Bateau Mouche/Dinner Cruises
 

Headed to Paris in mid-May, meeting friends from Belgium. We would like to do a dinner cruise on the Seine. There seem to be several companies that offer these tours. Does anyone have experience relative to the different company's quality of food/value? We are staying in Le Marais and it looks like come companies start at the eastern end - Vedettes du Pont Neuf, Bateaux Parisiens, Le Calife. Does anyone have experience with these tours/dinners?

Thanks!

I did one of these and I wouldn't do it again. We were seated in the interior where we saw nothing.

I definitely recommend a nighttime cruise, but not with dinner. By not having dinner you are free to move around the boat to catch the sights.

Ditto P_M ^^^

Really bad idea IMO/IME. Much nicer experience to have a wonderful dinner on land and then do a cruise afterwards. Dine in whichever nice restaurant you fancy, then take one of the Bateaux Pont Neuf cruises. Better food / better cruise.

Mixing the two into one event just makes both the dinner and cruise mediocre and probably more expensive

Agree with above, have dinner beforehand, then take nighttime cruise from Pont Neuf

I've taken a dinner cruise on the Bateaux-Mouches twice, but both times it was a company event for our customers, so I did not have to pay. With this in mind, the meal was fine although it was served like an airplane meal, as fast as possible. Not the fault of the employees. I am quite sure that I would not want to pay for this experience, but if money is not an object, why not? Dinner in a restaurant on shore is of course better, but I will not deny that it is magical to have a meal as you float by the monuments of Paris at a slower speed than the non-dinner boats which sometimes feel like tour buses.

In early September of 2019 we took the 8:30 Premier Service evening dinner cruise from Bateaux Parisiens (about 2 and a half hours). It was outrageously expensive but we enjoyed it a lot. Below is a link to a trip report for our 2019 trip. Scroll to posts #47 and #48 for a description and a few pictures of the dinner cruise. And I agree with kerouac, it did feel a little magical.

https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...019-a-1671568/

Thank you all! I have taken an evening cruise many years ago but not dinner. Our traveling companions thought they might want to do this but we may think otherwise! If anyone has any restaurant recommendations I'm happy to receive them. Yes, I know there are a ton of restaurants all over Paris! We like cozy local places rather than fancy. We are staying in Le Marais. Thanks!

LaPerouse and Bistro des Augustins are right by Pont Neuf along the Seine (left bank), can't go wrong with either

Ditto Lapérouse

. . . though it may be a bit posher (i.e. fancy) than you are looking for.

Thanks. Lapernouse is a little over the top for us, but Bistro des Augustins seems very interesting!

If you want fabulous wines and small plates to complement them, walk a block off Blvd St Michel to Augustin Marchand D'Vins on Rue des Grands-Augustins. Tiny place but food was fabulous as were his selections for our tastes, reservations necessary, very good, locals flock here.