It is nine in the evening and the terraces along the Seine are still full, waiters are still carrying trays between tables, and the last of the daylight is going out of the sky over the bridges. Somewhere nearby a Métro entrance glows green, and the evening is only beginning.
Paris goes out late and takes its time about it. The city is divided into twenty arrondissements, each with its own character, and the night you get depends less on finding one famous address than on choosing the right quarter for your mood. It suits people who like to walk between one stop and the next, who are happy to eat at ten and stay out past the last train, and who enjoy a city where the evening has a shape rather than a schedule.
Where to go out in Paris
1. The Marais
The Marais is good for an evening that mixes walking, eating and looking. Its streets are among the most photogenic in the city, and the quarter rewards wandering rather than planning. It suits a low-key night out with company.
Note that the central district of Saint-Germain-des-Prés has nothing to do with the football club Paris Saint-Germain, whose name comes from Saint-Germain-en-Laye well to the west of the city.
2. Montmartre
Montmartre is a hill quarter of narrow streets and outlooks, and it is one of the city's classic settings for urban street photography. It suits an early evening of strolling and a slower pace, particularly in the autumn when the vine harvest is marked here.
3. Belleville
Belleville is named among the city's photogenic urban quarters, alongside the Marais and Montmartre. It suits anyone who wants an evening of looking at the city rather than sitting in it, and who is comfortable moving between neighbourhoods.
4. The Quartier Asiatique, 13th arrondissement
The Asian Quarter lies south of Place d'Italie in the 13th arrondissement. It is the focus of Chinese New Year celebrations in February, when there are parades here as well as in the 3rd and 4th arrondissements. It suits an evening built around food and a specific date in the calendar.
5. The Champs-Élysées
The Champs-Élysées is where the Christmas lights are switched on in a ceremony on the third Thursday in November, often with large crowds and public figures present. It is also the setting for the Bastille Day parade on 14 July, which begins at 10:00 and draws spectators along the whole street. It suits a night tied to a date rather than a spontaneous one.
6. The Champ de Mars
The Office du Tourisme et des Congrès de Paris recommends gathering in or around the Champ de Mars, the gardens of the Eiffel Tower, for the Bastille Day fireworks on 14 July. It suits an evening planned well in advance, since this is a fixed date in the calendar.
7. The banks of the Seine
For most of July and August, parts of both banks of the Seine are converted from expressway into an artificial beach for Paris Plages. It suits a warm-weather evening of walking by the water rather than a seated night out.
8. The Parc de la Villette, 19th arrondissement
In July the Parc de la Villette hosts Cinema en Plein Air, an annual outdoor cinema event shown on what the source describes as Europe's largest inflatable screen. It suits a summer evening and an early start, since the screening is the point of the night.
How a night out unfolds
Paris keeps its fullest cultural schedule in the autumn, from a week or so after la rentrée scolaire to around Christmas, when theatres, cinemas and concert halls book their heaviest programmes. The city is at its quietest during the school holidays in August and February, when roughly half of Parisians leave for the south of France or the Alps. For listings, the weekly magazines Pariscope and L'Officiel des Spectacles cover concerts, exhibitions, films, stage plays and museums and are sold at kiosks; Time Out is a practical option if you do not speak French. For smaller and alternative concerts, LYLO is a free booklet available in some bars and at FNAC. There is no comprehensive guide covering concerts, clubs, movies and special events, and no user-friendly online version of these listings.
Festivals and events worth timing a trip around
- Maison & Object — a furniture and interior decorating trade fair, in January.
- Chinese New Year — parades in the 3rd and 4th arrondissements and especially in the Quartier Asiatique in the 13th, in February.
- Six Nations Rugby Tournament — France, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy, in February.
- International Agricultural Show — usually about a week around the end of February and beginning of March at the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre, with food stalls from the overseas territories and folk performances; buying tickets in advance is usually advised because entry queues can be long.
- Spring Fashion Week — women's prêt-à-porter collections for the following winter, in March.
- Rendez-vous au Jardin — an open house for many Parisian gardens, in June.
- Fête de la Musique — free music across the city on the summer solstice, 21 June.
- Gay Pride parade — 26 June.
- Bastille Day — 14 July, with the parade on the Champs-Élysées at 10:00 and fireworks, for which the tourist office recommends the Champ de Mars area.
- Cinema en Plein Air — outdoor cinema at the Parc de la Villette, in July.
- Paris Plages — parts of both banks of the Seine turned into an artificial beach, for most of July and August.
- Le Tour de France — the route varies each year but the race always finishes on the last Sunday of July under the Arc de Triomphe.
- Rock en Seine — a music festival at the Domaine national de Saint-Cloud, on the last full weekend in August.
- Techno parade and Jazz à la Villette — mid-September, with the parade running roughly from Place de la Bastille to the Sorbonne.
- Fête des Vendanges de Montmartre — a food festival around the Montmartre vine harvest, at the beginning of autumn.
- Nuit Blanche — an all-night arts event across central Paris, on the first Saturday of October.
- Autumn Fashion Week — women's prêt-à-porter collections for the following summer, shortly after Nuit Blanche.
- Paris Photo — an art fair, in the autumn.
- Le Beaujolais Nouveau — released on the third Thursday in November, the same evening the Christmas lights are lit on the Champs-Élysées.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time of year for a night out in Paris?
The busiest season is the autumn, from about a week after la rentrée scolaire to around Christmas, when theatres, cinemas and concert halls run their fullest schedules. August and February are the quietest, as many Parisians leave the city during the school holidays.
Where can I find out what is on?
Pariscope and L'Officiel des Spectacles are weekly magazines listing concerts, art exhibitions, films, stage plays and museums, available from kiosks. Time Out is a good option if you do not speak French. For smaller and alternative concerts, look for LYLO, a free booklet available in some bars and at FNAC.
Is there a single guide covering clubs and concerts?
No. There is no comprehensive event guide covering concerts, clubs, movies or special events, and there is no user-friendly online version of the printed listings.
What happens on Bastille Day evening?
Bastille Day is 14 July. The Bastille Parade is held on the Champs-Élysées at 10:00 and broadcast across much of Europe, and the street fills with spectators, so arriving early is advisable. The Office du Tourisme et des Congrès de Paris recommends gathering in or around the Champ de Mars for the fireworks.
Pick a quarter, check what is on for the dates you are in town, and let the evening take its own course.