Night Life


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Night Life

The best speakeasy bars in Paris

5 years ago - Léa D.

The origin of these mysterious places Hidden behind a launderette, a pizzeria or a small back door, you have surely heard about these bars with a special trend, inspired by prohibition. Indeed, in 1920 in the US, the manufacture and sale of alcohol was banned, which led to the opening of multiple clandestine bars. When buying alcohol, the bartenders asked the customers to "speak easy", speak softly in French, hence the expression in French today. In 2007, this concept is repeated in New York by the Please do not Tell bar. The principle is simple: to get in, you have to call from the phone booth of a small restaurant. The success is immediate and the fashion is launched, reaching Paris in 2011 with the Candelaria in the Marais district. This Parisian speak easy is only accessible by a small door at the bottom of a Mexican restaurant, which also serves excellent nachos ... But not only! Today, this place is known as one of the best European addresses for cocktails on a trend pop music background. The map is original and renewed regularly, the place is hype and the price-quality ratio is excellent; it is certainly the most inescapable address of the Marais, rewarded with a Timeout Award in 2016. Only here, a hidden bar is by definition ... hidden! Here are our best places to experiment during your next stay in Paris! Our favorite addresses The syndicate A discreet facade, some posters on the wall: this contrasts sharply with the cozy and classy interior of this speakeasy so well hidden in rue du Faubourg Saint - Denis, in the 10th arrondissement. The union is a cocktail bar composed of unexpected ingredients, rare French liqueurs and especially a specific mission: to defend the cause of blue-white-red spirits. Regarding the menu, different cocktails are offered based on French whiskey, pear, gentian or calvados. They are all 100% original, worked with delicacy and precision for a mixture of new flavors. With friends or as a couple, this place is perfect to enjoy a drink in the first room with a central bar, or in a softer atmosphere behind the curtain that gives way to the second room. The Moonshiner The term Moonshiner means in English a smuggler of alcohol, which you will have understood was in charge of supplying the underground bars at the time of the prohibition. This speakeasy is aptly named, and it is really well hidden. At the address 5 rue Sedaine, in the 11th arrondissement, you will find the pizzeria Da Vito which you will have to cross the cold room to finally find yourself in the subdued atmosphere of a bar of the 30s, golden patterns painted with stencil on walls and some blues notes accompanying the bartenders. The whiskey is the flagship drink of this surprising place, in a variation of several cocktails revisited. The secret of this place (secret) is the safe in the smoking room: find the combination of the code and win the bottles there. Of course, if you feel like it, do not hesitate to stop first in the pizzeria Da Vito's room which will satisfy your taste buds with delicious pizzas, burratas or other homemade salads for a guaranteed taste pleasure! The Speakeasy This gourmet piano bar is by far a place not to be missed during a stay in Paris. Opened in 2011, it is located in a discreet street of the 16th arrondissement of Paris. Its owner is an art dealer and has made this place a magical place, a real step back in the 20s. In this cozy atmosphere, come and enjoy the signature cocktail Speakeasy based on cognac, licorice liqueur, lime and ginger ale or the alcohol-free Caribbean, a mixture of mango juice, orange, passion and banana. On the menu side, you are spoiled for choice: truffle pizza, tender cuts of beef or salmon fillet, the dishes are refined and delicious. In the background, artists from around the world come to perform on piano and saxophone, reminiscent of the atmosphere of the cabarets of Harlem and Broadway. Here, no DJ sets, just live and authenticity in an artistic and bohemian atmosphere of the most exciting. The most recent The Lavomatic The new speakeasy of the capital is the Lavomatic, concealed on the 1st floor of a laundromat of the 10th district (rue René Boulanger). Once in the laundromat, look for the camouflaged button and access the Lavomatic! Here, the pop, colorful and original decoration soothes and gives a friendly atmosphere. Sit comfortably on cushions and take a look at the menu which offers a multitude of fruity and colorful surprises. Basil Instinct is based on fresh basil, cucumber, lime juice, cordial elderflower; the DetoxOmatic will be suitable for the more adventurous with beet, blackcurrant, artichoke liqueur, gin, lemon and grapefruit. A multitude of other 100% original cocktails await you. You can accompany them with small dishes made with quality ingredients, adapted to the seasons: filet mignon caramelized with pomegranate, ginger ceviche ginger cucumber, cantaloupe organic farm ham ... Do not wait to discover and enjoy this unusual place! Baranaan For Indian food lovers, this naan bar is the perfect place. No name is written on the front and at first, it feels more like approaching an Indian-style tea room. To get to the real heart of the place, go see a waiter and ask him "Where is the train? ". You will then embark on a real journey, accompanied by a delicious smell of incense. Opened in 2015, this charming place offers Indian cocktails but also some culinary specialties such as naan and kebabs. The room is designed like a vintage train car, in length, decorated with leather seats and "windows", or rather screens placed on which scroll landscapes. Our choice of the day is the Tajma, a mix of 4 rums and pineapple juice served in a fresh coconut.

