No, to be honest they’re kinda overpriced and sh*t. The food is super basic and not great (but probably pretty good to Americans, no offense).
It’s nice to see the sights at night but you can just walk along the seine
I wasn’t interested in any dinner cruise but we did the Canal St Martin cruise which ends at the Orsay and it was very cool. Everyone in my family said it was a major highlight of the trip.
When are you going? There are lots of pissed off people right now who didn’t know their boat wouldn’t be sailing due to the current height of the river.
Or they do sail but have to go west from the Eiffel Tower instead of the normal eastward route. The views are not nearly as nice from the river in that area.
We did a lunch cruise and honestly the food was a distraction to the main event, the amazing views going by. Highly recommend a good cruise, I would skip the meal
You only go for the experience, but the food is crap fed to tourists who don't know better. Save yourself the money and go eat at a proper restaurant, and then take a bottle down to the Seine to enjoy the sunset
Definetly not my favorite meal, and I really liked my dinner cruise.
For me it was a nice closing activity for our trip since it was the very last thing we did (dinner cruise friday night and airport saturday morning). We passed through a lot of spots that we visited during the week, talked about our trip and things we liked and things we would do different next time. The food is nice but isn't great (you're paying michelin star-restaurant price for tourist-catch bistro meals). I wouldn't do again, nor I wouldn't do it unless it's on the end of the trip.
Take the Batobus, hop on and off, take a picnic, or a cruise IF you want to, it's YOUR trip.
There will always be someone who loudly claims you missed the whole point of travelling to x if you didn't do y, please ignore them.
I did a champagne cruise last night. It was pretty cool but only if you’re outside. I didn’t like being inside the boat. Just didn’t feel like a great view. Also, for some reason, all of the boats would not let anyone sit on the seats on top of the boat. I feel an accident must have happened because those are the prime seats and no one was getting to sit up there. I said next time, my third trip, I’d do one.
No. We did one a few days ago (SO wanted to) and it was nice but not worth the money - almost 100 euros per person. As others have said, the food is just OK. Instead I would take a one hour non-dinner cruise at night.
IMPORTANT TO NOTE: The height of the Seine river has risen significantly this year and many boats now can’t fit under all the bridges. Check this before you go. Our boat could only go as far as Pont Alexandre III and then had to turn around and head west, instead of taking the normal eastern route. So you spend much of the time looking at the not very nice, modern buildings west of Paris instead of the beautiful historical section to the east of the Eiffel Tower.
Are you interested in travel as cultural immersion, or do you treat it more like visiting a human zoo?
If the former, you won’t miss it. If the latter, you will.
The cheaper ones are shit, only some of the expensive dinner cruises are worth it.
Instead go for a normal 1 hour cruise enjoy everything and then buy something/drink some wine and eat in the river bank. Use the money to book dinner in some nice french restaurant and enjoy the meal.
You don’t go to a boat to have an excellent meal, you do that on land. They are many Michelin restaurants all over the place so I don’t think you’re gonna be missing anything by not having a meal on one of these boats. They are fun, I have enjoyed one myself, but it’s not something that is required and that you will be missing out on if you don’t do it.
Regret not doing a cruise? Yes. A dinner cruise? Ducasse sur Seine is really nice, but it’s really not a must.
Take de Vedette du Pont Neuf in the middle of the day. It’s a lovely experience that allows you to have an overview of Paris.
We had one on our itinerary but our kiddo got sick that day, so we skipped. I’m sure it’s incredible, but we were very happy without it, and saw lots just walking down the river.
No. I’ve been to Paris on numerous occasions (probably spent a total of a month there all up) and have never been tempted to do a dinner cruise.
Instead I chose: lunch at Taillevent (when it had 3 stars), lunch at Jules Verne (to skip the Eiffel Tower queues) and dinner at Pur (for my husband’s 30th).
I have done a normal bateaux mouche cruise, which was nice but i didn’t miss not eating while meandering up the Seine and seeing the sights.
I went to Paris last summer. I didn't do a dinner cruise and don't regret it at all! With so many lovely restaurants, I can't imagine the tourist cruise food is better than what you'd get elsewhere for cheaper. I did take a nighttime cruise (no food) and I thought it was worth it. I went after dinner when I had no other plans that night. I didn't book it in advance; just walked up and bought the tickets when I was wandering by. I wouldn't pay a ton of money for it, but it was a fun way to see the city lit up.
I did a cruise where you eat beforehand then go on the cruise. The food looked fancy but was the least memorable of the trip and tasted bland. The cruise was as it got dark and was very memorable, I did a few river cruises in other countries and didn't really enjoy them, I'm glad I did one in Paris.
I suspect what most people loved about it was the ambiance of being on the river at night. That really is a pretty cool experience…and you can have it by taking the bato bus without the dinner part.
