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Paris at Night questions

We will have three nights in Paris, and I'd appreciate your thoughts.

We are gung ho to actually go up into the Eiffel tower (first time in Paris, I know, I know!), and we'd like to do an evening cruise on the Seine.

I've seen options for doing both as a "tour," as well as dinner cruises and single tickets for the tower AND I've seen "dinner in the Tower and Seine Cruises." As we have to eat somewhere, it seemed like a dinner cruise after a tower ride might be a good option... but is it worth eating in the tower or is it just a very expensive tourist trap? Are any of the Seine dinner cruises worth considering? Or are better off just eating somewhere and doing the ticketed events separately?

Also, we are thinking about going to a classical concert one evening at the Saint-Germain-des-Pres Church. Looked lovely; has anyone ever done that?

Finally: are there particular neighborhoods that are charming in the evening (street music, small cafes, that sort of thing)?

Posted by
3777 posts

We ate an early dinner at the Eiffel Tower at the Jukes Verne restaurant. It was not a tourist trap but it was very, very expensive. It was in the second floor, you go up a special elevator, no waiting on line. They also let you walk around outside to see the view and take pictures. We had a very lovely dinner and afternoon. When we travel we usually have one special meal if feasible.
We also took the Mysteries at the Opera 5:00 tour one evening. It was very special and I would recommend it.

Posted by
169 posts

Lisa: My family ate at the Eiffel Tower restaurant a long time ago. Food was good, but prices were very high. Depends on your budget, and whether looking out at Paris during lunch/dinner is worth the extra expense. As for eating on a boat tour, I have never done it, but have read a bunch of posts on this and other forums saying it is not an enjoyable experience. I would suggest you simply dine elsewhere (perhaps near where the boat tour leaves from) and then get on the boat after dinner. lMuch less expensive. Peter

Posted by
10177 posts

I’ve done evening boats on the Seine a few times and enjoyed it. I wouldn’t want to do a dinner cruise because the distraction of eating would take away from seeing the beautiful city from the water for me. I’ve heard the dinner cruises are expensive and the food isn’t very good. We just ate before the cruise each time.

Posted by
2300 posts

I agree with Andrea. Take a 1 hr Seine cruise in the evening, but eat dinner elsewhere. Your best views from the boat are from up top. Combining the two (river cruise and dinner) kills two birds with one stone, but both experiences are less than optimal.

There are cruises that leave from Pont Neuf. https://www.vedettesdupontneuf.com/home/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwgLOiBhC7ARIsAIeetVDHFWEmIX3Yvdjdf7Ofq1vn5m_h0Gw0EnihEOBVk1sRUQK6LrCbsooaAsOtEALw_wcB

Afterwards, explore the Latin Quarter and St. Germain. Stroll down Rue de le Huchette for entertainment value only. Big tourist trap, don’t eat at any of the restaurants that try to entice you. But it’s an experience.

Posted by
122 posts

The concert in Saint Germain des Pres Church is wonderful and highly recommend. After the performance, there will be time to wander around the interior of the church, lit with candles, so late at night it was remarkable. If you can, sit on the side, versus the regular pews.

For dinner on the river cruise, I've not done but I would skip for the reasons others have explained. If you need to, there are basic sandwich places right along the river near boarding and you can grab a sandwich to eat before (or bring on with you) during a basic river ride. They boats also have snacks and beverages if you a desperate.