74 Best Nightlife in Paris, France

Its swank Mad Men--meets--tiki bar atmosphere and dynamic gin-centric cocktails have earned this dusky cocktail den an avid following.

While it may be past its prime with Parisians, visitors can't get enough of the high-camp towering gold Buddha that presides over this bar's giant palm fronds, red satin walls, and colorful chinoiserie. A themed dining room serves pan-Asian fare. There's also an upscale speakeasy, Le Secret 8, which you access by answering a daily riddle on the bar's Facebook page and getting a password (only 25 are given out per day).

“Le Cox" is a prime gay pickup joint that's known for its live DJ sets. Its extended Sunday happy hour—from 6 pm to 2 am—is a rollicking good time.

One of Pigalle's trendiest addresses, Café la Fourmi has a funky, spacious bar-café where cool locals party. It's open until 2 am every night but Friday and Saturday, when it's open until 4 am.

Locals head to this charming retro-looking caviste (wineshop) and wine bar for a glass of something special with a side of oysters, or perhaps La Grande Mixte, a platter of charcuterie, terrine, and cheese (€18).

One of the few surviving cellar clubs from the 1940s has the "best boppers" in the city and packs 'em in for swing dancing and Dixieland tunes. It's a killer jazz spot for everyone but claustrophobics. The music continues until 4 am on Friday and Saturday.

Chez Georges has been serving red wine, pastis, and beer for the past 70 years in pretty much the same caveau that still packs in devotees today. Older students and locals fill sofas and crowd around tiny, candle-topped tables in the cellar bar before grinding to pulsing world music every night until 2 am.

Although the always-decked-out-in-blue owner, Michou, passed away in early 2020, the over-the-top show dances on. It features performers on stage in extravagant drag, with high camp for a radically different cabaret experience. Dinner shows are €120 and €160, or you can watch from the bar for €55, one drink is included.

An almost-too-cool crew can be found in Clandestino's red-emberlike interior, drinking cocktails and eating the sultry bite-size pintxos of Basque country. There's a distinct party atmosphere here, which can spill into the street, especially in summer.

After jump-starting the Paris cocktail bar scene, the partners behind the Experimental Cocktail Club applied the same winning formula to this hybrid wine bar–nightclub. Plush surroundings, an extensive wine list, and a tasty tapas menu draw a crowd of hip young Parisians who can hone their wine-tasting skills on classics in every price range.

This roomy pub, with several locations in central Paris, has an ample menu, a sleek bar, a pool table, and old-timey photos and quotations on the walls—such as "He who opens his mouth most is the one who opens his purse least." It's basically a classic Irish pub. Copious plates of pub food and frosty glasses of beer fuel conversation. Dancing at night has a regulated guy-to-girl ratio, so men shouldn't try coming alone.

A favorite not only for its prestigious location between Opéra and Place Vendôme, but also for its worn-leather chairs and English-private-club feel, the Westminster Hotel's bar offers drinks like the "James Bond" and "Duke's Martini." At times, you get the feeling that Monsieur Hercule Poirot is lurking just behind that wing chair.

A chic cocktail bar steps from the Champs de Mars is a rare find indeed, but this one is steeped in a cosmopolitan speakeasy mystique, with wood paneling and 1920s touches (leather chairs, gramophone, old Underwood typewriter) evoking the New York of its namesake. A covered sidewalk terrace and a dance floor in the cellar add to the clubby fun, along with a small menu of tasty morsels and some very good cocktails.

Equal parts cocktail bar and gourmet pizzeria, this stylish offspring of the übercool concept store Merci promises top-quality libations and stone-oven-baked pizza. The decor is industrial-rustic, with pressed-tin ceilings and a corrugated-iron bar, all enhanced by mood lighting. It's jam-packed with neighborhood hipsters, so reservations are a must.

Also known as Harry's New York Bar, this cozy, wood-paneled hangout decorated with dusty college pennants is popular with expats and American-loving French people who welcome the ghosts of Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, both of whom drank themselves unconscious here. Gershwin composed An American in Paris in the piano bar downstairs, and the Bloody Mary is said to have originated on-site.

This moody club at Le Méridien Hotel hosts a roster of top-billed international musicians in a classy set of rooms. Check out the Sunday afternoon jazz brunch buffet and the interior garden.

This bar is glorious not only for its panoramic skyline views but also for its manga-inspired decor and kooky, disco-ball-and-kid-sumo-adorned bathrooms. A menu of Japanese-inspired fare is offered at the rooftop restaurant, and top-shelf DJs keep patrons dancing on weekends. Valet parking is available starting at 7:30 pm.

Tucked among the cafés on the Rue Cler, this all-purpose bistro-cum-cocktail bar's all-day and night hours (it's open until 2 am), welcoming atmosphere, and tasty cocktail concoctions make it an ideal option in a neighborhood decidedly short on late-night watering spots.

This spot is heaven for anyone who ever wished they had a book in a bar (or a drink in a bookstore). The bar littéraire is the infamous spot where gal-about-town Catherine M. launched her vie sexuelle that became a bawdy best seller.

You might find diplomats and other dignitaries discussing state affairs at this rich red den of masculinity in Hôtel Raphael, a stone's throw from the Arc de Triomphe. The hotel's Rooftop Bar, a well-guarded Parisian secret, was voted the best bar in Europe in recent years.

An ultraluxe, clubby hideaway in the Four Seasons Hotel, Le Bar at George V is perfect for stargazing from the plush wine-red armchairs, cognac in hand. Its charm still lures the glitterati, especially during Fashion Weeks. Be sure to notice the hotel's signature—and stunning—flower arrangements.

This hotel bar par excellence has a clubby feel that lures a younger fashion crowd. Lounge in leather chairs under an Yves Klein–blue ceiling installation while sipping stylish cocktails, like the signature Rose Royal (Champagne, raspberry, and a splash of cognac). Mood lighting and music spun by a live DJ Thursday through Saturday set the tone for a glam late-night rendezvous.

At the Royal Monceau's innovative bar your mixologist will fix your drink right next to you at the illuminated, Philippe Stark–designed bar. The collection of glasses on the walls isn't just decoration—you may choose which to drink from. A light tapas menu is served between 6 and 11 pm.

One of the first bars to bring natural wine to the capital, Le Garde-Robe unites a casual atmosphere and truly knowledgeable staff. Order a platter of cheese or charcuterie to accompany your sulfite-free bottles, and take advantage of this bar with a neighborhood feel in the heart of the city.

Swanky decor and luscious drinks are drawing the cocktail cognoscenti to this intimate lounge hidden away in the legendary Le Fouquet's Hotel. If you prefer daylight, the hotel offers two other superchic bars: Le Joy and L'Escadrille.

This makes an intriguing midway breather if you climb the hill of Montmartre by foot. Le Rendez-Vous des Amis has a jovial staff, eclectic music, and a century's worth of previous patrons immortalized in painted murals.

Step through the Art Nouveau front door of Jean-Paul Sartre's onetime haunt and you'll be instantly immersed in the dark, moody, fourth dimension of Old Montparnasse, where white-jacketed servers and red-lacquered tables transport you into the past.

Café/restaurant by day, Le Sancerre turns into an essential watering hole for Montmartrois and artists at night (until 2 am), with Belgian beers on tap and an impressive list of cocktails. Locals love its traditional old-school vibe.

On a tiny street that's a tad separated from the sometimes-madding crowd of the Marais, this large, lively Auvernian café has mismatched Baroque furnishings and a chill vibe, but its biggest appeals are the sprawling outdoor terrace (heated in winter) and late weekend hours.