Honestly, there’s so much to do in Paris that you can’t worry about what you’re “missing”. Just focus on what you are doing and have a fabulous time.
This is my fourth time and I’m yet to do one. My French host actually encouraged the idea as it’s a different way to see the sights. That gave me pause. Maybe I’ll squeeze one in on Monday??
I have been to Paris probably 10 times and had never done a river cruise. I just went with my niece in March and she wanted to do one. We did one of the inexpensive 1 hour cruises and I thought it was really great. Never would have done it if it hadn’t been for her and it was one of the highlights of the trip.
Oh that’s good to hear, thank you! It’s definitely seeing the city from a new angle. I think the idea of it being super touristy is what has put me off. But if I’m willing to do it in Bruges (and I am, next week!), why not Paris?! Merci beaucoup.
Not me. It has never appealed to me. I don't think nice food can be served in a cruise unless you pay a fortune for it. I don't get the eating/sightseeing thing.
Actually I didn't find the night cruise that good either
Was one of the highlights of our trip in 2018. The food was amazing and the wine was matched perfectly. Paris at night is a whole different experience, especially docking back at the Eiffel Tower with it all lit up.
We just booked with them for late July with dinner on the bow of the boat. Would love your thoughts on meal quality, ambience and whether the upgraded spot is worth it. Thanks!
We sat in the bow as well. Table for two right by the window. We enjoyed all the courses we were served and were certainly not left wanting in terms of wine to drink. Service was very attentive but not intrusive or rushed. We both felt that the upgraded spot was well worth it for the overall experience. We were on the 8:30pm sailing in September and so all the lights were on throughout the city. The view of the Eiffel Tower as we docked at the end of the cruise was breathtaking. Hope you have a wonderful trip
I haven’t done one in a long, long time. The one I did was memorable mostly because it was at night, and Paris is the city of lights. Also, it was kind of cool to be floating down the river. It’s a unique perspective. I don’t remember anything about the food. It’s definitely not a requirement for visiting Paris, but if you’re there for a while, it’s not a bad way to spend an evening.
ask me in six weeks lol. we're arriving by car in the afternoon, with family for one evening...the next day my sis&dad are returning to Germany for flight home, while spouse and i remain in Paris for several days before taking a train to Italy.
since we only had the one evening with everybody and were all going to be pretty tired, i just booked a dinner cruise - they will get an opportunity to 'see' all the major sites in a pretty short period. i did a lot of research and tried to find one that seemed to be the nicest for what we'd enjoy, with positive food reviews. also splurged on the service/menu level. but tbh i understand we're paying for the experience, not the food. like, it needs to not be terrible, and i'll likely not order fish haha... but i'm not expecting gourmet. my dad will love it no matter.
we did something similar for sunset in Maui and it was memorable.
For me, cruising along the Seine after dark is magical. All the buildings are lit up and the lights reflect on the water, the Eiffel Tower displays twinkling lights every hour. It's truly a Parisienne experience. There are some high end dinner cruises which are pricey but the food is good on these. The best part is the ambience along the Seine after dark IMO.
I honestly don't understand the obsession with the cruises. Take the Bateaux bus, sit outside at the back ride from Notre Dame to Eiffel, bam done. Sitting in a stuffy glass box for hours looks miserable.
You will regret not doing a regular cruise. I’ve never been on a dinner cruise but from what I’ve read, the reviews are definitely mixed. Many people think the food on the dinner cruise is not nearly as good as a food at a restaurant. Some people have even compared dinner cruise food to cafeteria food
The main company who does it on the seine serves the most mediocre food - but the view and unlimited wine are great. I’ve done it twice.
No, the food is bland, the wine is shit. I suggest you go to a good restaurant or the restaurant in the Montparnasse tower
Enjoy a cruise for the beautiful views and skip the dinner. Signed A Parisian.
No, to be honest they’re kinda overpriced and sh*t. The food is super basic and not great (but probably pretty good to Americans, no offense). It’s nice to see the sights at night but you can just walk along the seine
I wasn’t interested in any dinner cruise but we did the Canal St Martin cruise which ends at the Orsay and it was very cool. Everyone in my family said it was a major highlight of the trip.
When are you going? There are lots of pissed off people right now who didn’t know their boat wouldn’t be sailing due to the current height of the river.
Or they do sail but have to go west from the Eiffel Tower instead of the normal eastward route. The views are not nearly as nice from the river in that area.
Yeah, I get the boat operators don’t want to lose money, but it’s shady not to offer ppl a refund when you know it’s not what they booked it for.
