Travellers who want a perfectly romantic dinner experience and have some money to spend on it have several possibilities to eat out with a view on the river Seine.

One of these is to take a "bateau-mouches", a cruise ship going upstream and downstream. There are several cruise lines, each offering their own brand of dream. Because of the lightshows, it is quite a thrill to cruise along the Seine at night. Cruising by daylight allows you to see more. Dinner is served inside the ships, under the glass structures.

The Compagnie des Bateaux-Mouches offers a full dinner experience aboard the "Nef des Fous" (a ship named after a famous Jerome Bosch painting, "The Ship of the Insanes"). The menu seems very appetizing (we haven't tested it) with a choice of appetizers (duck liver pate, mixed salad, mix of duck products, pastry with snail butter, large shrimp cocktail, frog legs cooked the French Southern way), a good selection of entrees (beef filet, lamb roast, various fish preparations, lobster dinner), and mouth-watering desserts (pastries with Grand marnier alcohol, red berries pie, ice cream flamed in Grand Marnier). Dinner is inclusive of 2 glasses of wine per person. Coffee is served at the end of the meal, together with a hard liquor.

The cruise starts on the bank opposing the Orsay Museum (Subway station: Alma-Marceau), goes downstream to the tip of the Ile aux Cygnes (where the smaller copy of the Statue of Liberty stands), then turns about and goes upstream to circle around the Ile de la Cité (where Notre Dame Cathedral is built). It starts at 8:30 PM, and ends up at 10:45 PM, enough time to enjoy the view, your dinner, and the presence of your other half.

The cost of the dinner cruise is EUR 125 (about USD 150) per person, gratuity included. Dress code is business formal (tie and jacket required). Book in advance, call (33) 1 42 25 96 10, or e-mail them at info@bateaux-mouches.fr with your questions (don't give your credit card on the net, their site isn't secured). Their URL: www.bateaux-mouches.fr.

A friend of Paris Eiffel Tower News recommended a slightly more upscale cruise line: that of Les Yatchs de Paris.

Yatchs de Paris offers a dinner cruise on a smaller ship, the Don Juan II. At EUR 149 a pop (wines are charged extra), it is a bit more expensive than the Compagnie des Bateaux-Mouches's offer. The size of the ship however makes it more of a "private" cruise.

Our friend spoke highly of their menu. Appetizers include a choice of duck liver pate, and hot/cold scallops. The selection of entrees includes fillet of turbot fish, and fillet of lamb. The menu also features a selection of cheeses and breads, and at the dessert chapter you can pick a "delight" (light preparation) of almond and raspberry, or some ice cream peppered with sugar-coated almonds.

The cruise itself covers a longer section of the river, which allows you and your other (better) half to discover more of Paris from the river.

Yatchs de Paris's cruise starts on the Henri IV pier, on the opposite side of the Austerlitz train station (Subway station: Sully Morland). Their phone number is (331) 4454-1470. There is a reservation form on their website at www.yachtsdeparis.com.

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