Clubs and nightlife in Paris

Paris nightlife offers so much that it is difficult not to be disoriented as soon as you arrive in the city. Nightclubs are spread out over numerous areas and offer everything from electronic music, DJs specialising in house and techno, to funkier, groovier sounds and the ever-popular Latin American.

Parisians love nightlife so much that their evenings are generally divided into three phases: the before involves cocktails in a bar with DJs, the soirée takes place in one of the many discos and usually starts at one or two o’clock in the morning. The after is the third phase: it starts around 5 a.m. and can go on until 12 p.m. There is no clear distinction between the venues offering this type of evening, so the atmosphere often changes even if the venue remains the same. Increasingly popular are the after d’afters, which continue until Sunday afternoon or evening.

Recommended clubs in Paris

Among the most famous clubs are Rex Club1, the king of house and techno music clubs, Batofar2, a red metal tugboat with a rooftop bar terrace that is now an institution, and Nouveau Casino3, with an eclectic programme that is always up to date. It is good to keep up to date via the many websites that report on concerts or DJ sets scheduled in the capital.

In addition to dancing on tables until dawn, in Paris you can listen to concerts by the biggest artists in the world, from rock greats to pop artists to independent musicians. Festivals cover every musical genre imaginable. In Paris, you can also listen to great music in historical concert halls, such as La Cigale4, which dates back to 1887 and has been classified as a historical monument, Bataclan5, recently at the centre of tragic news events, L'Olympia6, considered to be the oldest hall in the city and founded by the founder of the Moulin Rouge.

Evenings can be spent at the theatre or opera, or in the name of jazz, for instance at 130 Club7, set up in a cellar where you can also dance. Finally, there are fashionable clubs where Cuban salsa is taught and Latin American music can be heard, such as La Coupole8.