Is the Moulin Rouge Too Touristy? Our Honest Review of Paris’ Most Famous Show
Out front of Moulin Rouge a touristy but worthwhile evening.
On a recent trip to Paris without the twins, we arrived in Paris around 8am and fortunately were able to get some sleep as we had booked our evening up at Moulin Rouge.
Was it touristy? Yes.
Was it a unique experience? Yes!
After some rest followed by shopping, we made our way up to the Montmartre neighborhood of Paris. This was a fun location for us as during our first visit to Paris in 2015 we stayed in this great neighborhood. We took the Metro from our hotel near Victor Hugo station and it was an easy 15 minute ride -- far faster (and cheaper) than it would have been if we took a taxi.
We had dinner at a restaurant two doors down from the theater at Le Sanglier Bleu at 7pm as the show started at 9. The restaurant was well reviewed and the location was perfect. I got the pork belly that was complemented by some of the best mashed potatoes I have ever had. Fresh bread and a saucisson plate hit the spot. Plus a good bottle of red. I highly recommend this restaurant if you do the touristy Moulin Rouge experience.
We arrived at the theater about 10 minutes before the 9pm showtime and went through the queue. We had bought tickets online and there are a few options to consider before booking. You can purchase the dinner option (we declined), ticket only, or ticket and a half bottle of champagne per ticket. We bought the ticket with champagne, and cost was 165 euros each.
The theater is pretty large, probably close to 700 seats. The room appeared to be completely full. And since we arrived close to the start of the show, we waited for the staff to find us a spot. These are seats with tables as you can eat dinner before, and our ticket also came with a bottle of champagne.
We got very lucky as there were two empty seats at a table just two tables from the stage. We couldn’t have picked a better spot as we were also close to the center of the stage. We sat down right as the show started and a few minutes later the staff brought over our bottle of champagne with an ice bucket. While we each ordered a half bottle of champagne, since there were two of us, they brought us a full bottle, opened it, and poured our first drink.
The show was terrific, a mix of cabaret dancing and impressive shows of strength from the talent. If you are expecting a show similar to the film, this is not the show for you. It was a revue show, with a variety of performances and music. They did play one song from the film, but other than that, no reference to the Moulin Rouge film.
Warning: this is an adult show as the dancers are topless. So if that is an issue for you, skip Moulin Rouge -- it is also why they don’t allow any photography during the show.
Overall a fun touristy night in Paris.
