Paris Nightlife
When the sun sets in Paris, the city comes alive and whatever your tastes you will never be bored. Music lovers will be stunned by the array of grand opera houses to smaller jazz clubs and cabaret venues.
Paris is of course famed for its haute cuisine and there are hundreds of excellent restaurants, bars and cafes dotted around the city that offer an evening's entertainment through their food alone.
The two main places to party in Paris are the Latin Quarter and Bastille. They both have a range of bars that offer happy hour prices usually between the hours of 5pm and 8pm. The Latin Quarter comprises of around half a dozen narrow streets that are full of ethnic cafes and restaurants. Small bars and some clubs are also are located along the main street, Rue de la Huchette.
Bastille was originally the location that the French once stormed to release prisoners, but these days the large main plaza, Place de la Bastille, is where the locals gather for great nightlife. This area of Paris is home to the clubs that are open until the small hours.
In the heart of the city, the Marais offers an impressive collection of chic cafes and bars and has a lively gay and lesbian scene.
For those looking for a more traditional nightlife experience, a trip to Paris would not be complete without a visit to the infamous Moulin Rouge. Originally built in 1885 at a windmill, it was later converted to a dancehall in the 1900s. More recently the venue was made famous by Baz Luhrmann's film of the same name.
Today the Moulin Rouge offers dinner and several cabaret shows, which feature the traditional cancan: 60 female dancers and over 1,000 costumes. It is a spectacle not to be missed. There are a number of other cabaret shows in Paris, which include the Crazy Horse and le Lido, which, like the Moulin Rouge, is known for its lavish costumes and historic venue.
In the summer, Parisians can be found enjoying the nightlife in the host of restaurants, cafes and bars that line the edge of the Seine from Bercy to the Eiffel Tower, with the wealthier crowd heading to the venues around the Champs-Elysees and Rue St-Honore, where the prices match the exclusive surroundings.
For a cultural night, take a trip to the city's two opera houses – the Opera Bastille and the Palais Garner, which both play host to the Opera National de Paris. There are also a number of concerts and ballets constantly being held in the city. The Theatre du Catelet in the centre of Paris, a few blocks away from the Notre Dame cathedral, is the largest theatre in Paris with more than 3,000 seats and is well worth a visit.
From lively techno clubs to sedate opera houses, Paris really does offer something for everyone when it comes to nightlife. With exciting and stylish venues on almost every corner you turn, Paris is at the very forefront of the European social scene.
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Nightlife
