We will be in Paris in May and are considering an evening river cruise.
My 2 questions are:
Are the Bateaux cruises that come with dinner and music worth the money?
What options do we have to take an evening cruise without the meal.
The reviews are pretty mixed about the dinner cruise food.
Thanks for you input.
Do not waste your time or money on a dinner cruise. Take one of many times available without meals. We have enjoyed Seine cruises with Bateau Mouches and Vedettes du Pont Neuf and usually take one the day we arrive.
The dinner cruise is worth it if you enjoy it. We have only done the Vedettes du Pont Neuf and really enjoyed it, no dinner just the cruise.
Just my opinion, but the point of a Seine river cruise is to see the sights, not spend half of your time looking at your plate. With all of the wonderful food options in Paris, we prefer our food and sight seeing separate. Les Vedettes du Pont Neuf have been our choice, since they are closest to our preferred hotels.
We preferred taking an evening cruise to relax and enjoy the many photo opportunities that we have cherished over the years. We had dinner prior to boarding. The companies mentioned up thread were great. Enjoy this magical time on the Seine.
If you wanted an evening cruise of Seine with a nice dinner…I would recommend Le Calife. We have have done it twice and we’re never disappointed.
I agree with CJean, there's dinner and there's what's to see along the Seine. Why divide your attention? I'm sure the food is better on some boats than on others, but there's lots of great food on shore. The Vedettes du Pont Neuf runs non-dinner cruises as late as 8:45, maybe later as the season advances. They do have a "snack cruise" aimed at kids, with cookies and lollipops, which makes more sense than trying to serve people elegant dinners.
I take a non-dinner evening Seine cruise with Bateau Mouches each time I’m in Paris. The city is beautiful lit up at night. Their boats are open on the top level with several rows of seats. I’ve never sat below - even in April, but I think it has indoor seating.
The boat ride is about an hour (I think), and you could have a nice dinner afterwards. The one I take is 14 Euro.
Hello from Wisconsin,
I have to ask, "Those pictures you took from a moving boat at night...So how did they turn out?"
That aside, the food is a reason to go to France all by itself. We took a barebones cruise, no food, and loved it. We tend to eat too early when we are in France so taking a night cruise, and then eating got us into a better French swing.
wayne iNWI
, "Those pictures you took from a moving boat at night...So how did
they turn out?"
Not the poster who mentioned their photos, but tte majority of mine turned out fine. It's a matter of knowing your camera and the right settings. The boats aren't moving very quickly.
We also have some wonderful photos from the boat! The last time I was there my husband was traveling with me, and as we saw the first glimpse of the Eiffel Tower from far away, the sunset colors were spectacular! Lots of pinks turning to blues as we arrived in front of the Eiffel Tower. Several of the photos are in the running for having a canvas print made for my office. I also have pretty ones from other trips of the Eiffel Tower from the water. I caught the time that it was sparkling as the boat passed.
And any photo that brings back sweet memories is good. 😉
@Jean, thanks for sharing your positive photo experiences on the Seine. 😉 What a great idea to do a canvas print for your office! In addition to my wonderful evening photos, one of my prized photos (2013) was a day cruise that captured Notre Dame. Sigh…
I second the suggestion for Le Calife if you are interested in a dinner cruise. We did that cruise in May 2019 and it was marvelous. We really didn't spend "half" our time looking at the dinner plate. Dinner is served very efficiently and is excellent. Don't think we missed a thing on the river. A bit expensive, but worth it.
My husband and I booked a 'happy hour' cruise with Vedettes du Pont Neuf for mid-May that includes drinks, but no food and is allegedly timed so that you arrive at the Eiffel Tower when it gets dark. For the exact reason others mention (i.e, mediocre food, inability to focus on the sighs while eating) we looked for an option that allowed us to have some refreshment but didn't require us to sit inside.
Another vote for Caliphe. The Captain timed the Eiffel Tower lighting up just as he was turning the boat around to great effect. The food was cooked onboard and better than expected. Book a seat up top for a better view. A completely different experience than the cattle boats. There were several birthday celebrations and one engagement so it is definitely a special occasion activity.
