Picture a long glass boat sliding down the Seine River at night. You eat dinner while Paris lights sparkle outside. Lots of companies run these cruises, but Bateaux Parisiens is the famous one that leaves right next to the Eiffel Tower. I tried three different dinner boats, and this was the one I liked best.
Here is my review in video, go check it out after reading it!
And book your dinner cruise here.
What’s Included?
Bateaux Parisiens sells four “services.” Each one is really a different seat and drink package:
| Service | Where You Sit | Drinks & Extras |
| Étoile (Star) | Middle of the room | Kir cocktail + 1 bottle of wine for 4 people + water & coffee |
| Découverte (Discovery) | Middle | Welcome Champagne instead of kir + same wine deal |
| Privilège (Privilege) | Window table | Champagne to start, nicer wines, a cheese course after the main dish |
| Premier | Very front of the boat under the curved glass | Two rounds of Champagne, fancy wines, amuse-bouche, cheese, and tiny sweets at the end |
Every level lets you pick one starter, one main dish, and one dessert from the menu below.
Vegetarian choices have a little “V.”
If you sit in Privilege or Premier you also get that cheese plate without paying extra.
What’s the Route Like?
The captain steers the boat in a big, gentle loop.
You never leave the Seine, but the scenery changes every few minutes:
- Pont Alexandre III – a bridge covered in sparkling gold statues and fancy lamp posts. It feels like the red-carpet entrance to the river.
- Grand Palais & Petit Palais – two glass-topped museums built for a World’s Fair. At night their roofs glow like giant lanterns.
- Musée d’Orsay – once a train station, now an art palace. The huge clock faces shine over the water.
- The Louvre – the world’s biggest art museum. From the boat you see a mile-long palace, then you can just spot the glass pyramid peeking above the walls.
- Notre-Dame Cathedral – freshly restored and reopened for the public, its illuminated towers and buttresses stand out more than ever.
- Conciergerie & Sainte-Chapelle – medieval towers and the royal chapel where kings once prayed under rainbow stained-glass windows.
- Mini Statue of Liberty – a smaller cousin of New York’s lady, standing on a tiny island and facing west toward America.
- Eiffel Tower, Round Two – you finish right where you started, just in time for the tower’s glitter show. The lights sparkle for five minutes—perfect grand finale.
Big glass walls and a see-through roof mean you’ll catch every landmark, but a window seat makes each one feel close enough to touch.
How Is the Food?
Below is the full menu I saw on board.
Starters
- Smoked salmon heart with seaweed, avocado, and green-apple slaw
- Duck foie gras with red-onion & mango chutney
- Tiny tart filled with snails and slow-cooked octopus, crunchy veggies, parsley sauce
- Chilled green-asparagus soup with horseradish hummus (V)
Main Dishes
- Oven-baked sea bass, Sardinian fregola pasta, clam sauce
- Herb-crusted veal, stewed veggies & baby potatoes, rich gravy
- French yellow chicken with crayfish, mushrooms, and gnocchi
- Roasted seasonal veggies and crispy tofu, saffron-tomato juice (V)
Cheese (Privilege & Premier, or €8 extra for others)
- A selection picked by the boat’s cheese master
Desserts – all made by Lenôtre, a famous French pastry house
- Hazelnut square with apricot sauce
- Raspberry & lemon-verbena soup (V)
- Red-fruit Charlotte (the one I picked—light, sweet, perfect)
- Exotic “finger” cake with tropical fruit
My honest take
I picked the chilled asparagus soup to start, the veggie-and-tofu main, and the red-fruit Charlotte for dessert.
When the starter landed, I actually paused—the portion looked more like fancy plate décor than a real dish.
One sip, though, and the flavor won me back: bright, herby, and perfect for a summer evening.
The main kept the “tiny but tasty” theme going—crispy tofu, sweet roasted veggies, and a saffron-tomato sauce that I kept chasing with bread.
Dessert was the star: light sponge, tart berries, gone in three bites.
So here’s the balance.
Taste: 8/10.
Presentation: Instagram-worthy.
Portion size: bring a light snack first if you’re truly hungry.
The cruise aims for elegance over fullness, and as long as you know that going in, you’ll leave happy—and still able to walk off the calories along the river afterward.
What’s the Atmosphere On Board?
Smart-casual clothes, plenty of English-speaking tourists, and two singers who walked around doing French classics plus a dash of Sinatra.
Tables are close—I could have borrowed my neighbor’s salt without standing up.
The crew worked like clockwork: pour, smile, move on. I liked that; it kept the night smooth.
Tips for First-Timers
- Pay for a window seat (Privilege or Premier). The photos are worth it.
- Arrive 30 minutes early. Boarding is fast and the boat leaves on time.
- Bring a light jacket. Air-conditioned glass + river breeze = chilly.
- Snack first if you have a big appetite.
- Skip the souvenir photo unless you love paying about €25 for one print.
Should You Book It?
If you want a super-easy way to see nighttime Paris, hear live music, and taste fancy French food—all at once—book it.
It is 100 % touristy, but sometimes being a tourist is the fun part.
I’d sail again for sure, though next time I’m saving up for that Premier nose-of-the-boat seat.
Don’t forget that you can book your dinner cruise here!
If you use that link, I’ll get a little commission at no extra cost for you. It helps us out.
Bon voyage!
With a passion for travel and having visited over 50 countries, Dorian is eager to share his favorite spots and expert tips to help you explore Paris and France like a local.
