 3h30 with a band, €495 to €770 depending on the seat. At Bateaux Mouches, Valentine's Day costs €230, the national fireworks evening €255, and New Year's Eve €480 — but the boat is back at the quay at 11:15 pm, and midnight is celebrated moored at Alma. All the details are on our New Year's Eve and Christmas page.

For a marriage proposal, Bateaux Mouches sells a "Paris pour un Oui" package at €360, and Bateaux Parisiens a Wedding option (cake, champagne, printed photo, preserved rose). Our proposal page compares these packages with private boats, and the champagne cruise page offers a shorter version, without dinner.

Our picks for a special dinner

1

The grand tour, Premier levels

Bateaux Parisiens at 8:30 pm: 2h30 from the BnF to the Statue of Liberty, live music, champagne at the upper levels.

Dinner

GetYourGuide2.5 hoursEiffel Tower

Paris: 3-Course-Dinner Cruise on the Seine with live music

4.7 (8,948)

from €115Check dates

2

The same dinner, another platform

Bateaux Parisiens from Bourdonnais, worth comparing before you pay.

Dinner

HeadoutEiffel Tower

Bateaux Parisiens Seine River Dinner Cruise with French Premium Menu

4.4 (4,861)

from €115Check dates

3

Champagne, violin and piano

Bateaux Mouches at Alma: Excellence menu with window priority, refund if you cancel 72h ahead.

Dinner

GetYourGuide2.5 hoursPont de l'Alma

Paris: Bateaux Mouches® Dinner Cruise on the Seine River

4.5 (4,745)

from €114Check dates

4

The Art Deco salon

Maxim's sur Seine at Solférino: 40 to 60 covers, pianist-singer, a glass of champagne.

Dinner

GetYourGuide75 minutes - 2 hoursOrsay · Solférino

Paris: Maxim's Dinner Cruise on the Seine with Live Music

4.5 (614)

from €165Check dates