Maxim's sur Seine review: the Art Deco dinner cruise in Paris

A Paris Seine brand under a Maxim's license

Maxim's sur Seine is not a separate company. It is a brand of Paris Seine, the company that also runs La Marina de Paris from the same quay, used under license from Maxim's de Paris. The company's legal name is Marina de Bercy, but that is not a boarding point: everything leaves from Solférino. On its website, the brand explains that the Paris Seine and Maxim's teams joined forces to recreate the house's Art Deco world on the water.

In practice, you are booking with the same business as for a La Marina dinner, with the same terms of sale, the same pontoon and the same route. What changes is the decor, the size of the boats, the welcome champagne and the music. It is the house's top tier, positioned between the big packages of the Eiffel Tower companies and gourmet tables such as Ducasse sur Seine. Our luxury Seine dinner cruise page places Maxim's among all those options.

One useful point for comparison: at Maxim's, the live music comes from a pianist-singer, in a cabaret mood. Other Seine dinners have musicians too, such as the Bateaux Parisiens 8:30 pm sitting, Bateaux Mouches, Le Diamant Bleu and the Paris Seine Festif dinner; our dinner cruises with live music page compares them.

Two dinner cruises, at 6 pm and 8 pm

The brand runs two departures. The first leaves the quay at 6 pm for 1h15 on the water; the second leaves at 8 pm for 2h15. Some resellers report times shifting in low season, to around 6:45 pm and 9:15 pm; we cannot confirm that, so check the time on your booking.

The 6 pm sitting is short and sails in daylight for much of the year: in spring and summer you are back before sunset. It is the pick for dinner before a show, or for a couple who do not want a late night. Our early dinner cruise page compares every early-evening sitting.

The 8 pm sitting is the full evening. In autumn and winter it sails entirely after dark; in summer it leaves in the sunshine and comes back under the lights. The Eiffel Tower sparkles for five minutes at the start of every hour after dark, until at least 11 pm; on some evenings, especially in summer, it carries on later — check the tower's website for the day. No company times its departures to the sparkle.

In our view, if you are paying this much, take the 8 pm sitting: 2h15 instead of 1h15, for a modest difference in price.

Port de Solférino, below the Musée d'Orsay

The boat boards at Port de Solférino, below the Musée d'Orsay on the Promenade Édouard-Glissant side, in the 7th. It is La Marina de Paris's quay, and also where the Canal Saint-Martin boat and the Batobus "Musée d'Orsay" stop leave from, so look for the Maxim's name on the pontoon.

To get there, the company suggests Métro line 12 (Solférino or Assemblée nationale) and the RER C (Musée d'Orsay), plus plenty of buses (24, 63, 68, 69, 73, 83, 84, 94). If you drive, the recommended car parks are Louvre or Montalembert, on rue du Bac; taxis drop off on Quai Anatole-France.

In our view it is one of the best departure points: central, halfway between the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame, and walkable from Saint-Germain-des-Prés or from the Tuileries over the Léopold-Sédar-Senghor footbridge. Our Seine pier guide places it on the river line.

The boats: Le Vert Galant and Le Bateau Ivre

Maxim's sur Seine uses two boats from the Paris Seine fleet. Le Vert Galant seats 60, with a wood-paneled interior and wide picture windows. Le Bateau Ivre is smaller, seating 40 in an Art Deco setting inspired by Maxim's, with a sun deck that looks out on Notre-Dame. The site does not say which of the two sails on a given evening, and you do not choose your boat.

Those numbers change everything compared with the big companies. On a boat of 40 or 60 covers, service is more personal, the room is quieter and the music is played almost at your table. On the other hand, there is inevitably less room to get up and go outside to look at the monuments.

The route is the Paris Seine one: out from Orsay, up to Notre-Dame and the Conciergerie, back past the Louvre and Pont Alexandre III, past the Statue of Liberty on Île aux Cygnes, with the Eiffel Tower as the finale. We do not promise a window seat, because the company does not guarantee one. For that specific question, see our guide to getting a window seat.

The Maxim's sur Seine menu, champagne and piano: what is included

The menu is a three-course gourmet dinner by chef Olivier Dugue, preceded by amuse-bouches and a glass of champagne. Wine is the open question: the brand writes that each course comes with wines chosen by the sommelier, without saying clearly whether they are included in the price. So we do not promise it. Check what the listing includes before you pay, and ask at the table whether a glass is served or charged.

The evening comes with music: a pianist-singer plays during dinner, in an unapologetically cabaret mood. That is the real difference from the gourmet tables at Port Debilly, which dine without music.

The site publishes no dress code and no policy on children. In our view, smart clothes will never look out of place in this setting, and this is not a dinner designed with small children in mind. Animals are not allowed, except guide dogs.

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

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Maxim's sur Seine on GetYourGuide →Maxim's sur Seine on Headout →Prices checked on October 17, 2026

Prices, booking and cancellation

Prices vary depending on the page you look at. The Maxim's site shows "from €145", the Paris Seine site gives from €165 for 6 pm and from €195 for 8 pm, and its homepage yet another figure. Think "from roughly €145 to €165", and read the exact price of the day on the listing card. On GetYourGuide and Headout, the dinner shows at around €165.

On the official site, Paris Seine's terms apply. More than 72 hours before, cancelling costs €15 per person; between 72 and 48 hours, half the price; less than 48 hours before, the full amount. Special dates (Valentine's Day, Bastille Day, Christmas, New Year's) follow a stricter rule: €15 per person more than eight days out, the full price after that. A date change is possible up to 6 hours before, for €15 per person. If the boat cannot leave the quay, the company gives a 15 % reduction. Arrive at least a quarter of an hour early: the boat does not wait.

On the platforms, the conditions depend on the listing and are shown before you pay. Our GetYourGuide, Tiqets or Headout page explains how to read them.

See the Maxim's sur Seine dinner cruisefrom €165Affiliate link: if you book, we earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Who it suits, and who it doesn't

Maxim's sur Seine suits couples who want a dressy, intimate evening with music, without going up to the prices of Michelin-starred tables: a birthday, a proposal, a last night in Paris. It also appeals to anyone who likes a retro setting and wants to leave from the center, steps from Orsay.

It suits people who want to know exactly what they are paying for less well: prices differ from one official page to the next and wine is not clearly included. It is not for families with young children. And if food matters more than atmosphere, a gourmet table without music, such as Ducasse sur Seine or the Michelin-starred Don Juan II, both at Port Debilly, will serve you better, for a bigger budget.

Want the music without the price tag? At La Marina, the same company runs a "Festif" dinner with a live singer and a Belle Époque mood, from about €110 on its site.

Our Maxim's sur Seine review and rating

We rated Maxim's on five criteria, measuring it against the upscale dinner cruises rather than the entry-level packages.

Maxim's sur Seine FAQ