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As the sun sets, Paris's most elegant neighborhood comes to life. Join the fashionistas for a coupe de Champagne in an opulent hotel bar, spend a night clubbing with the international jet set, or indulge in a bit of over-the-top French "culture" at a cabaret.
This most opulent of bars offers 15 scintillating cocktails crafted with herbal elixirs, fresh fruits, flower essences, and exotic nectars in honor of Prince Roland Bonaparte, a passionate botanist and the first owner of the mansion that became the Shangri-La Paris Hotel. The cocktail menu changes every two months—all the better to keep ingredients fresh and seasonal.
This world-renowned cabaret has elevated the striptease to an art form. Founded in 1951, it's famous for gorgeous dancers and naughty routines characterized by lots of humor and very little clothing. What garments there are have been dazzlingly designed by the likes of Louboutin and Alaïa and shed by top divas (including Dita Von Teese). Reserved seats for the show start at €139.
Apparently not satisfied with its usual rich and powerful clientele, this tony spot is now vying for the impossibly hip, too. Along with enticing cocktails and rarefied spirits, Le Bar promises exceptional wines and tapas. Weekdays from 7 pm to 9:30 pm, it also showcases curated art videos on its behind-the-bar mirror screen. Chic Paris DJs heat up the scene between 9:30 pm and 2 am on Friday and Saturday.
Like a common room out of Harry Potter, the bar at the Saint James Club Paris—complete with 5,000 leather-bound volumes and a cozy fireplace—is studiously inviting. It's very French, and open to nonmembers only after 7 pm and during Sunday brunch. The owners are a venerable old Bordeaux family; accordingly, you'll find a respectable selection of Champagnes and wines.
Mere steps from the Champs-Élysées, Apicius offers sublime elegance. Wander through the luxe front garden and château restaurant to the sleekly modern black bar where couture cocktails are concocted to suit any cultured taste.
This romantic spot in the ultrachic Maison Champs Élysées offers a wood fire in winter and a quiet terrace in warmer months. Its impressive range of champagnes and impeccable cocktails is well worth the stellar prices. The separate all-black cigar bar is one of the few remaining in Paris.
While it may be past its prime with Parisians, visitors can't get enough of the high-camp towering gold Buddha that presides over this bar's giant palm fronds, red satin walls, and colorful chinoiserie. A themed dining room serves pan-Asian fare. There's also an upscale speakeasy, Le Secret 8, which you access by answering a daily riddle on the bar's Facebook page and getting a password (only 25 are given out per day).
This moody club at Le Méridien Hotel hosts a roster of top-billed international musicians in a classy set of rooms. Check out the Sunday afternoon jazz brunch buffet and the interior garden.
An ultraluxe, clubby hideaway in the Four Seasons Hotel, Le Bar at George V is perfect for stargazing from the plush wine-red armchairs, cognac in hand. Its charm still lures the glitterati, especially during Fashion Weeks. Be sure to notice the hotel's signature—and stunning—flower arrangements.
This hotel bar par excellence has a clubby feel that lures a younger fashion crowd. Lounge in leather chairs under an Yves Klein–blue ceiling installation while sipping stylish cocktails, like the signature Rose Royal (champagne, raspberry, and a splash of cognac). Mood lighting and music spun by a live DJ Thursday through Saturday set the tone for a glam late-night rendezvous.
Swanky decor and luscious drinks are drawing the cocktail cognoscenti to this intimate lounge hidden away in the legendary Le Fouquet's Hotel. If you prefer daylight, the hotel offers two other superchic bars: Le Joy and L'Escadrille.
An answer to Paris’s lack of jazz supper clubs, this chic and intimate venue offers a top-notch program of live jazz and world music, along with suave cocktails and a short menu of gourmet tapas. Attentive service, a welcoming atmosphere, and an appreciative, cosmopolitan clientele make this club a good choice for a Parisian night on the town.
The storied Parisian cabaret, which hosted the likes of Josephine Baker, Edith Piaf, and Noel Coward, closed its doors in 2022 to emerge in late 2023 as the city’s most glamorous music venue. Resplendent in burnished gold and red velvet, Art Deco crystal, and Venetian marble, Lido 2 is equal parts music hall, nightclub, and cabaret, featuring immersive productions that run the gamut from Stephen Sondheim musicals to a lavish 50th-anniversary staging of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The lavish bar is a great place to sip Champagne and people-watch.