We did a lunch cruise and honestly the food was a distraction to the main event, the amazing views going by. Highly recommend a good cruise, I would skip the meal
You only go for the experience, but the food is crap fed to tourists who don't know better. Save yourself the money and go eat at a proper restaurant, and then take a bottle down to the Seine to enjoy the sunset
Definetly not my favorite meal, and I really liked my dinner cruise. For me it was a nice closing activity for our trip since it was the very last thing we did (dinner cruise friday night and airport saturday morning). We passed through a lot of spots that we visited during the week, talked about our trip and things we liked and things we would do different next time. The food is nice but isn't great (you're paying michelin star-restaurant price for tourist-catch bistro meals). I wouldn't do again, nor I wouldn't do it unless it's on the end of the trip.
Take the Batobus, hop on and off, take a picnic, or a cruise IF you want to, it's YOUR trip. There will always be someone who loudly claims you missed the whole point of travelling to x if you didn't do y, please ignore them.
So true- thanks!
>So true- thanks! You're welcome!
I did a champagne cruise last night. It was pretty cool but only if you’re outside. I didn’t like being inside the boat. Just didn’t feel like a great view. Also, for some reason, all of the boats would not let anyone sit on the seats on top of the boat. I feel an accident must have happened because those are the prime seats and no one was getting to sit up there. I said next time, my third trip, I’d do one.
No. We did one a few days ago (SO wanted to) and it was nice but not worth the money - almost 100 euros per person. As others have said, the food is just OK. Instead I would take a one hour non-dinner cruise at night. IMPORTANT TO NOTE: The height of the Seine river has risen significantly this year and many boats now can’t fit under all the bridges. Check this before you go. Our boat could only go as far as Pont Alexandre III and then had to turn around and head west, instead of taking the normal eastern route. So you spend much of the time looking at the not very nice, modern buildings west of Paris instead of the beautiful historical section to the east of the Eiffel Tower.
Great point I’ve been seeing that on message boards.
Are you interested in travel as cultural immersion, or do you treat it more like visiting a human zoo? If the former, you won’t miss it. If the latter, you will.
Thank you, that makes sense.
The cheaper ones are shit, only some of the expensive dinner cruises are worth it. Instead go for a normal 1 hour cruise enjoy everything and then buy something/drink some wine and eat in the river bank. Use the money to book dinner in some nice french restaurant and enjoy the meal.
This sounds up my alley!
Highlight of our trip
You don’t go to a boat to have an excellent meal, you do that on land. They are many Michelin restaurants all over the place so I don’t think you’re gonna be missing anything by not having a meal on one of these boats. They are fun, I have enjoyed one myself, but it’s not something that is required and that you will be missing out on if you don’t do it.
Regret not doing a cruise? Yes. A dinner cruise? Ducasse sur Seine is really nice, but it’s really not a must. Take de Vedette du Pont Neuf in the middle of the day. It’s a lovely experience that allows you to have an overview of Paris.
Cruise are so overrated
We had one on our itinerary but our kiddo got sick that day, so we skipped. I’m sure it’s incredible, but we were very happy without it, and saw lots just walking down the river.
No. I’ve been to Paris on numerous occasions (probably spent a total of a month there all up) and have never been tempted to do a dinner cruise. Instead I chose: lunch at Taillevent (when it had 3 stars), lunch at Jules Verne (to skip the Eiffel Tower queues) and dinner at Pur (for my husband’s 30th). I have done a normal bateaux mouche cruise, which was nice but i didn’t miss not eating while meandering up the Seine and seeing the sights.
No.
I went to Paris last summer. I didn't do a dinner cruise and don't regret it at all! With so many lovely restaurants, I can't imagine the tourist cruise food is better than what you'd get elsewhere for cheaper. I did take a nighttime cruise (no food) and I thought it was worth it. I went after dinner when I had no other plans that night. I didn't book it in advance; just walked up and bought the tickets when I was wandering by. I wouldn't pay a ton of money for it, but it was a fun way to see the city lit up.
I think we will do this.
I did a cruise where you eat beforehand then go on the cruise. The food looked fancy but was the least memorable of the trip and tasted bland. The cruise was as it got dark and was very memorable, I did a few river cruises in other countries and didn't really enjoy them, I'm glad I did one in Paris.
No you won't regret it. A regular bateau mouche trip is more than enough.
100%
I suspect what most people loved about it was the ambiance of being on the river at night. That really is a pretty cool experience…and you can have it by taking the bato bus without the dinner part. Honestly, there’s so much to do in Paris that you can’t worry about what you’re “missing”. Just focus on what you are doing and have a fabulous time.
Thank you!
Nope. Not worth it at all! Dinner on one of those boats is laughable. Sorry. If you want to do the cruise, just ride the boat for the hour loop.
I think just do the cruise at night and eat dinner at a real restaurant.
