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Private & combosCelebrating on the water, as a group

Bachelorette or Birthday Boat in Paris: Groups, Rules, Budget

For a bachelorette party or a birthday on the Seine there are two options: hire a small boat with a skipper (up to 7, 9 or 12 guests, your drinks, your music) or book a big table on a dinner cruise. Expect roughly €55 to €90 per person on a private boat, €70 to €135 with dinner served.

Group size
5 to 7 (motor launch), up to 12 (pontoon boat), 18 (yacht), more on request
Price
private boat about €450 to €900 for 1h30 to 2h, so €55 to €90 a head
Drinks
bring your own on most small private boats
Music
your playlist over Bluetooth on private boats
Skipper
always included: no license-free boats are allowed on the Seine in Paris
Cancellation
from midnight the day before (Paris Boat Club) to non-cancellable, depending on the listing

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

Bachelorette & birthday: what you can book

9 offers · Prices checked on October 17, 2026

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Bachelorette, bachelor or birthday: two ways to party on the water

A bachelorette or bachelor party (a hen or stag do, if you are British), a thirtieth birthday with friends: on the Seine, the real question is "what kind of evening?". Two formats answer opposite wishes.

The private boat. A small boat just for your group, driven by a skipper, for 1h30 to 2h. You choose the time, the music and what goes in the glasses; on most boats, you bring the champagne, the cake and the picnic yourselves. This is the format for a party among a small circle, 5 to 12 people.

A big table on a dinner cruise. You book several seats on a restaurant boat shared with other passengers. The meal is served, the music is the house's, the alcohol comes from the menu. This is the format for a birthday with the parents along, or for a group too big for a small boat.

In our view, for a bachelorette party that wants to laugh loudly, sing and toast its own way, the private boat wins hands down. For a quieter birthday at the table, a dinner cruise is simpler and often cheaper per person. Our private boat page presents every private boat; our Seine dinner cruise page compares the restaurant boats.

How many of you? Group size decides the boat

On a private boat every passenger counts, babies included. The limits the companies publish:

  • Up to 7: Paris Boat Club's launches (7.5 m Jeanneau boats) take 9 passengers plus the skipper, but the published rate stops at 7: €449 for 1 to 5 people, €499 for 1 to 7, for two hours. Departure from the Beaugrenelle stop.
  • Up to 12: My Paris River's pontoon boats, real little floating lounges, take 12 passengers plus crew. A second identical pontoon boat lets you go to 13 to 24 guests, on two boats.
  • Based on a minimum of 6: Green River Cruises prices from six passengers, from €55 per person. Its offer sold on Headout takes 12 people at most.
  • Up to 18: the Yachts de Paris yacht Cachemire (14 seated, 18 for cocktails), on quote only.

Beyond that, you need a large boat on quote or a table on a dinner cruise. Bateaux Mouches does offer private hire of its boats, but with 90-day cancellation terms that only suit long-range planning. For a group of 15 to 30, a dinner cruise is often still the most realistic solution.

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

Alcohol, cake and picnic: what each boat allows

This is the deciding question for a bachelorette party, and the rules change from one boat to the next. No company publishes rules specific to bachelorette parties: the general rules on board apply.

On small private boats the rule is generous. Paris Boat Club says it in so many words: bring whatever you like, drinks and food alike. My Paris River also lets you bring your own picnic at no extra charge. Green River Cruises includes two bottles of wine, or of champagne on its romantic cruises, and lets you bring your own food with no corkage. The one notable exception: the Paris Seine private offer sold by resellers bans outside food and drinks.

On a dinner cruise it is the other way round: you drink what the package provides. Bateaux Parisiens and Bateaux Mouches include wine in most of their menus and swap alcohol for soft drinks on request. At Paris Seine and on Le Capitaine Fracasse's Fracasse package, drinks are extra. For the cake, Bateaux Parisiens sells a Birthday add-on — a glass of champagne with dessert and a slice of birthday cake — to be added at least 48 hours ahead, only on the 8:30 pm dinner. Our champagne cruise page details what is really in the glass, offer by offer.

Party boat on the Seine: music, speakers and a dance floor

On a private boat, the music is yours: every company we checked lets you plug in your phone over Bluetooth, and Paris Boat Club has speakers on board. Keep the volume sensible: the skipper is sailing among other boats and under bridges where people are strolling, so do not plan on a floating nightclub.

On a dinner cruise, the music is set by the boat, and it varies a lot. For a bachelorette party, our favorite is Le Diamant Bleu at Port de Passy: a singer during dinner, then a DJ party at the quay after the cruise (except on the first Saturday sitting and on Sundays), no dress code, from €89. Bateaux Mouches opens a dance floor at 8:30 pm to violin and piano. The Paris Seine Festif cruise has a singer and a Belle Époque mood, and the Bateaux Parisiens 8:30 pm dinner has live musical entertainment.

