Bars and Nightlife:
Sans Sanz
49, rue du Faubourg St. Antoine
M° Bastille
“This bar is alright if you want to move yo’ hips. Only on Tursday, if you don’t like urban music, go da udder days. All da udder days are VIP, you gotta have a reservation,” says Willio. Decent dance areas and normal prices on drinks. Approximately 5,60 for a pint of beer. s Alli.
The Long Hop
25-27, rue Frederic Sauton
M° Maubert Mutualité
Australian bah in the 5th near the blvd. St Germain. Three floors - Only open completely on Friday and Saturday. Thursday, two floors and 4,50 drinks for students. Tuesday, 2 Euro shots, Wednesday, 2 for 1 Cocktails. Basement is typical cave style basement (be careful of roaming hands in the darkness). Mandatory coat check only on weekends. Lots of Americans, and Anglophones. Make friends with bartenders to get better deals.
Rhubarb
18 rue Laplace, 5e
M° Cluny-La Sorbonne
Bar near Pantheon with two floors. Cave basement dance floor open from time to time. Mostly a sit down, talk and drink type of place. Saturday, closes at 1, but Ladies Night Happy Hour all night. Lots of English speakers.
Who’s Bar
13, rue Petit Pont
M° St. Michel
Feel like dropping 9 Euros on 1 drink? Then walk into this daedalus style bar near Notre Dame. Pretty American crowd. Live music at times, but your wallet will be screaming at you too loud for you to enjoy it. Big spenders only. At least you can grab a cheap Greek sandwich nearby afterwards.
Finnigan’s Wake
9, rue des Boulangers
M° Maubert Mutualité
Irish pub near rue Mouffetard. Not bad. TV’s on for sports fans to keep up with their teams. Not much to say…decent place to sit with friends and share a pint.
Lizard Lounge
18, rue du Bourg Tibourg
M: Hotel de Ville
Don’t ask Frenchies for directions, this American can vouch for that. Not a bad bar. Same style as many other bars, with table and chairs upstairs, and chic’er places to sit downstairs. Girls: don’t hit on Olivier, he’s gay. Only go on weekend, and go downstairs to get cheaper drinks and enjoy some German techno.
Les Etages
35 rue Vieille du Temple
M° St Paul
Also, 5, rue de Buci 75006
M° Odéon
Bar in the Marais near St. Paul (4th). Formerly a hotel, now a chic three floor bar for college aged kids. Pretty French population involved. Drinks are sort of expensive as expected. Don’t miss on the sweet peanuts…they’re free…always a good thing.
Breakfast in America
17, rue des Ecoles
M° Jussieu
Jocelyn says “good place to go out before you go you a REAL bar. Also, stay away from waiters.” Located on rue des Ecoles in the Latin Quarter. Go here to get your fix of cheeseburgers and the only good veggie burgers in Paris. Tell them you know Terry and you might get some free food.
Le Violon Dingue
46, rue de la Montagne St. Genevieve
M° Maubert Mutualité
Known as VD…excellent place to dance downstairs, guys watch out 10 Euro cover on weekends. Drink prices “not bad…could be worse.” Alli says go for gin and tonics - they glow in the dark. Usually the same people there…good for stalking cute guys…or getting stalked (it goes both ways people).
Alcazar
62 rue Mazarine 6th
M° Odeon
Very chic resto/bar. 2 tequila shots for 24 Euros. Damn! Watch out for transvestite selling cigars (it’s a man en train de becoming a woman). Get ready to break the bank on this place. The restaurant will cost you over 100 Euros per person.
La Pinte
13, Carrefour de l’Odeon
M° Odéon
Cocktail Specials - Huge melange of different juices and liquors. Alli says “it’s a special, special cocktail.”
Highlander
8, rue Nevers
M° St. Michel
Just across Pont Neuf, go under small arch to find bar on the right. Decent priced pints. Atmosphere: nothing special. 4 or 5 tables upstairs; dance floor downstairs. Bar open late, late night, but en fait they play weird 70’s music.
