A Seine cruise by day or at night?
By day you see the river and the buildings clearly; after dark the bridges and monuments are lit. What you can book depends on the date and the cruise.
Sunset and dark
Calculated for Paris, for the first and last date we have.
| Date | Sunset | Dark (end of civil twilight) |
|---|---|---|
| 29 October 2026 | 17:36 | 18:09 |
| 28 December 2026 | 17:00 | 17:38 |
Side by side
Facts only. Sources are the operators' own sites and the Viator and Tiqets listings.
| By day | At night | |
|---|---|---|
| Vedettes de Paris (timed tickets) | First ticket time 10:45 | A ticket time after dark on 0 of 61 dates; last 16:00 to 17:45 |
| Vedettes du Pont Neuf (timed tickets) | First ticket time 10:45 | A ticket time after dark on 61 of 61 dates; last 17:45 to 20:15 |
| Bateaux Mouches (open ticket) | October to March: on average a departure every 45 minutes from 10:00 to 16:00, and every 30 minutes from 16:00 to 21:30 (operator) | See the operator's timetable; the sellers give no departure time, so we can't confirm a sailing after dark |
| Bateaux Parisiens (open ticket) | No timetable in our data | No seller gives the times, so we can't confirm a sailing after dark |
| Dinner cruises | None by day in our data | 20:30 only (Viator), after dark on every date in our data |
Seller prices and ticket times are a snapshot: what Viator and Tiqets listed for 61 dates, 29 October 2026 to 28 December 2026, as checked on 28 October 2026. They are not today's prices; the ticket list below has those. Prices are each seller's lowest adult option per date; stale checks are left out.
What the differences mean
How we count. Sunset and the end of civil twilight are calculated for Paris for each date. A sailing counts as after dark when a seller's ticket time is at or after the end of civil twilight. The dates are 29 October 2026 to 28 December 2026.
What the data shows. Vedettes de Paris had a ticket time after dark on 0 of 61 dates; Vedettes du Pont Neuf had a ticket time after dark on 61 of 61 dates. Times change with the season, so check your date in the ticket list below.
- You want to photograph the buildings and the river
- You're travelling with young children
- You want the widest choice of departure times
- You want the lit monuments and bridges
- You're combining it with dinner
- You can book a timed sailing after dark (an open ticket can't confirm one)
Our view, based on the facts on this page. Neither option is ranked above the other.
Tickets for your date
Ticket times are the times Viator and Tiqets returned. Each seller sets its own prices and terms.
Loading ticket data for tomorrow…
Questions
What time is sunset in Paris?
For the dates we have: 17:36 on 29 October 2026 and 17:00 on 28 December 2026, calculated for Paris.
Which cruises sail after dark?
Vedettes du Pont Neuf guided cruise had seller ticket times after dark. Bateaux Mouches' own timetable: October to March: on average a departure every 45 minutes from 10:00 to 16:00, and every 30 minutes from 16:00 to 21:30; its seller tickets give no departure time. The dinners sailed after dark on every date we checked (Viator, 20:30).
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