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At the tableMidday on the Seine

Seine Lunch Cruise and Brunch Cruise: Times, Piers and Menus

For lunch while actually sailing, three services stand out: Bateaux Parisiens every day at 12:45 pm at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, La Marina at 12:30 pm below the Musée d'Orsay, and Bateaux Mouches at weekends at 12:30 pm by the Pont de l'Alma. On Sundays, add the brunches on Le Capitaine Fracasse and Le Diamant Bleu.

Boards at

Eiffel Tower Port de la Bourdonnais · Metro: Champ de Mars – Tour Eiffel (RER C), Bir-Hakeim (6), Trocadéro (6, 9)

Duration
1h30 to 2h (brunches 1h45 to 2h)
Departure
12:30 pm or 12:45 pm; Sunday brunches at 12:30 pm
Price
from around €60; brunch from around €50
Piers
Bourdonnais, Solférino, Alma, Javel Haut, Passy
Drinks
included at Bateaux Parisiens and Bateaux Mouches, extra elsewhere
Dress code
smart dress required at Bateaux Parisiens (no jeans), none at Fracasse and Le Diamant Bleu

Updated October 17, 2026Facts checked against official sourcesContains affiliate links

Lunch and brunch: what you can book

9 offers · Prices checked on October 17, 2026

Departs

Platform

See everything on GetYourGuide →See everything on Tiqets →See everything on Headout →

Why have lunch on the water rather than dinner

In our view, the lunch cruise is the most underrated option on the Seine: daylight shows off the facades and bridges that the evening hides, the boats are less full, and prices stay well below the evening ones. At Bateaux Parisiens, the Étoile service costs from €79 at midday against from €115 for the 8:30 pm dinner, on the company's website, on the same route, from the BnF to the Statue of Liberty.

And lunch goes further than a sightseeing cruise: a one-hour loop runs up to Île Saint-Louis and back, whereas the Bateaux Parisiens 12:45 pm pushes east as far as the Bibliothèque nationale de France, then rounds Île aux Cygnes and its Statue of Liberty before returning to the Eiffel Tower.

The downside: two hours blocked out in the middle of the day, and dated tickets, often non-cancellable. To compare with the evening, see our Seine river dinner cruise guide and the cheap dinner cruise page; for just a glass without a meal, the champagne and drinks cruises.

Midday services (entry prices on the companies' websites)
ServiceTimeLengthMenuPrice
Bateaux Parisiens, Étoile service12:45 pm, every day2hkir, starter, main, dessert, wines includedfrom €79
Bateaux Mouches, "Douce France"12:30 pm, weekends and public holidays1h45kir, starter, main, cheese or dessert, wine, coffee€90
La Marina, "Orsay" lunch12:30 pm1h30starter, main, dessert, drinks extrafrom €69
Le Théo, Italian lunchSunday2hItalian foodfrom €59
Le Capitaine Fracasse, brunch12:30 pm, Sunday1h45sweet-and-savory plate, dessert, hot drink, juicefrom €52
Le Diamant Bleu, Brunch Gourmand12:30 pm, Sunday2hbuffet, cooking stations, unlimited hot drinks€89

Bateaux Parisiens at 12:45 pm: the big midday tour

This is the best-selling lunch cruise in Paris: on GetYourGuide, the Bateaux Parisiens lunch cruise listing has thousands of reviews, with a consistently high rating. You board at Port de la Bourdonnais, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower; meal-cruise check-in is at pontoons 5 and 7, not at pontoon 3 used by the sightseeing cruises. Departure 12:45 pm, back 2:45 pm, every day except 1 January. Turn up thirty minutes early.

The menu is the same for everyone (a choice of four starters, four mains, four desserts); only the seat and what comes with it change. Étoile, from €79, seats you in the center of the boat, kir and wines included. Découverte, from €89, panoramic view from the center. Privilège, from €99, guarantees a table by the bay window, for two to four. Premier and Premier Baie Vitrée seat you at the front with a glass of champagne. Seating is explained on our window seat page.

Two traps to know about. The €40 child price exists only in Étoile: on the other services, a child pays the adult price, babies included. And smart dress is required: jeans, sneakers, flip-flops, Bermuda shorts and caps are refused on board. No live music on the standard lunch; the crew announces the main monuments. Bookings are final: the company neither cancels nor refunds.

