Night Life

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Putting together your plan
As the day progresses into night, so does the cost of being in Paris. If you’re working on a tight budget, Paris by Night can be pricey. Walking still doesn’t cost you any more at night than it does during the day. You can also take advantage of the reduced late night traffic to rent a Velib bike and explore Paris’s streets at night (some bike tour companies do offer night tours).
(Fat Tire Bike Tours, Paris a Velo, C’est Sympa)

However, if your budget does allow for a night splurge, here is an idea of how the night might progress. About 5:30 or 6 pm, you’ll want to start thinking about the right spot to have a cocktail to plan out your evening. Pick a posh hotel bar like the Hotel Meurice, the Crillon or Hotel Ritz. Of if you prefer someplace more casual, start your evening at one of the St. Germain-des-Pres cafe/bars. We liked the ambiance at Cafe Six on Rue des Cannettes. Dinner in Paris rarely starts before 9 pm (you can dine as early as 7 pm if you’re famished - but the idea is to start your dinner around 9 or 10 pm, and stretch it out until you close done the restaurant. By midnight you may have some idea about which club you may want to start off at. Either that, or you’ve had such a good meal that you’re more than happy to toddle off to your hotel and get back in time to wake up fresh for a full day of sight-seeing. On the other hand . . .

Start Planning your night!

Cabarets

Probably one of the most common fantasies for any man is to spend a night at le Moulin Rouge in Paris, watching the almost perfect female bodies dancing almost naked. There are several well known cabarets (also referred to as Feather Clubs) in Paris, all offering the same kind of entertainment.

>>more information on Cabarets in Paris

Clubbing in Paris

Listed as ‘Parties‘ on the official Paris tourist board site, these are primarily ‘clubs’ or ‘afters’ i.e. after-hours clubs. The clubs vary in orientation i.e. gay or straight. Some formerly gay-oriented clubs like Queen have become more mixed in recent years. Pulp is a ‘women only club on certain nights’. Check before you go! The club scene is constantly changing - that is, the names and places change - the rituals don’t.

>>>More on Clubbing in Paris

Clubbing Pass

Jazz Clubs in Paris

Jazz may originally have been an American import to Paris, helping to chase away grim memories of two World Wars, but now, some sixty years later, the Paris jazz scene continues to expand and flourish - thanks to musicians who come from all corners of the world to make Paris jazz clubs sizzle.

>>>more on Jazz Clubs in Paris

>> More on Jazz in Montparnasse

Theater
For French-speaking visitors, Paris offers many venues for theater of all sorts. You can watch classical works of Moliere, Racine, etc on a fairly regular basis at some of the city’s most famous theaters such as La Comedie Francaise. Going to La Comedie Francaise is comparable to going to watch the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow. If you feel your French is at a level to enjoy French theater, this is an abolute must - at least once in your life. Paris has not one, but many theater districts. You’ll find a peppering of theaters in the Grands Boulevards and Les Halles district. Likewise, there’s plenty of theater on the Left Bank - Rue de la Gaite in Montparnasse, and Odeon in the Latin Quarter.

You’ll also find theaters on the Champs Elysees.
Unless a show is sold out, you should normally be able to buy tickets right at the theater ticket booth. Half price tickets are sold at a Half Price ticket kiosque on the esplanade in front of Montparnasse train station (there’s also a half-price kiosque on the right bank).

If a performance is sold out, go to the theater about a half hour before the performance and maybe you’ll be lucky enough to buy returned tickets.

Opera
There are two major venues for opera in Paris: The Garnier Opera House and the Bastille Opera House (although nowadays the Garnier Opera House is used primarily for ballet).

Many people buy year round subscriptions to the opera so it can be difficult to get last minute tickets. If you’re staying at a good hotel, be sure to ask your concierge for help with this. You can also buy opera tickets at the FNAC bookstore chain - or buy them online.

Here is another tip:
The opera house sells 6-Euro tickets about one hour before the opera begins. I haven’t tried doing this - you do have to wait in line and there’s no guarantee that you’ll get tickets - but the price might be worth the wait.

Concerts
All sorts of concerts, from classical to gospel, can be found in many Paris neighborhoods. Quite often concerts are held in churches. We’ve attended concerts at St Julien le Pauvre (Latin Quarter), the Madeleine Metro: Madeleine, St Germain-des-Pres, St. Sulpice, Sainte Chapelle. Tickets are sold at the door for most church concerts.

Larger concerts are held at Le Zenith or the Bercy stadium, Metro: Bercy. Here’s where you can see world famous performers. Bercy is easy to get to by Metro.

Cinema

For an inexpensive night out, you might want to go to the movies. Paris is a great city to find that film that you may have missed two or three years ago. Pick up a copy of the weekly Pariscope magazine (sold at all magazine kiosques) and look through the pages and pages of movies. The Rocky Horror Picture show has been running almost non-stop in Paris for as long as I can remember. Some of the once ‘cult’ films like Harold and Maude have finally seemed to disappear from the scene but you’re sure to find at least one ‘Version Originale’ or ‘Shown in the original language’ film that you’ve been wanting to see. Some of Paris’s movie theaters are experiences in themselves such as La Pagode, a whimsical theater built originally for rich department store owner’s wife (she ended up running off with the architect).

The ‘other Paris’: On the Wild Side

(Already, if you’re a clubber, you’ll know that as the night progresses, so do your possibilities - for almost anything)
Paris is also a magnet for those who want to try something different - Described as ‘libertine clubs’, we would call these ’swingers clubs’ in English.
This will also cost you money. Figure at least 100 Euros to walk in the front door - and then add the cost of any alcohol you may consume.

Swingers clubs definitely have their following in Paris. They also are listed in the weekly magazine ‘Pariscope’ or ‘Paris Spectacle’. Not to be confused with ‘escort clubs’ you would normally go as a couple, however some of the clubs do allow singles (particularly single women) to enter. The attitude is often very ‘low pressure’ meaning you can go as a ‘tourist’ if you want. If you do decide to be join the crowd, this is a very ‘safe sex’ oriented crowd. All the accoutrements to have a happy and ‘safe’ experience are usually available at the bar.

Bois de Boulogne - Enter at your own risk! Bois de Boulogne has long been known as the rendez-vous spot for all sorts of shenanigans. From transvestites, to stand-by-the-side of the road hookers, etc, the woods of Boulogne have probably witnessed every imaginable encounter of a third or fourth kind. In the past, it was also a spot for swapping couples to drive around in their cars and arrange meeting places.

Ladies of the Night
Like Paris’s theater - they can be found on both the Right Bank and on the Left Bank. From Place de Clichy to Pigalle, you’ll find their traditional stomping grounds. The Left Bank may be more discreet, but never far away. Rue de la Gaite has no visible street activity, but if you’re a man walking alone, you may be invited to take a walk down Rue Vandamme to a very low-key building, where every now and then a woman may open up the door to greet you. Rue Gaite is a miniature version of Pigalle (or Pig Alley as it’s been called in Franglais) with a few sex/video shops mixed in among legitimate theater. With the rise in real estate prices, many of these shops have fallen by the wayside.

Pubs in Paris

World Music in Paris