 | |
| Getting Started | |
World Guide  | |
| Airport Guides | |
| TRAVELLER TOOLS | ||||||||||||||||||
|
 |
The World | |
Europe | |
Paris | |
Nightlife |
|
Paris,
Nightlife The minimum legal age for drinking alcohol (beer and wine) is 16 years of age, rising to 18 years for stronger drinks and spirits. Bars are usually licensed until 0100 but it does vary according to the individual venue and area. Pariscope () is one of the best sources of information for nightlife listings. Bars: Most cafés in Paris are considered bars as well – by virtue of their long opening hours and the fact that in the same place you might have a coffee you could also have a beer. There are, however, a number of specifically evening venues which are listed below. With the exception of Anglo/Irish bars, beers on tap (bière à la pression) are normally served as a demi (25cl). The super‐trendy Le Buddha Bar, 8 bis rue Boissy d’Anglas, 8th, so‐called because of the giant kitsch Buddha, which defines the decor of this underground beauty parade, continues to be the place to be seen. Another bar of beauties, popular with the wealthy business community, is Barfly, 49‐51 avenue George V, 8th, which serves a variety of (expensive) cocktails and sushi. The crowd is more laid‐back at L’Armagnac, 104 rue de Charonne, 11th, an ideal café‐restaurant for a cool down after a good night out in the Bastille district. The first bar to make Oberkampf a popular new nightspot was Café Charbon, 109 rue Oberkampf, 11th. It is still popular with a young artistic crowd. The DJ plays funk and house Tuesday to Saturday. Le Mecano Bar, 99 rue Oberkampf, 11th, so called because of its tool‐box decor, is typically Parisian. Although Pigalle can be seedy, Le Chào Bà Café, 22 boulevard Clichy, 18th, with its Chinese decor, is popular and even slightly chic. 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 above the café. There are also a number of quirky little straight bars in and around rue Vieille‐du‐Temple: La Chaise au Plafond, 10 rue du Trésor, 4th, with its ceiling decorated with Fresian cows and its 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. There is a cluster of café/bars around the Centre Pompidou. The most famed is the large Café Beaubourg, 43 rue St‐Merri, 4th, an extremely popular, central meeting place. Anglophone ex‐pats 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. Casinos: The Casino d’Enghien les Bains, 3 avenue de Ceinture, Enghien‐Les‐Bains (tel: (01) 3934 1300), is a 20‐minute drive from Paris on the A15. Visitors must be over 18 years, carry a passport and be formally attired to gain admission (&Euro;14). Clubs: Techno, house, garage and latino are the popular sounds and, to a lesser extent, hip hop, trip hop and drum’n’bass. 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 &Euro;15‐20) often include one free drink. Clubs open at about 2300 and tend not to close until dawn; it is coolest to arrive around 0300, or at least after midnight. Top DJs play house tunes at Le Queen, 102 avenue des Champs‐Elysées, 8th, a gay club still considered the best club in Paris. Thursday and Saturday is gay only, with drag queens in profusion; Monday is Disco Inferno – time to get the flares out. Le Divan du Monde, located in Pigalle 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. At the other extreme is Les Bains, 7 rue du Bourg‐l’Abbé, 3rd, a former Turkish bathhouse transformed into the most pretentious of clubs. Live music: Le Divan du Monde (see Clubs above) hosts intimate pop concerts, providing a chance to see stars close up. Live jazz is played nightly at Le Bilboquet, 13 rue St‐Benoît, 6th (from around 2200 onwards), by local and international high‐calibre musicians. There is no admission charge but drinks are priced at about &Euro;18. A young, unsophisticated crowd is drawn to La Flèche d’Or Café, 102 bis rue de Bagnolet, 20th, a converted station turned live music venue, with a sticky, beer‐stained floor. Concerts run from Thursday to Sunday evenings and the music ranges from rock to blues or reggae and satirical French chansons. Chesterfield Café, 124 rue La Boétie, 8th, 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 (tel: (01) 4225 1806). Major rock concerts take place at the Palais des Congrès, place de la Porte‐Maillot, 17th (tel: (01) 4068 2222). |