how the night runs
A Bateaux Mouches dinner cruise, step by step
From the gangway at Pont de l'Alma to the last bridge on the way back, roughly in the order it happens.
Reserve your table on the Seine ↗The night, at a glance
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 7:30–8:15pm | Boarding at Port de la Conférence, under Pont de l'Alma |
| 8:30pm | The boat casts off, heading downstream past Pont Alexandre III |
| Through dinner | Courses are served as the boat passes the Louvre, Pont Neuf and Île Saint-Louis |
| ~9:30pm | The boat turns near Notre-Dame and the Conciergerie |
| ~10:15pm | The return passes the bridges again, with the Eiffel Tower in view |
| 10:45pm | Back at Pont de l'Alma |
Boarding at the Alma
The gangway opens at Port de la Conférence, on the right bank directly beneath Pont de l'Alma, from 7:30pm; boarding closes at 8:15pm ahead of the 8:30pm departure.
Finding your table
Tables are set for whichever menu is booked; seating depends on the boat and the night, though the Excellence menu is given priority for a window table when possible.
Dinner, course by course
The meal runs from an aperitif or appetiser through to coffee or tea, with a violinist and pianist playing at the tables as the boat moves downstream.
Past the bridges
Dinner plays out against the same stretch of river as the daytime sightseeing run: Pont Alexandre III, Pont des Arts by the Louvre, and Pont Neuf by the Île de la Cité.
The turn near Notre-Dame
The outbound leg ends close to Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Conciergerie and Île Saint-Louis, where the boat turns back toward the Alma.
The way back
The return retraces the same bridges, with a chance to catch the Eiffel Tower's hourly five-minute sparkle, before docking at Pont de l'Alma at about 10:45pm.