I'm traveling solo to Paris for the second time this September. I love to travel alone, but I find the evenings to be a little challenging. I plan to attend an evening concert or two and may hit the Louvre for its evening hours. Of course, dinner takes up some time, but I tend to eat a little earlier (by Parisian standards), which leaves me with two-three hours to kill before bedtime. I love all types of music, but prefer places that are pretty casual and unpretentious (and where I would feel moderately comfortable on my own). Any suggestions? If this bears on any of your responses, I'm staying in the 6th.

By the way, will any other Fodorites be there from September 16th to the 24th?

Thanks in advance,

Kate

Gee Kate, I'll be interested seeing the answers because I just got back from Paris--going solo--and found the evening hours tough. Three things I can suggest: 1) D'Orsay has evening hours on Thursday and I enjoyed that. 2) A nighttime river cruise was nice; 3) St. Chappell has nice evening concerts.

Thanks for the suggestions Adam. I definitely plan to go back to St. Chappell for an evening concert. The acoustics aren't great but the setting is (no pun intended) divine. How did you approach dinnertime? I've gotten better at eating dinner alone, but I still get anxious about it--Not because I think people are staring at me (so what) but b/c eating alone, especially in Paris where they linger over their meals, just isn't as much fun IMO. Do you have any restaurant suggestions for dining alone?

Kate

Kate, my husband and I will be in Paris that same week. We'll be there with our parents (both inlaws) who won't feel like going out at night, and we will.

Thanks for your post, I'll read it and get some tips too. E-mail me at [email protected] and maybe we can meet up for a night out.

Jules

Kate, What kind of music do you like.

Le Bataclan, Rock, 50 Blvd. Voltaire (11th).
Cite de la Musique, classic folk and contemporary, 221 ave Jean-Jaures (19th).
Au Duc des Lombards, jazz blues, ballads, fusion and inexpensive drinks, 42 rue des Lombards (1st).
Casino de Paris, wide variety from cansons, poetry to flamanco guitar, 16 rue de Clichy (9th).

Hi Kate,

You might find these interesting:

Caveau de la Huchette 5 rue de la Huchette from 21:45 daily 10.5E cover Fri, Sat 13E Show at 22:15 in basement

Caveau des Oubliettes 52 rue de Galande at corner of R. St. Julien Daily concerts start at 22:00 in the basement
No Cover charge 1 drink min

Chez Gegene (Guinguette Dancing) 162bis quai de Polangis - Allée des Guinguettes 01.48.83.29.43 Saturday 21-02:30 dinner and dancing 38E Sundays from 12-19:00 45E lunch and dancing (drinks included)

Le Petit Robinson 164, quai de Polangis 01.48.89.04.39 Closed Tuesdays. Welcome until 11 pm. ..tea-dancing, Fri, Sat, Sun afternoons and dinner-dancing with orchestra Fridays and Saturdays. The-dansant from 11-16 euro and diner-dansant from 33 to 37.5 euro."

La Goulue 17 Quai Gabriel Peri 01.48.83.21.77 Fax : 01 48 83 08 44
Very nice fin-de-siecle restaurant Dancing on weekends.

Dancing on Quai St.Bernard
21:00 – 01:00 nightly

Jules, thank you for the invitation. I'll email you....

AisleSeat: I like most types of music, although I'm not much of a dancer (at least not w/o copious amounts of alcohol). For an evening out on my own in Paris, I suppose I'd prefer jazz, blues or world music (Cuban, Brazilian, Flamenco, etc.). Regarding the music suggestions, are these places that a 35-year old woman on her own would generally feel comfortable? This is new territory for me since I don't ever frequent bars/clubs on my own at home. The thought of it is mildly discomforting, but I would like to challenge myself on this trip to try new things.

Thanks again for the responses.

Kate

ttt

Hi kate,

The caveaux are jazz. The guignettes are sort of swing/

are these places that a 35-year old woman on her own would generally feel comfortable?

sorry.... I'm neither female nor 35 so I guess I'm not qualified

Thanks for the question; I have a similar concern - and am the same age. I would add to the question - are these places good for Monday/Tuesday nights as well? That is the part of my trip to Paris that I will be solo (next month). Indygirl, I will try to keep track of places I find and post upon my return.

There are also "Paris After Dark" tours that get you out with a guided tour that should improve your confidence level.

My daughter told me about this site, she travels alone in Europe every year.

http://cafedelasoul.com/qanda

I would do the wandering the streets part during the days and save some of the museums and (shopping)Galleries Lafayette for evenings. Eat a bit later, that always takes more time in Paris
Have a wonderful time~

When I was in Paris I climbed the Arc De Triomphe after sunset. It has the most incredible view of the beautifully lit Eiffel Tower...I highly recommend doing this one night (preferably a clear night).

