Paris Nightlife
Paris, France is an incredible city during the day, but at night, it’s a whole new city, full of exciting nightlife. When I lived in Paris, I loved going out at night and visiting interesting bars and clubs throughout every arrondissement. You can find wine bars and pubs in any neighborhood in the city, but there are some really unique spots in Paris that offer experiences you couldn’t find anywhere else. These places range from chill bars to wild dance clubs that go until 6 am. Here are my favorite spots for a night out in Paris! At the end, I’ll also mention some of the best places for Paris nightlife for college students, the best dance clubs in Paris, and tips to save money on a night out!
Paris Nightlife Basics
The types of nightlife available in an area can vary from one arrondissement to the next. While the center of the city has a lot of of touristy bars, you can find lots of different kinds of nightlife once you get away from the major attractions. The 3rd, 10th, and 11th arrondissements around Le Marais, Le Republique, and Bastille have a lot of interesting bars that draw locals and tourists alike, and people love to hang out around the Canal Saint Martin to enjoy outdoor drinks when the weather is nice. In the Latin quarter and Saint Germain des Pres, there are a lot of student bars with inexpensive drinks because of the universities nearby. The 9th and 18th arrondissements, home to Pigalle and Montmartre (respectively), have some interesting bars, but this area can get kind of seedy if you turn down the wrong street. I personally didn’t enjoy going to these areas at night because my friends and I were catcalled a lot and felt uncomfortable.
Paris Nightlife: My Favorite Bars
Le Comptoir Général – This unique African safari-themed bar is located on the Canal Saint Martin, near the La Republique metro station in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. The decor is very vintage, with bars modeled after tiki huts. It is one of the most interestingly themed bars I’ve been to, with lots of antique decor, featuring a “shipwreck” in the room farthest from the entrance! I enjoyed hanging out here, sipping fruity drinks from the bar (once I finally got the bartender’s attention- this bar can be VERY busy). Le Comptoir General closes at 2 am, so don’t expect a late night here! There are plenty of late night bars nearby that you can move on to after your tropical cocktails.
Rue de Lappe – This street near the Bastille is full of popular bars, making it a great place to bar hop! On weekend nights, you can expect these places to be PACKED, and they close at different times, so if your first spot closes early, you can just go down the street and find a new place! One of my personal favorites here was Yellow Mad Monkey (among others I can’t remember the names of).
Lavomatic – If you want to impress your friends or just feel really cool finding a “secret” bar, you MUST visit this place. It appears to be a normal (albeit very clean) laundromat near Republique, but by opening one of the washing machines in the corner, you open a secret passage that leads to a laundromat-themed bar! The drinks run fairly pricey but are very interesting with refreshing, unexpected ingredients! Honestly, the story alone of the secret laundromat bar is enough to make this bar worth a stop!
Other cool bars include Le Point Ephémère, Petit Bain, and Chez Georges.
How to Save Money on Nights Out in Paris
My friends and I loved visiting bars like the ones I listed above before heading out to a club for the rest of the night! Going to clubs can be pricey, with cover charges anywhere from 5 to over 25 euros, so here are a few tips to making nights out a little less expensive.
- Get out early! There are a lot of clubs that offer free entry (and even a free drink) if you get there before a certain point in the evening (usually around midnight).
- Take advantage of girls’ nights! Lots of bars and clubs offer free admission for girls on certain nights of the week.
- Find happy hours! Happy hours can be hard to find in Paris, but you can find them if you look! Normally, you’ll have to come out pretty early to get the deals, but it can be worth it. One club I used to go to on Champs Elysees offered free cover before 12 and buy-one-get-one drinks before 12:30!
- Take the metro as much as possible, and split cabs and Ubers! My friends and I would take the metro to our first stop of the night, but we would normally take cabs home and split the cost, splitting a 40 euro ride 4 ways!
Paris Nightlife for College Students: Best Dance Clubs in Paris
In addition to the bars I mentioned above, there are a number of clubs that are great for dancing! Some the best dance clubs in Paris that we enjoyed were: Mix Club (near Montparnasse, features a slide to get to the dance floor!), Duplex (near Arc de Triomphe, 3 distinct dance floors with different music styles), Concrete (near Gare de Lyon, often featuring cool DJ sets and located on a barge on the river) and many more! There are so many options for Paris nightlife for college students, and the best way to find out about cool nightlife is by asking local students where they go for nights out!
Paris nightlife is diverse, exciting, and unique. I loved spending nights out across the city at the best dance clubs in Paris, dancing until 4 am every weekend. If you’re studying abroad, there are so many options for Paris nightlife for college students, and I hope you have the chance to spend memorable nights out in the city of lights with your friends!
Looking for more things to do in Paris? Check out this guide from Travel Stories Untold.
Late night out but want to sightsee the next morning? Check out my itinerary for a relaxing afternoon in the 6th arrondissement, full of yummy food and cool sites!
Where’s your favorite place for Paris nightlife? Do you have any suggestions for the best dance clubs in Paris? Let me know in the comments!
This looks like a great guide! Paris is on my list of must see places
It’s a wonderful city!
Thank you for sharing this. We are visiting this fall and this guide really helps to plan out our activities
Paris is my dream city! One day!
Oooooh, can’t wait to get to Paris! It’s been on my bucket list like….forever 😛
I might be a bit older for the “club scene” but hey, ya never know! 😉