Paris Nightlife Guide: Bars and Live Entertainment in Paris, France

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Nightlife

Parisians love a night on the town, so you can positively expect the City of Lights to show you the way to a memorable evening, whether you're in search of a dance club, bar, cabaret, theater, or anything else. Do, however, bear in mind that the metro stops running between 12.30am and 1am – and doesn't start up again until 5.30am. Taxis are available at designated stands in the interim, but expect to wait on long lines, especially on the weekends; there are also a few late-night Noctambus (night bus) that run sparingly through the wee hours of the night – look for the designated owl insignia on the bus stops signs.

The nightspots á la mode are forever changing – be sure to refer to Time Out: Paris (www.timeout.com/paris) or Pariscope (www.pariscope.com) for the most current evening destinations. You'll also be able to point yourself to various neighborhoods known as nightime meccas, like Oberkampf, Bastille, the Marais, and Pigalle/Montmartre. The Champs-Elysées is also host to some high-brow and pricey clubs and cabarets.

While hotspots come and go, a long-standing favorite to see-and-be-seen is the stylish restaurant and lounge at Buddha Bar (8 rue Boissy d'Anglais; 011/33 (0)1 53 05 90 00; www.buddha-bar.com) in the 8th – just keep in mind that few other than the very beautiful or very rich (a combination of the two works best) manage to actually get inside, so dress accordingly. There are also a handful of imported American, British, and Australian bars where you can mingle with fellow travelers and ex-pats; younger party-going crowds flock to Café Oz (18 rue Saint-Denis; 011/33 (0)1 40 39 00 18) in the 1st, while Harry's New York Bar (5 rue Daunou; 011/33 (0)1 42 61 71 14; www.harrys-bar.fr), a onetime haunt of Hemingway's in the 2nd, tends to attract a more sophisticated clientele.

We also recommend taking in one of Paris' legendary cabaret shows – you can't go wrong at either the Moulin Rouge (82 boulevard de Clichy; 011/33 (0)1 53 09 82 82; two shows nightly at 9pm & 11pm; 87-97€; www.moulinrouge.fr) or Lido (116 bis avenue des Champs-Elysées; 011/33 (0)1 40 76 56 10; two shows nightly at 9.30pm & 11.30 pm; 80-100€; www.lido.fr). You should also check the schedule of performances at the stunning Opéra Garnier (Place de l'Opéra; www.opera-de-paris.fr), if for no other reason than to experience the sheer splendor of the venue.