If you like shopping, check out the La Samaritane department store (on Rue de Rivoli I believe)...it is open late and is something like 9 stories tall. I think you could easily pass a couple of very enjoyable hours there. By the way...there's a really good crepe stand a couple of blocks up (or down...away from the Louvre) from the store...very good!

Indygirl2, I'll be in Paris in February. I've been 3 times, 2 of those times as a solo traveler. Glancing at my itinerary, here are some of the things I'll be doing in the evenings:

<b>Bateaux Mouches</b>, Pont de l'Alma
<b>Hotel Trocad&eacute;ro's Dokhan Champagne Bar</b>, 117 r Lauriston 75116 (recommended by Ger)

<b>Shakespeare &amp; Co</b> – they stay open 'til midnight

<b>Tour Montparnasse</b> with drink in hand @ <i><b>Ciel de Paris</b></i> gazing at the Eiffel Tower

<b>Centre Pompidou</b> – they stay open 'til 9pm
Then I'll hang out at the Place du March&eacute; Ste-Catherine nearby, an area I stayed in last trip where I felt entirely comfortable. They have benches in the center where I'd sit, listen to CDs &amp; watch people go by. There's also a plethora of restaurants in the square.

Drinks at <b>L'Hotel</b>, 13 rue des Beaux Arts, where Oscar Wilde died.
Then hang out at <b>St. Gervais-St.-Protais</b> Church in the Marais (they stay open all night Thursday night).

Music - <b>Palais de la Mutualit&eacute;</b>, 24 rue St. Victor
Music - <b>Caveau des Oubliettes</b>, 52 rue Galande
(Ira mentioned this one) I haven't decided between these two yet. I'll have to see what they're playing.

Music &amp; a drink - <b>Le Calife</b>, 5 quai de Montebello

Dinner - Sundays at Jim Haynes' in Montparnasse - very literary affair.
http://www.jim-haynes.com/

Music - <b>Le Franc Pinot</b>, 1 Quai de Bourbon

Music - <b>Caveau de la Huchette</b>, 5 rue de la Huchette (they stay open 'til 4am Saturday night) – another one Ira mentioned.

You might also consider going to the movies. There's Paristory:
http://www.paris-story.com/

Last show is 7pm, it last 45 minutes, then you could do dinner in the area like at Le Grande Caf&eacute; which stays open all night:
http://www.legrandcafe.com/

or Cin&eacute;ma le Grand Rex:
http://www.legrandrex.com/rex/html/etoilesanglais.html

or Studio 28 in Montmartre, considered to be the first avant garde theatre in the world:
http://www.lestudio28.com/

Have a great time in Paris!

By all means take an evening cruise on the Seine to see the many buildings and monuments bathed in light.

Wow! This has been really helpful. I will be traveling alone next month (first time) and didn't think about how to spend my evenings.

RobinBinNYC, when will you be next month? I will be there 6/15-20.

Thanks!
ws

Indygirl: I ate at Cafe du Marche one night and another one in the Rue Cler area another. I felt very comfortable. Some love Cafe du Marche, some don't. I liked it. But I am very sure the reason I was comfortable at both of them was because there are so many Americans there, and so there is less of that lingering over eating meals that you would find in other cafes. I found myself eating earlier, or at crepe places---but then I am not a big foodie. For me finding something to do in the evening wasn't the biggest problem--it was the 'afterwards'. I had one very uncomfortable situation in the metro in the late evening.

Hi, ws_chgo, - We're JUST missing each other there! I'll be arriving in Paris on June 9th, and leaving June 15th to travel through Switzerland. Anyone else?

I'm planning to print out this thread, some great leads on things to do! I agree w/ evening views from the top of bldgs. Last night I had a friend in from out of town and we watched the end of the sunset from the top of the Empire State Bldg. It was beautiful! I can only imagine (but not for long!) what it will be like in Paris...

Adam, I'm afraid to ask what happened to you in the Metro station. How late are we talking here? I typically didn't ride the Metro in the evenings, but instead stuck closer to home in the 5th and 6th, where I felt pretty safe. This was in June so it stayed light pretty late. Of my 8 nights there, I actually had dinner plans with people four of those nights--once with an American I met at the airport and three times with French friends of friends. I'm anticipating being on my own for dinner this time. I'll live, it just won't be the highlight of the trip, although I'd like to make a greater effort to eat well this time. In any event, there's plenty else to enjoy. The suggestions offered to my question have been most helpful; thanks to all of you. I feel like I learn a little bit more about solo traveling on each trip. That's part of the experience.

Kate