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The best speakeasy bars in Paris

The best speakeasy bars in Paris

Night Life

Five barges where to have a drink at night in Paris

5 years ago - Valérie D.

Five barges where to have a drink at night in Paris Paris is a party! ... Yes, but you have toured all the rooftops of the capital. It's time to come and refresh your ideas at the edge of the water! Strolling along the Seine is one of Parisians favorite sports. Since the banks of the Seine have been open to pedestrians, this hobby that lends itself perfectly to long summer evenings, has become more enjoyable than ever. The 10 hectares of the Rives de Seine Park have seen many bars along the Parisian quays where you can enjoy a drink, terraces where you can dine, barges where to dance, floating dancefloors where to party. Trendy places or bucolic refreshments, the Parisian barges now offer a wide choice to satisfy all tastes: here is our "Top 5", and it is closer to the river that it happens. Chill with a view at Rosa Bonheur The Rosa Bonheur sur Seine is the third establishment in a group of other places popular with the inhabitants of the French capital. At the foot of the gilding Pont Alexandre III since 2014, the Rosa Bonheur is already a classic Parisian evenings. In the heart of a site where Paris is imperial, opulent, the friendly barge adorned with flamingos offers a haven of relaxation to strollers along the Seine. In the respect of the frame, classified with the World inheritance of UNESCO, one sips a rosé while tasting tapas or famous pizzas with the fire of wood, one profits from its dance floor to the rhythm of the waves on the occasion of a ball, or we wiggle to the sound of a pop-rock concert, between two foosball games. Stick to the ropes, the sunset is to fall backwards, and it is known (plan not to be alone ...). Rosa Bonheur Sur Seine - Port of the Invalides, 75007 Paris Opening hours : Barge: Sunday from 11:30 to 22:30; Monday and Tuesday from noon to 10.30 pm; Wednesday from noon to 0H30; Thursday to Saturday: noon to 1:30  Terrace: Every day from noon to midnight (depending on the weather)  Pizza: Wednesday to Sunday lunch and dinner Seaside atmosphere at the Mackerel Cast off ! Another bank, another atmosphere, floating bar-restaurant Les Maquereaux has reopened its terrace on May 1, to carry us in a maritime atmosphere until October. Overlooking Ile Saint Louis, a musical atmosphere provided by the house with invited DJs every week, the high tables and sofas of the Maquereaux offer their guests a subtle mix of modernity and good-natured authenticity. You can savor fresh oysters from Brittany, shellfish or smoked fish from the Ile d'Yeu: in a word, spend an evening on this beautiful barge under the plane trees, it's a bit going on vacation. After tasting the seafood, tasting the cocktails, it is possible to enjoy the boat until the end of the night as the houseboat becomes a club, making the dancers sail until 2am. Les Maquereaux - Quai de l'hôtel de ville, 75004 Paris Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday from 17h to 2h; Saturday from 12h30 to 2h; Sunday from 12h30 to 21h Large culture mix at the Petit Bain Let’s cheat a little, including among our favorites a boat that cannot really be called "barge" ... but worth the detour to bask on the Seine without tanning at wild. Designed by the Encore Heureux architects' collective, moored in an urban environment, the Petit Bain barge is defined as a "floating cultural facility". An entire program for this small ship (which had never sailed), born in 2011 from an initiative of the creators of the association La Guinguette Pirate. The association is one of the first cultural actors who took possession of the banks of the Seine in 1995, rehabilitating heritage boats in concert halls (the Pirate Guinguette and the Batofar). The Petit Bain retains the original idea of ​​bringing together the social, the cultural, the economic ... and the pleasure of enjoying the banks of the river. This place is, so to speak, an off-road space where you can enjoy a good meal or a drink at the foot of the Bibliothèque François Mitterrand, listen to music, admire an exhibition. True cultural center of the thirteenth arrondissement of Paris, the Petit Bain can accommodate 450 people for concerts of emerging artists, and has a restaurant with 70 seats where to discover its seasonal cuisine with varied influences. Other charming assets of this welcoming place: the rooftop terrace and the aquatic garden offer an ideal setting to enjoy the Parisian summer under the colorful lanterns. The Petit Bain - 7 Port de la Gare, 75013 Paris Opening hours: Tuesday and Wednesday from 18h to midnight; Thursday to Saturday from 16h to 2h; Sunday from 4pm to midnight. Everyone says « I love you » aboard Marcounet Back on the right bank of historical Paris, at the foot of the Pont Marie, between the Town Hall and the Île Saint Louis. Built in 1925, the houseboat Marcounet immerses its guests in the Paris by night of Woody Allen or Hollywood movies of the 50s. Indeed everything is there: the Seine and its islands, the ball of red, the concerts of bop or blues. A little wine bar, a little jazz club, not bad bobo, the perfect cocktail of the Parisian place where it is good to play with the image of Epinal of the French capital. When its beautiful terrace, which can accommodate up to 190 people, is complete, the Marcounet "overflows" and floods the wharves of wooden pallets transformed into tables. The more muted atmosphere of the bridge reserved for concerts contrasts with the festive outbursts of the summer aperitif that then settles on the pavement of Paris. Outside as in, the spirit is warm, we feel at home quickly ... to the point of returning for Sunday brunch, why not? Marcounet barge - Port des Célestins, at the foot of Pont Marie, 75004 Paris Opening hours: From 10am to midnight Capture the soul of Paris with La Balle au Bond Have a drink in Paris admiring the sunset facing the Louvre, what does the people want? This is what the barge of La Balle au Bond offers, near the legendary Pont des Arts. As at the Petit Bain, the public come to relax in the evening on the banks of the Seine can vary the pleasures by enjoying the rich programming of the place in concerts, exhibitions, or other literary meetings. As for the culinary festivities, one can taste from its large terrace in the open air or its interior living room, a fusion and seasonal cuisine entirely composed of fresh products. Particularly well located, the large white boat can radiate on some of the most emblematic districts of Paris: the Tuileries, the Louvre Museum, the Latin Quarter, or a little further Notre Dame de Paris. The Ball at the Bond - Port des Saints-Pères (opposite 3 Malaquais wharf), 75006 Paris Opening hours: Wednesday to Sunday, from 11:30 to 19:00