Avoid for a party: the Bateaux Parisiens 6:15 pm dinner (no music, no add-ons), and fine-dining boats such as Ducasse or the Don Juan II, which are all about calm. Our guide to the dinner cruise with live music describes each atmosphere.

Booking a big table on a dinner cruise

A group on a restaurant boat is not just a couple multiplied. At Bateaux Parisiens, the whole group must book the same sitting to be seated together; beyond one table, guests are placed at neighboring tables. The final headcount is due 72 hours ahead and can only drop by 10 % at most. Mind the dress code: jeans, sneakers, flip-flops, Bermuda shorts and caps are refused, and that applies to every guest, bridal veil or not.

At Bateaux Mouches, a group of more than 14 gets a single set menu, and the final headcount is due three working days ahead. Le Capitaine Fracasse, at Port de Javel Haut, has no dress code and 247 seats: a good choice for a large, casually dressed group, from €75 without drinks or €89 with wine. Paris en Scène, on the same quay, changes its terms from 12 people: free cancellation only up to 30 days ahead, then 50 % from 29 to 15 days. Le Théo, at Port de Passy, offers a convivial Trattoria en Seine at €69, with no dress code.

For more than ten people, book directly with the company, which is the only one that can guarantee the table layout. For five or six, a platform is fine, as long as you book every seat in one go. The smaller companies are presented on our Théo, Diamant Bleu and smaller operators page.

Budget per person: our numbers

Private boats are almost always priced per boat: divided by the number of guests, they become comparable with a dinner. Ballpark figures, from the companies' rates:

Option Group Published price Per person Food
Paris Boat Club, 2h 7 €499 per boat about €71 bring your own
Paris Boat Club, 2h 5 €449 per boat about €90 bring your own
My Paris River, Paris departure, 1h30 12 €75 per person for 7 to 12 €75 bring your own
Green River Cruises, Paris 6 or more from €55 per person from €55 two bottles included
Paris Private Boat, Le Buci, 1h30 not published from €1,000 per boat depends on the group bachelorette or birthday package
Paris en Scène, Wine package per seat from €72 €72 dinner served
Bateaux Parisiens, 8:30 pm, Étoile per seat from €115 €115, plus the add-on dinner served

On a private boat, add the cost of what you bring: a bottle of champagne for every three people and light catering quickly come to €20 to €30 per person. A bachelorette party of seven on a launch therefore costs roughly the same as a mid-range dinner cruise.

Timing, toilets and weather: the details that save the evening

Timing. Paris Boat Club sells two-hour slots between noon and 8 pm; other times are on quote. From November to February, the 6 to 8 pm slot happens after dark, with the monuments lit; in summer you need to go later to see the city light up. 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. The month-by-month detail is on our Seine sunset cruise page.

Toilets. Over two hours with champagne, this is no small matter: the Paris Boat Club launch has a cabin with a toilet, My Paris River's pontoon boats have none. Check before booking any other offer.

Weather. Small private boats are open-air; some pontoon boats get a cover in winter. Bring a jacket, even in summer.

The pier. It is on the booking voucher, sometimes only after payment: Beaugrenelle, Austerlitz, Pont Marie or Pont d'Issy. Our Seine piers guide gives the metro stops. And if one of you dreams of taking the wheel: license-free boats are banned on the Seine in Paris, so there will always be a skipper.

Our picks for celebrating as a group

1

The most reviewed

A private cruise with champagne and surprises, several hundred reviews: the benchmark of the category.

2

The rosé apéritif

A small private boat, rosé and macarons: the bachelorette format for a small group.

3

Two hours on a modern boat

Enough time for the full loop, with music on board.

4

Dinner, then a DJ

Le Diamant Bleu: a singer during the meal, then dancing at the quay afterward, no dress code.

5

Wine included, up to 12

Green River Cruises on a pontoon boat, 1h30; non-cancellable once booked.

How much does a bachelorette boat in Paris cost?

On a small private boat with a skipper, expect €450 to €900 for 1h30 to 2h, so roughly €55 to €90 per person for a group of 6 to 12. On top of that come drinks and food, which you usually bring yourselves.

Can we bring our own alcohol and a cake?

Yes on most private boats (Paris Boat Club, My Paris River, Green River Cruises), with no corkage. No on the Paris Seine private offer, or on dinner cruises, where you drink from the boat's menu.

How many people fit on a private boat?

7 at the published rate on Paris Boat Club's launches, 12 on a My Paris River pontoon boat, 18 on the yacht Cachemire. Beyond that, two boats or a large boat on quote.

Can we play our own music?

Yes on private boats, over Bluetooth. On a dinner cruise the music is the boat's: a singer and a DJ on Le Diamant Bleu, violin and piano at Bateaux Mouches.

Are there toilets on board?

Yes on Paris Boat Club's launches, no on My Paris River's pontoon boats. At Bateaux Parisiens, on every boat, but down a staircase on the restaurant boats.

What about a proposal during the party?

That is a different project, with different boats and different times: see our proposal on the Seine page.

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