8 Best Performing Arts Venues in Eastern Paris, Paris

This mecca for cinephiles brought up on Federico Fellini, Ingmar Bergman, and Alain Resnais is known for its superb, and exhaustive, retrospectives of world cinema past and present. Its spectacular home—in the former American Center, designed by Frank Gehry—includes elaborate museum exhibitions plus three cinemas and a video library. British and American films are always screened in the original language with French subtitles.

Designed by French architect Jean Nouvel, this enormous silver spaceship of a building contains one of the world's finest and most expensive auditoriums. It can accommodate 2,400 music lovers, and the adjustable modular seating means you'll be able to see the stage no matter where you sit. Because the hall is home to the Orchestre de Paris, concerts are mostly classical; however, programming includes guest artists and an eclectic program of dance, pop, jazz, and world music performances that appeal to patrons with more diverse tastes—and smaller budgets. There are also excellent programs for kids. Part of the same complex (formerly known as the Cité de la Musique), Philharmonie 2 features a 1,000-seat concert hall and a 250-seat amphitheater and presents an eclectic range of concerts (some of which are free) in a postmodern setting. The newly opened restaurant L'Envol, with to-die-for views, is designed to provide "healthy, straightforward" gourmet meals pre- or post-performance by a former Top Chef candidate. There's also a café for snacks, coffee, or drinks. The Philharmonie de Paris is a 45-minute métro ride from downtown, and 600 parking spaces are also available.

Since 1985, France's foremost horse whisperer, who goes by the name of Bartabas, has created captivating equestrian shows that mix theater, dance, music, and poetry. If you're lucky enough to be visiting during the two months Zingaro performs at home (usually in late fall), you'll have the chance to witness a truly unique spectacle. The 500-seat theater-in-the-round on the outskirts of Paris is part of a caravan, where trainers and their families, 45 horses, and Bartabas himself live and work. The horses perform in close proximity to the audience in astonishing displays of choreography and acrobatic skill. If you can't make it for Zingaro, there is a consolation prize: in 2003, Bartabas created the Académie du Spectacle Équestre at the royal stables of Versailles (Grandes Écuries). Audiences can catch a decidedly more elegant show there on weekends (Saturday at 6 pm, Sunday at 3 pm) and on certain weekdays during school holidays. Expect to pay €34 to €59 for tickets.

This circus brings together two famous institutions: the beautiful Cirque d'Hiver hall, constructed in 1852, and the Bouglione troupe, known for its rousing assembly of acrobats, jugglers, clowns, trapeze artists, tigers, and house cats that leap through rings of fire. Shows run mid-October to early March, with a new production each season.

An example of the innovative activity in the Bastille area, Théâtre de la Bastille has an enviable record as a launchpad for tomorrow's modern-dance stars.

Belle Époque superstar Sarah Bernhardt, who directed and performed at this beautiful theater from 1893 to 1899, put the Théâtre de la Renaissance on the map. Big French stars often perform here. Note that the theater is on the second floor, and there's no elevator.

Welcome to this wonderfully atmospheric historic theater founded in 1878 and given new life in the 1970s by the late theatrical genius Peter Brook. Under the wing of his brilliant successors, the program regularly delights, with an ever-changing roster of concerts, operas, and play that range from the classical to the avant-garde.

This mammoth 18-screen complex is in the Bercy Village shopping area. For sound and seating, it's one of the best.