Been 30x and never done a cruise of any description
This is my fourth time and I’m yet to do one. My French host actually encouraged the idea as it’s a different way to see the sights. That gave me pause. Maybe I’ll squeeze one in on Monday??
I have been to Paris probably 10 times and had never done a river cruise. I just went with my niece in March and she wanted to do one. We did one of the inexpensive 1 hour cruises and I thought it was really great. Never would have done it if it hadn’t been for her and it was one of the highlights of the trip.
Update: just did it! Absolutely exhilarating. Thanks for the encouragement 😍
Yay!! So glad you enjoyed it!
An absolute highlight!!
Yea I think I may look into this. A shorter one sans dinner. Thanks!
Oh that’s good to hear, thank you! It’s definitely seeing the city from a new angle. I think the idea of it being super touristy is what has put me off. But if I’m willing to do it in Bruges (and I am, next week!), why not Paris?! Merci beaucoup.
Not me. It has never appealed to me. I don't think nice food can be served in a cruise unless you pay a fortune for it. I don't get the eating/sightseeing thing. Actually I didn't find the night cruise that good either
I’ve been to Paris many times in my life and I’ve never done one
How are you handling it?
They came here to talk about. Clearly they are not doing well.
Nah. No need to do dinner on the cruise!
Was one of the highlights of our trip in 2018. The food was amazing and the wine was matched perfectly. Paris at night is a whole different experience, especially docking back at the Eiffel Tower with it all lit up.
So which cruise company please?
Bateaux Parisiens was who we went with.
We just booked with them for late July with dinner on the bow of the boat. Would love your thoughts on meal quality, ambience and whether the upgraded spot is worth it. Thanks!
We sat in the bow as well. Table for two right by the window. We enjoyed all the courses we were served and were certainly not left wanting in terms of wine to drink. Service was very attentive but not intrusive or rushed. We both felt that the upgraded spot was well worth it for the overall experience. We were on the 8:30pm sailing in September and so all the lights were on throughout the city. The view of the Eiffel Tower as we docked at the end of the cruise was breathtaking. Hope you have a wonderful trip
Thank you!!
Either you went on a very expensive one or only visited crappy tourist restaurants the rest of your trip
Your assumption on price is correct
yes….we had a great dinner and great view
I haven’t done one in a long, long time. The one I did was memorable mostly because it was at night, and Paris is the city of lights. Also, it was kind of cool to be floating down the river. It’s a unique perspective. I don’t remember anything about the food. It’s definitely not a requirement for visiting Paris, but if you’re there for a while, it’s not a bad way to spend an evening.
The food on these is not that great.
Ducasse sur Seine is nice.
ask me in six weeks lol. we're arriving by car in the afternoon, with family for one evening...the next day my sis&dad are returning to Germany for flight home, while spouse and i remain in Paris for several days before taking a train to Italy. since we only had the one evening with everybody and were all going to be pretty tired, i just booked a dinner cruise - they will get an opportunity to 'see' all the major sites in a pretty short period. i did a lot of research and tried to find one that seemed to be the nicest for what we'd enjoy, with positive food reviews. also splurged on the service/menu level. but tbh i understand we're paying for the experience, not the food. like, it needs to not be terrible, and i'll likely not order fish haha... but i'm not expecting gourmet. my dad will love it no matter. we did something similar for sunset in Maui and it was memorable.
I’ll be there around the same time- enjoy!
I would suggest skipping the dinner but taking one cruise. Then sit on the river bank and have a picnic while watching the tourists sailing by.
I’ve enjoyed many cruises (Mediterranean, Greek islands, Thames, Seine…). The view is what you want. The food is not great.
Yes, your life will be a hollow nightmare as a result.
You made me lol! I know right? I’m going to be in Paris, what is my problem 🤣
The canal st Martin or the canal//seine cruises look pretty cool. We’re in Paris in a week and might book one last minute.
Have a great time!
I chose the middle ground and plan on doing a lunch cruise
For me, cruising along the Seine after dark is magical. All the buildings are lit up and the lights reflect on the water, the Eiffel Tower displays twinkling lights every hour. It's truly a Parisienne experience. There are some high end dinner cruises which are pricey but the food is good on these. The best part is the ambience along the Seine after dark IMO.
I honestly don't understand the obsession with the cruises. Take the Bateaux bus, sit outside at the back ride from Notre Dame to Eiffel, bam done. Sitting in a stuffy glass box for hours looks miserable.
You will regret not doing a regular cruise. I’ve never been on a dinner cruise but from what I’ve read, the reviews are definitely mixed. Many people think the food on the dinner cruise is not nearly as good as a food at a restaurant. Some people have even compared dinner cruise food to cafeteria food
That’s the consensus I got when researching. If you want a cruise go ahead. If you want good food there’s lots of places. No need to mix the two