Wagg
62, rue Mazarine 6e
M° Odéon
Discothèque. Next to Alcazar - go after you are done breaking your bank. Dancing, you can buy bottles, and get a table. Bottles are usually the best choice price-wise. Chic and nice, selective about who gets in. 15 Euro cover.
Moosehead
16, rue des Quatres Vents
M° Odeon
Canadian bar at Odeon. Semi-expensive import beers. Comfortable atmosphere. Resembles an American bar more than anywhere else, so if you are homesick and want to commiserate over a beer, go to the Moosehead. French guys do show up though, and as always, watch yourself.
La Perla
26, rue Francois Miron
M° St Paul
Good Mexican food at this bar/resto. Happy hour 6-8 on all cocktails. Beer still full price. 20 euro for a pitcher of margaritas (approx. 7 glasses). Go on Cinco de Mayo for free t-shirts.
Bar 3
3 avenue de l'ancienne comédie, 6e
M° Odéon
Very hidden. Coat check required: 1 Euro. Set up in little cave-style rooms, which lets you have your own room. Also has dance floor with DJ. Good Cosmopolitans and Strawberry Martinis are excellent. Good for groups to go and chill out.
Les Pietons
8, rue des Lombards, 4 e
M° Chatelet
Awesome Spanish gay bar for everyone. Really cheap (1,50) Sangria during Happy Hour from 4-9. Enjoy the free peanuts and chips they put out for you. Buff up on your Spanish before going, the bartenders will appreciate it. Place gets hopping around 7 every night, so be prepared for it to be packed if you arrive later. Also have good tapas, try the calamari. Sorry ladies, Sebastien has a girlfriend.
Cabaret
68, rue Pierre Charron 8e
M° Champs Elysées
Go here to meet Justin Timberlake’s dancers, and dance with the cream of the crop. Wear your Gucci. Late night you can admire all the Ferraris parked out front. Gotta be a big spender. Don’t think about arriving before 1. Go here to meet bourgeois Frenchies.
Le Freedom
8, rue de Berri
M° George V
Bar near Champs Elysees. Pas mal, but not too exciting either. Lots of tables and chairs before 12 and then they get moved to the side to create a dance floor. Watch out for Americans that are buffing up on dance moves. Beers are decently priced considering the bar’s proximity to the Champs.
Palais Bar
39, rue des Petites Ecuries 75010
M° Chateau d’Eau
Bar has a nice downstairs with live music. Music is definitely the center of attention. To get downstairs, you pay a cover that includes one drink. Otherwise, not too expensive. Decent bar to meet some French people. Not too much of an American crowd.
James Joyce Pub
71, blvd. Gouvion St. Cyr
M° Porte Maillot
Irish pub in the 17th near the banlieu. Not a bad place to go and sit and drink a beer. Hangings of Joyce’s likeness on the walls. Decently cheap beer. Anglophones abound.
TRANSPORTATION
PS – Last metro is a no…
Cabs – If you go out late you might end up needing to take a cab if you aren’t taking the Noctambus. To find a cab, all you really need to do is go out on the street and flag one down. Usually, flagging down cabs isn’t acceptable, but late night cabbies are much more willing to do it. Expect a 2 Euro surcharge if your group is more than 3 people. Also, in France, if you CALL a taxi, you pay from when the taxi leaves the cab stand until he reaches you, so when the cab arrives, there may already be 5-10 Euros on the meter.
Noctambus (click for a map of the route) – The Noctambus leaves Chatelet every night starting at 1:30 and heads in different directions. Check a large metro map to see where the buses go, not a plan de poche. After the first bus, they leave every hour on the half hour until 5:30. Relatively safe way to go home, although of course there are sketchy people at Chatelet at all hours. If possible, sit next to a woman or an elderly gentleman, as normal people tend to take the bus at all hours. Also, DON’T fall asleep, or you will end up in the boonies, and be awakened by a cranky bus driver.
- Paul Goldsmith, Aleksandra Bogdanoskaya
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