Lights Tour Plus Moulin Rouge Show

A five-hour evening combining a panoramic drive past illuminated Paris landmarks with the Moulin Rouge Féerie show and champagne, plus an optional Seine cruise upgrade.

Overview

This evening pairs a bus ride past the lit-up monuments of central Paris with a ticket to the Moulin Rouge show "Feerie" and a glass of Champagne, all in roughly five hours. You meet an Extime Travel ambassador at Place de Sydney in the 15th arrondissement at 22:00, ride an air-conditioned vehicle past the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysees, Louvre, Notre-Dame and more, then continue to Montmartre for the performance. There is an option to add a Seine River cruise, which you do not take that night: the ticket is handed over by the guide and stays valid for six months from the day after the tour.

The bus portion is a panoramic pass-by rather than a walking tour. Commentary comes through a downloadable audio app rather than a live guide on board, so you need your own headphones and a charged phone. Travellers reported that the guide's role on the bus is mainly to hand out show tickets and do head counts rather than narrate the sights.

The show is the anchor of the night and reviewers are largely enthusiastic about it, from the costumes and cancan energy to the Champagne. Seating is at shared tables of six to eight people, elegant dress is required, and the minimum age is six when accompanied by an adult. Drop-off happens in central areas such as Opera, the Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Elysees, Montparnasse, the Eiffel Tower or Bastille, somewhere near your hotel or within easy reach of it by taxi.

What's Included

Itinerary

1. Meet at Place de SydneyMeet the Extime Travel ambassador at Place de Sydney, 75015 Paris at 22:00. Hotel pickup is not included.
2. Illuminations bus rideRide past Place Vendome, Place de la Concorde, the Champs-Elysees, the Trocadero, the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame, the Louvre and the Arc de Triomphe. Commentary is via a downloadable audio app, so bring headphones.
3. Moulin Rouge showHead to Montmartre for the "Feerie" show with a glass or half-bottle of Champagne. You are provisionally booked for the 11pm show, though you may be moved to the 9pm show if the later one is full, in which case you get a voucher for the cruise on another day.
4. Central drop-offThe tour ends at a different location from the meeting point. Drop-off is in central Paris near Opera, the Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Elysees, Montparnasse, the Eiffel Tower or Bastille, near your hotel or in an area where you can easily reach your hotel by taxi.
5. Optional Seine cruiseIf the cruise option is selected, the guide gives you a ticket valid from the day after the tour for six months, to use at your leisure.

What To Expect From The Tour

A few practical points shape how this evening actually feels, based on the listing and on what travellers report.

• Dress code. Elegant attire is required at the Moulin Rouge. No shorts, short trousers, sport shoes or sportswear, though a tie and jacket are not necessary. The cloakroom at the Moulin Rouge is not included.
• Bring headphones. Commentary on the bus comes through a downloadable audio app, and headphones are not included. Multiple reviewers said they were not told about the app in advance, so load it before you arrive and bring your own earphones with a charged phone.
• Shared seating. Tables for two are not available; everyone is seated at tables of six to eight. One reviewer said her husband had to sit twisted in his chair, half his back towards the stage, because the seating was very packed in.
• Queuing and timing. The Moulin Rouge is popular and grants priority access to no one, so expect to wait in line before entering. Seats are allocated one hour before the performance, and individual show tickets are not issued.
• Group size and pace. The tour runs with a maximum of 20 travellers.
• Summer light. From April to October the tours run in partial daylight because darkness arrives late in Paris. Several travellers said seeing the monuments lit up was a highlight of the drive, so it helps to check sunset times for your date.

Common issues. The bus portion draws the most complaints: several travellers described it as transportation to the Moulin Rouge rather than a narrated tour, and one reviewer said the app commentary jumped out of sequence with the sights. Others reported the bus leaving without them after the show and paying for a taxi home, and one reviewer said the city tour was cancelled on the night with little notice.

Questions About This Tour