We have a family trip planned to Paris in a week- my mother in her 70s, my sister, her 20 something daughter and our teenage daughter. We are at a loss as to what we might find to do at night with such a diverse group and are looking for ideas on things to do at night. Can anyone give us a clue?

Thanks!

when are you going? summer? Christmas time?

bateau mouche dinner cruise

We will be there the eleventh through the twenty-first of this month.

After dinner, find a cafe, sit and have a glass of wine, a coffee or whatever else suits your fancy, and enjoy the parade of people - one of the best Paris "activities".

Do what the Parisians do - sit at a café and sip a glass of wine, a coffee, an Orangina, or whatever and watch the world go by!

You are so right. Thank you for the reminder. I'm making a list so keep these good ideas coming!

I understand how you feel. Sometimes the evenings get a little slow since many of the museums and more traditional things are closed.

I've often contemplated seeing a movie, but have never done it. Even with a "VO" movie in the original language with French subtitles I figure I can see movies at home. Theater is tough since I don't understand French very well. Not everyone likes the symphony or ballet. Besides with a large group it would get expensive. If I were to see a movie it would be someplace like the Grand Rex. It seats hundreds and is supposed have "real" twinkling stars in the ceiling:

www.legrandrex.com

I have only been up to the top of the Eiffel tower in the day. I think it would be beautiful at night. Though in the summer it might not stay open late enough with the longer daylight hours.

You might watch the start of the Friday night rollerblade event. Without participating I think it would be fun to get there an hour early to watch the people set up and take off. Heck maybe some of you can participate while others take photos!

www.pari-roller.com

I went to Au Lemonaire in the 9th in December. It was kind of an eclectic evening. A young man intensely reading poetry in French, then a triplet of acapella ladies singing. All in French and I enjoyed it. It was the smokiest place I've been to in France in a long time. Their performers change. The night I was there you paid for your drinks and they passed a hat at the end. The site is French only.

http://limonaire.free.fr/

When I was in Paris in June two years ago, there was a carnival midway thing going on at the Tuileries, including the big ferris wheel.

The Pomidou Centre (Beaubourg) area is pretty lively at night (and it doesn't get dark until past nine o'clock), with many street performers right in from of the Centre. Cafe Beaubourg is right in the middle of the action.

Churches all over Paris regularly have classical music concerts in the evenings. You will see posters advertising these all over, and the weekly entertainment magazines like Pariscope also have listings.

Even for those who are not fans of this type of music, the experience of hearing Vivaldi's Four Seasons played in Sainte Chapelle or Saint-Julien le Pauvre is unforgettable. Mozart's Requiem sung in the Madeleine remains with me years later.

For many French families, dinner *is* nightlife - you book a table for 8.30, enjoy your food and wine, and by the time the coffee arrives it's often 11 pm and time to stroll home.

I was trying to think back to what I used to do in the evenings when my family visited me in Paris, until I realised that eating was the main evening event - perhaps followed by a stroll or digestif in a café somewhere.

As an aside, Indy's suggestion to go up the Eiffel tower is a good one - I think it's more fun at night, because A) there are not nearly as many people so you don't spend your time waiting to get in and out of lifts, and B) the view of Paris lit up is prettier and more interesting (in my mind) then it is in the daytime.

For other ideas, I suggest you get a copy of Pariscope from a news-stand, as it has all the listings for what's going on in Paris for the week, and has a section in English at the back. Comes out on Wednesdays.

NB the area round Beaubourg is fun in the late evening, but be warned that later on at night, the area around there (and particularly towards Les Halles) can get a bit rowdy, not my favourite place to be.

Book a table for the new Lido show .Food is great , the show is fantastic.All generations will be pleased.

This isn't exactly the answer you are looking for, but we just returned from France and were amazed at a) how light it stayed (we would glance at our watches and realize it was 9pm - it felt like late afternoon or early evening) and b) how exhausted we were from walking and going all day. We did two night events and planned to come back to the hotel to rest our feet for a while - but barely had time to change both nights and didn't have time to eat as planned.