Price check Bateaux Parisiens lunch cruise on more than one platform Difference: €10
PlatformListingRatingPriceWhere
Tiqets Seine River: Lunch Cruise 4.6 (481) €69 Lowest See on Tiqets
GetYourGuide Paris: Lunch Cruise with 3-course menu from the Eiffel Tower · 2 hours 4.7 (5,401) €79 See on GetYourGuide
Headout Bateaux Parisiens Seine River Lunch Cruise with French Menu 4.6 (4,411) €79 See on Headout
DirectBateaux Parisiens, 12:45 lunch, Étoile service—€79Official site ↗

Lowest adult price per person in euros, checked on October 17, 2026. Times, menus and options can differ between platforms; check before you pay.

Bateaux Mouches at weekends: accordion at the Pont de l'Alma

The Bateaux Mouches company serves lunch only on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. You board between 12 pm and 12:15 pm at Port de la Conférence, on the Right Bank at the foot of the Pont de l'Alma; the boat leaves at 12:30 pm and returns around 2:15 pm, about 1h45 on the water. Free parking during the cruise.

There's a single formula, "Douce France", at €90 per adult and €45 for ages 4 to 12 on the company's website: kir, starter, main, cheese or dessert, coffee, a bottle of wine for two (or two soft drinks) and water. Vegetarian dishes are marked on the menu. An accordionist plays during the meal and the dance floor is open: the most "postcard" lunch on the Seine. At midday, smart-casual clothes are simply appreciated.

No commentary during the meal: a route map is handed out at the table. Cancellation is more flexible than at Bateaux Parisiens: refunded if made in writing at least 72 hours ahead (for fewer than fifteen people). On the platforms, the Bateaux Mouches lunch cruise is on GetYourGuide and the version with a concert on Headout; their own terms show before you pay. Our Bateaux Mouches review covers the rest.

La Marina and the Bistro Parisien: the lighter options

Below the Musée d'Orsay, at Port de Solférino, the Paris Seine company, which also sells as La Marina de Paris, offers an "Orsay" lunch cruise at 12:30 pm for 1h30, from €69 on its website (boarding from 12:15 pm). Three courses; drinks are extra, around a dozen euros for a cocktail on their list. The route runs from Orsay toward Notre-Dame and the Conciergerie, comes back past the Louvre and the Pont Alexandre III, passes the Statue of Liberty and finishes at the Eiffel Tower. On Headout, the La Marina lunch cruise has thousands of reviews. Cancellation: a €15 fee per person more than 72 hours ahead, then 50 % and 100 %. See our La Marina de Paris review.

The Bistro Parisien, for its part, doesn't sail. It's the Bateaux Parisiens restaurant at the quay, on pontoon 2 at Port de la Bourdonnais, open all day from 12 pm to 10 pm, à la carte from €48 on the company's website. The platforms sell it as a package: a meal at the bistro plus the one-hour sightseeing cruise, around €60 (see the bistro lunch and cruise). You eat on land and sail before or after: the cheapest way to do it all in one place. Details in our Bistro Parisien review.

Price check bistro-lunch on more than one platform
PlatformListingRatingPriceWhere
Tiqets Seine River: Sightseeing Cruise + Lunch at Le Bistro Parisien 4.5 (30) €60 See on Tiqets

Lowest adult price per person in euros, checked on October 17, 2026. Times, menus and options can differ between platforms; check before you pay.

The lunch at Madame Brasserie with a cruise, inside the Eiffel Tower, exists only as a platform product.

Sunday brunch cruise in Paris: which ones sail

On Sunday, two brunches actually leave the quay. Le Capitaine Fracasse boards at Port de Javel Haut, at the foot of the Pont Mirabeau (metro line 10 Javel-André Citroën, RER C Javel): boarding 12 pm, departure 12:30 pm, back 2:15 pm. Brunch from €52, "Champagne Brunch" from €62 with a glass, on the company's website: a plate of sweet and savory bites, the dessert of the day, a hot drink and a juice. No dress code, free cancellation up to 24 hours. Tiqets sells the Capitaine Fracasse brunch; our Capitaine Fracasse review describes the boat.

Le Diamant Bleu leaves from Port de Passy, Maison de la Radio, 2 rue du Ranelagh (RER C Avenue du Président Kennedy): boarding 11:30 am, departure 12:30 pm, back 2:30 pm. Its Brunch Gourmand is an all-you-can-eat buffet with live cooking stations (sushi, pancakes, omelets), unlimited hot drinks, an orange juice and a singer, at €89 per adult and €59 per child. The company lists vegan, halal and gluten-free options on its menu; mention it when you book. No dress code, free cancellation up to 48 hours. At the same quay, Le Théo serves an Italian lunch on Sundays from €59, which Headout sells as the Théo brunch.