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Five barges where to have a drink at night in Paris

Five barges where to have a drink at night in Paris

Night Life

Night Immersion in the center of Paris

7 years ago - Ludovic M.

Expert night owl, do you dream to discover Paris when tourists are asleep and the streets deserted? The darkness that shadows buildings and gives them a mystical look fascinates you? Then follow our best monuments and unusual places that open their doors at nightfall... The Basilica of Sacré-Coeur Overlooking Montmartre, the Basilica of Sacré-Coeur is the second most visited Catholic building in France, after Notre-Dame of Paris. Continuously open from 6 am to 10.30 pm, its white domes and interior frescoes are magnified at dusk by lights. By visiting the basilica at night, you will enjoy an exceptional panoramic view of the capital asleep but yet sparkling. For the catholic among you, the Basilica of Sacré-Coeur is also accessible throughout the night via the prayer relay that goes on. Housed at the Home reception of the Basilica, the faithful follow one another to pray throughout the night. The Louvre To discover the Louvre's masterpieces from a different angle, take advantage of the night openings on Wednesday and Friday evening: unprecedented guided tours are organized, to browse the collections under optimal conditions. The Seine by night If the riverboat cruise is one of the classics to any visit to the capital, cruising Paris at night offers another look at the city, with its bridges and illuminated monuments. Paris then takes on the aspect of an immense décor of cinema. Paris at the time of crime Dark alleys, lugubrious squares and cutthroat passages, discover another face of Paris during a nocturnal tour organized by “Paris à pas contés”: the Paris of crimes. This original and frightening guided tour will allow you to admire the neighborhoods of the Louvre, Châtelet and the Ile de la Cité under the firmament, to discover forgotten sordid facts. The international market of Rungis For lovers of French gastronomy, the market of Rungis is paradise. It is the only market in the world to present such a wide range of fresh produce: fish, meat, dairy products and cheeses, fruits and vegetables and cut flowers, which are all transported by trucks every day on some 230 hectares of market area. In Rungis, each year, food alone accounts for 1,500,000 tons, and 32 million flower boots are cut. And this very special and professional world now opens its doors to the general public for visits that start at 5 a.m: you will visit the pavilions of meat, dairy products, fruits and vegetables and cut flowers, to top it off you will finish your immersion with an invigorating brunch.  A unique experience! The Cité universitaire of Paris The Cité universitaire of Paris is one of those unknown places that deserve to be seen. It is the whole world that has been invited to the capital, thanks to these university residences that welcome students from the different corners of the world. Sweden, Japan, Argentina, India... the pavilions come together in a joyful blend of architecture. Some houses have been built or furnished by illustrious architects, such as Le Corbusier or Jean Prouvé. The Cité organizes guided tours, day and night. Thanks to the darkness of the night, projections made on the facades of some houses invite you to discover the history of renowned artists, former residents or not, whose work still nourishes the humanist spirit of the place. Meeting with Senghor, Salgado, Cortázar and the Japanese painter Foujita.

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Night Immersion in the center of Paris

Night Immersion in the center of Paris