Moulin Rouge official ticket
From €160 with half a bottle of champagne at 21:00 or 23:00, dinner from 19:00 as an upgrade. Non-refundable.
- Price
- from €160
- Duration
- 2 h
- Guest rating
- 9.3/10
- Cancellation
- Non-refundable
Type of show
Paris cabaret shows: what to expect and how to choose
A Paris cabaret sells a revue of about 90 minutes to two hours, with champagne or dinner at a table the house assigns.
What it is
A Paris cabaret today is a revue: a sequence of dance numbers with large casts, feathers, rhinestones and heavy sets, broken up by speciality acts such as acrobats or jugglers. The form comes from the music halls of Montmartre in the late nineteenth century. The Moulin Rouge opened in 1889 and is associated with the French can-can. Paradis Latin, in the Latin Quarter, uses a theatre from the same year and reopened as a cabaret in 1977. The Crazy Horse opened in 1951.
The revue runs roughly 90 minutes to two hours without an interval. Some dancers perform topless, which is part of the tradition in these houses, and the age limits follow from that. Moulin Rouge and Paradis Latin are large rooms with tables set in tiers facing a wide stage. The Crazy Horse is much smaller, and its show is built on lighting and projection on the dancers' bodies. It sells the show with drinks in the room.
Tickets come in three broad shapes: show only, show with champagne (often half a bottle per person), and dinner followed by the show. Dinner guests arrive about two hours earlier and eat at the table they keep for the revue. Most houses run two sittings a night, sometimes more on busy dates. Tables are normally assigned by the maître d'hôtel on arrival, in booking order and by ticket category, so you do not pick an exact seat.
Words you will meet
- Revue
- A show made of separate dance and music numbers on a loose theme, with no continuous story.
- French can-can
- A fast high-kicking chorus dance from nineteenth-century Paris dance halls, performed in ruffled skirts to Offenbach's music.
- Sitting (service)
- One of the evening's performances, sold as the first or second show, each with its own arrival time.
- Dîner-spectacle
- Dinner and show on one ticket, with the meal served at your table before the revue starts.
- Maître d'hôtel seating
- Tables are allocated by the head of the room on the night, not chosen by you when you book.
- Half bottle
- The usual champagne allowance per person on a show-with-champagne ticket, 37.5 cl.
- Tenue correcte exigée
- French for 'proper dress required', which in practice excludes shorts, sportswear, flip-flops and sports shoes.
- Smart dress
- The level the houses ask for: a jacket or a dress is welcome and a tie is not required.
The most reviewed shows
Moulin Rouge show with night bus tour
The lowest-priced way into the Moulin Rouge with free cancellation (24 hours), from €190 with a bus tour first.
- Price
- from €190
- Duration
- 4 h
- Guest rating
- 8.3/10
- Cancellation
- Free up to 24 h before
Paradis Latin cabaret
From €100 for the 21:30 show with a glass of champagne, dinner from 19:30 as an upgrade. Cancel up to 10 hours before.
- Price
- from €100
- Duration
- 3 h
- Guest rating
- 8.8/10
- Cancellation
- Free up to 10 h before
Crazy Horse Paris ticket
A 90-minute show from €119 with no dinner sold, over 16 only, in a room listed at 200 seats.
- Price
- from €119
- Duration
- 1 h 30 min
- Guest rating
- 8.8/10
- Cancellation
- Free up to 24 h before
Moulin Rouge dinner show with transport
Dinner at 19:00, the 21:00 show and a ride back to central Paris from €374, refundable up to 24 hours before.
- Price
- from €374
- Duration
- 4 h 30 min
- Guest rating
- 8.9/10
- Cancellation
- Free up to 24 h before
You book on Civitatis, the ticket platform, under its own terms.
Guides
Moulin Rouge: 21:00 or 23:00 show?
All three sittings are the same revue with the same half bottle of champagne, so the choice comes down to the clock.
Moulin Rouge or another cabaret in Paris?
Four cabaret houses are in the catalogue, and they differ most on refund terms, room size and who is allowed in.
Common questions
How long does a Paris cabaret show last?
The revue itself lasts about 90 minutes to two hours, depending on the house. With dinner, count on an evening of around four hours from arrival to the final number.
What should I wear to a cabaret in Paris?
Smart clothes. The houses refuse shorts, sportswear, flip-flops and sports shoes, and do not require a tie or evening dress. The exact wording is on each house's ticket page.
Can children go to a Paris cabaret?
Each house sets its own minimum age and prints it on the ticket page. The revues include topless dancers, so read the house's description before booking for a child.
Can I choose my table?
Usually not. The ticket category sets the part of the room, and the maître d'hôtel gives out tables inside it on the night. Booking early and arriving at the stated time are the two things within your control.