The temptation to
make a beeline for the Champs-Elysées and
Trocadéro should be avoided unless visitors
want to end up alongside fellow tourists in overpriced bars with
large egos but little atmosphere.
The action has now moved on to the likes of bustling Bastille,
which may have been deserted by the real local cognoscenti, but
still boasts plenty of colourful small bars, unique little drinking
dens and popular clubs.
These days anyone wanting to really mix it with the style crowd
and have an ‘authentic’ Parisian night out should break
east to raffish Ménilmontant, which boasts
an increasingly sophisticated and eclectic nightlife scene that
was kicked off by the legendary Café Charbon
on rue de Oberkampf, a street now overflowing with bars. The smart
money is on Belleville being the next new ‘in’
place, though the scene in this rough-around-the-edges part of town
is far less obvious and it is just that bit further from the centre
of the city.
Back in the heart of Paris, the Marais has managed
an impressive renaissance of late and now offers plenty of bars,
chic cafes and a perhaps surprisingly active gay and lesbian scene.
Pigalle is the seedy sex centre of the city but
home to some good music venues and the Moulin Rouge
cabaret, 82 boulevard Clichy, 18th, where the cancan is still performed.
The minimum legal age for drinking alcohol (beer
and wine) is 16 years of age, rising to 18 years for stronger drinks
and spirits.
The average price of a drink while out and about in Paris is €4,
although prices can vary dramatically depending on the location.
Bars are usually licensed until 0100 hrs but this does vary according
to the individual venue and area. Bouncers frequently turn potential
punters away and many of the smarter clubs are,or claim to be, private.
There is no sure way of gaining admission, although being foreign,
dressed identically to everyone inside, accompanied by a regular
or simply beautiful helps. Admission prices (usually around €15-20)
often include a free drink. Clubs open at around 2300 hrs and tend
not to close until dawn, it is coolest to arrive around 0300 hrs,
or at least after midnight.
Pariscope
is one of the best sources of information for nightlife listings
in Paris.
Bars
Cafés and bars in Paris are very blurred with cafés
where you can settle in with a beer and a croissant for breakfast
and bars when you can enjoy a late night sandwich along with your
cocktail.
The 1990s craze for Irish and British pubs has to some extent run
its course with the new focus on more funky and interesting bars
that have more in common with East Berlin than the East End of London.
With the exception of Anglo/Irish bars, beers on tap (bière
à la pression) are normally served as a demi (25cl).
The once trendy Buddha Bar, 8 bis rue Boissy d’Anglas,
8th, has lost much of its shine, with the bars in Ménilmontant
now the place to see and be seen. Café Charbon,
109 rue Oberkampf, 11th, the bar that kicked the rejuvenation of
the area is still going strong and has stayed at the head of the
game by adding a club venue.
The Le Mecano Bar, 99 rue Oberkampf, 11th, so called
because of its toolbox decor, is one of most popular bars in the
area with a grungy feel. Nearby Lou Pascalou, 14
rue des Panoyaux, 20th, is a relaxed place to hang out with some
of the most unusual toilets in Paris. The scene in Ménilmontant
is constantly evolving so visitors are advised to just wander around
rue de Oberkampf and explore some its side streets for the latest
‘in’ bar.
The Marais 3rd and 4th, is packed with a happy mélange of
gay and straight bars. Vibrant gay bars include the Coffe
Shop, 3 rue Ste-Croix-de-la-Bretonnerie, and Amnesia,
42 rue Vieille-du-Temple, 4th. Le Central, 33 rue
Vieille-du-Temple, 4th, is one of the city’s oldest gay bars,
with a more sedate clientele. Paris’ sole gay-only hotel is
situated above the café.
There are also a number of quirky little straight bars in and around
rue Vieille-du-Temple, including La Chaise au Plafond,
10 rue du Trésor, 4th, with its ceiling decorated with Frisian
cows and a lovely terrace, Au Petit Fer à Cheval,
30 rue Vieille-du-Temple, 4th, named after its huge horseshoe-shaped
bar, and L’Etoile Manquante, 30 rue Vieille-du-Temple,
4th. Also in the Marais is the Web Bar, 32 rue
de Picardie, 3rd, a silversmith’s atelier turned into a hip
but relaxing cybernet haunt.
For genuine Scottish beer and televised sports in a relaxed Marais
setting the Auld Alliance, 80 rue Francois Miron,
2nd, is the place to head. Anglophone ex-pats will also find safety
in numbers at the Café Oz, 184 rue St-Jacques,
5th, which serves a good range of draught and bottled beers, or
The Frog & Rosbif, 116 rue St-Denis, 2nd, a
traditional British pub. A new branch of the Frog &
Rosbif, 25 cour St-Emillion, has recently opened in up-and-coming
Bercy.
Casinos
The Casino
d’Enghien les Bains, 3 avenue de Ceinture, Enghien-Les-Bains
(telephone number: (01) 3934 1300), is a twenty minute drive from
Paris on the A15. Visitors must be over 18 years, carry a passport
and be formally attired to gain admission to the table rooms, which
costs €14 and this is the only casino in Ile de France.
Clubs
Techno, house, garage and Latino are the popular sounds of Paris
and, to a lesser extent, hip hop and drum‘n’bass.
Top DJs play house tunes at Le Queen, 102 avenue
des Champs-Elysées, 8th, a gay club that is still considered
one of the best clubs in Paris despite the influx of tourists. Thursday
and Saturday is gay only, with drag queens in profusion.
Le Divan du Monde, located in the Pigalle district,
at 75 rue des Martyrs, 18th, once hosted Toulouse-Lautrec but now
draws a crowd that changes radically according to the evening’s
programme, Brazilian, tango, indie, rock, house and hip hop nights
alternate with top French and international DJs.
Le
Saint, 7 rue St-Séverin, 5th, which plays disco,
house and salsa, is inexpensive and relaxed. Les Bains Douches,
7 rue du Bourg-l’Abbé, 3rd, a former Turkish bathhouse
transformed into the most pretentious of clubs and is enjoying renewed
popularity under new ownership. Batofar, 11 quai
Francois-Mauriac, 13th, is a fun little club housed in a boat on
the Seine that boasts a wide range of musical styles.
Live Music
Le
Divan du Monde (see Clubs above) hosts intimate pop concerts,
providing a chance to see the stars close up.
Live jazz is played by local and international high-calibre musicians
at Le Bilboquet, 13 rue St-Benoît, 6th, nightly
(from around 2200 hrs onwards). There is no admission charge but
drinks are priced at approximately €20.
A young, unsophisticated crowd is drawn to La Flèche
d’Or, 102 bis rue de Bagnolet, 20th, a converted
station turned live-music venue, with a sticky, beer-stained floor
on the edge of trendy Ménilmontant. Concerts run from Thursday
to Sunday evenings and the music ranges from blues to rock or reggae
and satirical French chansons.
Chesterfield Café,
124 rue La Boétie, 8th, situated just off avenue des Champs-Elysées,
is popular with ex-pats and hosts US rock and blues bands. To guarantee
a seat, it is wise to book a table. Major rock concerts take place
at the Palais des Congrès, 2 place de la
Porte-Maillot, 17th. The Opus Jazz and Blues Restaurant,
167 quai Valmy, 10th, in the rapidly gentrifying Canal de Saint
Martin area, offers good food and a eclectic selection of music,
from aspiring Parisian youths through to more established acts.
|