By contrast, the Bateaux Mouches brunch (Sunday 11 am–3 pm, €59) is served in the restaurant on the pontoon, with no sailing, like those at Le Son de la Terre, a barge moored facing Notre-Dame, or at the floating hotel OFF Paris Seine. The smaller companies are all on our Théo, Diamant Bleu and Green River page.

Breakfast cruise in Paris: what to check

None of the big companies lists a breakfast cruise on its own website. What does exist are platform products that pair a morning cruise with breakfast: the early-morning cruise with breakfast on Headout, around €30, and a cruise with French breakfast near the Eiffel Tower on GetYourGuide, a little cheaper. Going by its title, the second serves breakfast near the tower, not necessarily on board.

Before you book, read three lines of the listing: where breakfast is served (on board or in a café), which company runs the cruise, and what time boarding is. That's the whole difference between coffee on the water and a croissant gulped down before a one-hour cruise.

Our view: to see Paris early and without crowds, the first departure of a sightseeing cruise (around 10 am at Bateaux Parisiens or Bateaux Mouches) does the same job for about €20. To carry on with a visit, see Eiffel Tower and cruise.

Kids, diets, seating and cancellation: how to choose

With children, the math changes from one company to the next. At Bateaux Parisiens, only the Étoile service has a child price (€40); elsewhere, a child pays full fare. Bateaux Mouches charges €45 for ages 4 to 12, Le Diamant Bleu €59 at brunch. For little ones, the Bistro Parisien plus cruise package is still the simplest: a meal on land, restrooms close by, an hour on the boat. Our family guide goes further.

For special diets, Bateaux Parisiens always has a vegetarian menu and adapts to other diets on request; Bateaux Mouches marks its vegetarian dishes. For the view, only the Bateaux Parisiens Privilège and Premier Baie Vitrée tables are guaranteed by the glass. Cancellation, finally, ranges from none (Bateaux Parisiens) to 72 hours (Bateaux Mouches): see the FAQ below.

Le Calife (Saturday and Sunday, Paris Lunch formula from €65) and Ducasse sur Seine (from €115, drinks extra) can be booked only direct; our luxury dinner cruise page puts them in context.

Our picks for lunch on the Seine

1

Most complete: Bateaux Parisiens 12:45 pm

Two hours, wines included, route as far as the BnF and the Statue of Liberty.

2

Most affordable that sails: La Marina

Leaves below Orsay, 1h30, finishes at the Eiffel Tower; drinks extra.

3

Weekend with music: Bateaux Mouches

Accordion, wine included, cancel up to 72 hours ahead.

4

Sunday brunch: Capitaine Fracasse

Port de Javel Haut, 1h45, no dress code, cancel up to 24 hours.

5

Easiest with kids: Bistro Parisien + cruise

Meal at the quay on pontoon 2, then an hour on the water.

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

Which Seine lunch cruise is best for a first time?

The Bateaux Parisiens 12:45 pm, from Port de la Bourdonnais: two hours, wines included and the longest midday route. To spend less, La Marina at 12:30 pm below the Musée d'Orsay, bearing in mind that drinks are extra.

Does the Bateaux Mouches brunch sail?

No, it's served on Sunday in the restaurant on the pontoon, with no cruise. For a brunch that sails, choose Le Capitaine Fracasse (Port de Javel Haut) or Le Diamant Bleu (Port de Passy), both on Sunday at 12:30 pm.

Are drinks included at lunch?

At Bateaux Parisiens (kir and wines) and Bateaux Mouches (kir, a bottle of wine for two), yes. At La Marina, Ducasse sur Seine and Le Calife's Classique formula, no. At the Diamant Bleu brunch, hot drinks are unlimited and an orange juice is included.

Can I cancel a lunch cruise?

It depends on the company: never at Bateaux Parisiens, up to 72 hours at Bateaux Mouches, 24 hours at Le Capitaine Fracasse, 48 hours at Le Diamant Bleu. On the platforms, each offer's terms are shown before you pay.

Is there a breakfast cruise in Paris?

Not at the big companies. Headout and GetYourGuide sell morning cruise and breakfast packages; check on the listing whether breakfast is served on board or in a nearby café.

Keep exploring

At the tableDinner cruisefrom €59 At the tableCheap dinner cruisefrom €55 At the tableLuxury dinner cruisefrom €110 At the tableWith live musicfrom €71 At the tableWindow seatfrom €115 At the tableEarly dinner (6 pm)from €59 At the tableChampagne and drinksfrom €17 At the tableBest dinner cruisefrom €59