I agree with the posters that eating dinner at a sidewalk cafe and watching the parade go by was one of the most enjoyable ways to spend an evening.

We did go to the Lido and enjoyed it. The food was highly recommended by a chef friend of ours, but we opted for just the midnight show. If there won't be any embarrassment within the group from the exposed breasts, dinner and a show would be a great option.

I highly recommend Fat Tire Bike Tours, if your mom is willing to opt out and rest one evening (she may be very glad to have that built into her schedule!). It was a wonderful way to see the city and night and the best experience of the trip was bking under the Eiffel Tower at almost midnight and to feel that you had it all to yourself. Ditto biking in the courtyards of the Louve.

The bike tour included a ride down the Seine at night. We were glad we packed windbreakers because it got very chilly and windy. Everyone else is the group was cold. Others we met on the trip had been disappointed in the boat ride because it really didn't give a great vantage point to see most of the landmarks of the city. The "sparkly" Eiffel Tower was magical.

Whatever you do or don't do, make sure you are out and about (maybe on a bridge) at 10pm to see the Eiffel Tower turn to "sparkly" lights. The show lasts for 10 minutes and repeats at 11.

I am glad we packed as much in the day as we did and we really appreciated our down time at night.

Late dinners ( most restaurants don't start dinner till 7) and a stroll back to the hotel were pretty much what we did at night;
unless we sat at a terrace for one last drink.... but I can see that the 20 year old and the teenager might want something less boring !!!!

Full days of visiting and walking make you happy to go to bed at a reasonable hour....

Out of 7 evenings, we bought tickets for 2 plays- you could check out the fnac website and see what's in town while you are there as far as musical shows.
We are french speaking so we saw plays.

Hi earth,

Also keep in mind that the major sites, and most of the minor ones, are lit at night.

You'll be on a Parisian schedule once you are there ---- That means that much of your evening will be taken up with dinner that starts around 7pm in most restaurants. After dinner, a stroll along the Seine is always beautiful. The Pont des Arts is an interesting pedestrian bridge at night, and the Pont Alexandre III is spectacular, as well. When my husband and I were in Paris in September, one of our memorable evenings was spent walking along the quai in the Parc d'Austerlitz which you can access on the left bank across from Notre Dame near the Place St. Michele. Another evening activity that all of you can enjoy is window shopping along the Boulevard St. Germaine. On of my favorite activities of my last trip in Paris was a Segway tour at night. Doing that, of course will depend on how adventurous you all are. Actually, with the individual initiation to the Segway that the tour guide gives, it was very easy to get the hang of operating the Segway. You can read an article about this at www.abc.go.com or www.usatoday.com. An Illumination bus tour is a wonderful way to see Paris lit up at night,as well. I've read all of the other responses to this question, and they are all great ideas. It is impossible to feel at a loss for what to do in Paris any time of day. Standing or sitting in one spot and enjoying the sights, sounds and the people is all you need to do.

Definitely go to a concert at Sainte Chapelle. It's a wonderful experience with the sun streaming into the beautiful stained glass windows. Then, have a late dinner on nearby Ile St. Louis.

A late dinner with a neighborhood stroll or a sit at a cafe is the most we ever managed (we were both happy but exhausted by the end of each day)!

I like the ideas already mentioned of picking up a local entertainment guide from your hotel lobby or newsstand nearby - openair public events in the parks, see a movie in French, monuments lit at night, street performers, river cruise or walk along the Seine.

p.s. With 6 people, don't be afraid to split up the party. Maybe some want to take it easy and return to the room to rest, read a book, watch french TV, plan the next day, eat the extra pastry they bought at breakfast for dessert... while others go out to a late show of something.

This wasn't the question you asked, but I have been very grateful to my own family (intergenerational traveling) when I was given some private downtime on my own and options in the daily planned itinerary.

Go listen to some jazz.