A Michelin-Calibre Dinner on the Water: Ducasse sur Seine

Not a sightseeing boat — a restaurant that happens to float

There’s no shortage of dinner cruises on the Seine, and most of them run on the same logic: eat first, then look at the Eiffel Tower — the food kept warm in advance, with the view doing most of the work. Ducasse sur Seine takes an entirely different approach: it’s a genuine restaurant built by chef Alain Ducasse’s own team, which simply happens to be on a boat. There are 36 chefs and pastry chefs on board, every dish made fresh to order with the same standard as an elevated restaurant on land — the view is a bonus, not the main event.

The boat itself is worth mentioning too — it’s Paris’s first fully electric restaurant boat, producing roughly a twelfth of the carbon emissions per passenger of a traditional diesel cruise boat (12g/km versus 146g/km), with a quiet, vibration-free sail and no diesel fumes. The interior was designed by Maurizio Galante and Tal Lancman, drawing inspiration from the Seine itself and from Parisian haute couture.

Two sailings, two different moods

“Déjeuner sur Seine,” the lunch route: departs at 12:45, taking in Paris’s architecture in daylight — a relaxed fit for a business lunch or a family gathering.

“Nuit Étoilée,” the dinner route: departs at 20:30, right as the city lights come on — and the best window for photographs, catching the Eiffel Tower’s hourly light show and the illuminated bridges and buildings along the way.

The full sailing runs about two hours, departing from Port Debilly beside the Eiffel Tower, passing the Trocadéro, Les Invalides, the Musée d’Orsay, Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Notre-Dame and the Hôtel de Ville, sailing as far as the Jardin des Plantes before turning back — taking in the finest stretch of the Seine alongside a proper sit-down dinner.

Choosing the right space for the occasion

The boat is divided into several distinct spaces, chosen according to your numbers and the nature of the occasion:

• Le Pont Principal (the main deck): split into two rooms, seating up to 102 for a full-boat booking or 45 for a semi-private one — suited to larger gatherings or group events.
• Le Carré: a private room on the upper deck, up to 20 guests, with access to its own private terrace — well suited to a business dinner or a smaller celebration where privacy matters.
• La Table du Chef: at the very centre of the boat, up to 12 guests, facing the Eiffel Tower directly — a more intimate atmosphere, well suited to a family dinner or a significant occasion.
• Full-boat privatisation: main deck and upper deck combined, up to 122 guests including terrace access — suited to corporate events, product launches or larger private celebrations.

What can be customised

Beyond the two set sailings, Ducasse sur Seine also supports bespoke arrangements: guided commentary during the sail, an onboard sound system, a pontoon cocktail reception (weather permitting), a dedicated breakfast or afternoon tea sailing, business meetings, product launches, floral styling, and adjustments to the route itself — all of which can be arranged individually around the occasion.

The MYVIPSERVICE perspective

The easiest mistake with an experience like this is treating it as “just another sightseeing item” to book without much thought — what actually makes it worthwhile is choosing the right sailing, the right space, and matching the menu to the occasion. For a proposal or an anniversary, La Table du Chef’s intimacy suits the moment better than the main deck; for a team offsite or a client appreciation event, a full-boat privatisation with a customised route is where the value is. We help confirm availability, choose the right space based on your numbers, occasion and budget, and coordinate the specifics of any custom arrangement.