Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
Sunset is the best time to hit this iconic, 7th-floor bar for drinks overlooking Paris' rooftops and – on Saturday night – on-trend DJ sets. Greenery…
Must-see nightlife in France
Paris
Black-and-white photos and memorabilia (hunting trophies, old typewriters and framed handwritten letters by the great writer) fill this snug bar inside…
Épernay
The downstairs cellar has a stash of 400 different varieties of Champagne; sample them in the softly lit bar-bistro upstairs. Accompany with a tasting…
St-Germain & Les Invalides
If ever there was a cafe that summed up St-Germain des Prés’ early-20th-century literary scene, it’s this former hang-out of anyone who was anyone. You'll…
Latin Quarter
Instant history was made when this literary-inspired cafe opened in 2015 adjacent to magical bookshop Shakespeare & Company, designed from long-lost…
Montmartre & Northern Paris
The folks running the hugely successful rooftop bar Le Perchoir are also behind this enchanting, self-proclaimed 'temple du bonheur' (temple of happiness)…
Nantes
Far more than just a bar, Le Nid (or The Nest) is an interactive art installation by Nantais artist Jean Jullien. Designer armchairs, with yolk-yellow…
Bordeaux
A black steel door marked with a small, red doorbell (aka 'le point rouge', or 'the red dot') heralds the entrance to this trendy speakeasy, a theatrical…
Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
A favourite address with hobnobbing socialites in the 19th century, this historic Italian cafe is suddenly the trendiest spot in Haut Marais to linger…
Paris
An elongated stone archway houses this hidden riverside bar, with digital light displays projected on the ceiling, and DJs spinning from 8pm nightly in…
Paris
With its worn petrol-blue facade and decorative vintage ironwork (look for the bunch of grapes), Quai de Bourbon appears to be just another quintessential…
Bordeaux
There is something inviting about this clandestine address with a soft green facade across from the river on the fringe of the Chartrons district. This is…
St-Germain & Les Invalides
The Parisian coffee revolution is thanks in no small part to Coutume, artisanal roaster of premium beans for scores of establishments around town. Its…
Chamonix
A favourite among seasonal workers letting off steam, 'Room 9' boasts the most spirited (rather, loudest) après-ski party in Cham (from 3pm or 4pm). There…
St-Germain & Les Invalides
Grab a table in the evening light at this wonderfully authentic wine bar or head to the quintessential bistro interior, with original zinc bar, tightly…
Chez Garcia – Cave de la Guiguette
La Rochelle
For a sweet taste of 1930s La Rochelle, follow the hipster crowd to this rough-cut wine bar where little has changed since it opened in 1933 in a…
Latin Quarter
One of a crop of co-working cafes to mushroom in Paris, Nuage (Cloud) lures a loyal following of nomadic digital creatives with its cosy, home-like spaces…
Savoie
Jack's Bar plays it cool, but it's the slickest après-ski operator in town: stand-up comedy, themed nights, and live music from 5pm to 7pm from Monday to…
Savoie
Why wait until you’re back down in the village to party? From 2.30pm every day, DJs, singers, choreographed dancers and live bands fuel a riotous après…
Nantes
This enchanting bar à vin with vintage green wood façade is the best spot in town to taste regional wines with a laid-back, hipster crowd. When the…
Paris
If there's a more atmospheric bar in the 14e, we haven't seen it. Opened in 2019, Poinçon occupies a delightfully restored railway station that was part…
Arcachon
As seafront cafes go, you can't do better than stylish Café de la Plage. From sunrise to sunset and beyond, this gourmet cafe and bar by the vintage Big…
Montmartre & Northern Paris
Plastered top to bottom in peeling posters, an otherwise unmarked façade conceals one of Paris' hottest cocktail bars, but it's no fly-by-night. Le…
Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
Snag a stool at the central circular bar at this eternally fashionable, brick-and-timber-floored cocktail bar or reserve one of a handful of tables online…
Paris
Paying homage to immortal Parisian musician Serge Gainsbourg (1928–91), this seductive bar has foliage-print carpets replicated from his 7e mansion, ruby…
Savoie
It would be an omission to leave Méribel without skiing straight up to the terrace of the 'Ronnie', shuffling to the bar in ski boots, and ordering the…
Bordeaux
The decor – herringbone parquet, grandiose stained glass depicting the godly Bacchus, and sky-high ceiling – matches the reverent air that fills this wine…
Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville
A lime-green taqueria serving homemade tacos, quesadillas and tostadas conceals one of Paris' coolest cocktail bars through an unmarked internal door…
Montmartre & Northern Paris
The latest creation of talented chef Pierre Touitou of nearby Vivant, this jam-packed wine bar lures foodies and fashionistas with its huge selection of…
Paris
Hidden behind a stone wall, this historic mansion-turned-hotel opens its bar nightly to nonguests – and the setting redefines extraordinary. Winter drinks…
Paris
Chilling with the hip crowd in this alfresco rooftop bar, with beer or cocktail in hand between potted palms and colourful orange parasols, is very much…
Paris
Just about the ultimate Parisian wine-bar experience, this wonderfully unpretentious local meeting place, where everyone is welcome, has barrels stacked…
Montmartre & Northern Paris
The clandestine cocktail bar of boutique Hôtel Particulier Montmartre is an entrancing spot for a summertime alfresco cocktail. Each cocktail (€10 to €16)…
Dijon
Stone walls, red-and-white-checked tablecloths and gracious service set the mood at this cosiest of Dijon wine bars. With late hours and a wealth of local…
Montmartre & Northern Paris
Gravity's wave-like design interior, crafted from slats of plywood descending to the curved concrete bar, threatens to distract from the business at hand …
Marseille
Marseille’s creative chameleon and the heart of the cours Julien scene, Waaw ('What an Amazing World') has everything you could possibly want for a night…
Lille
Spread across three levels – a vaulted stone cellar, a beamed-ceilinged ground floor and an upper level reached by a spiral staircase – Lille's best craft…
Bordeaux
At home in an old church, this much-venerated art address is a local institution – its sunny terrace alone is fabulous. Art-house cinema, mellow cafe, hot…
Paris
Behind black curtains, this retro-chic speakeasy is a sophisticated flashback to those années folles (crazy years) of Prohibition New York. Cocktails are…
Calvi
Eight decades on, hedonistic hipsters still flock to this super-smooth piano bar, a Calvi institution founded high in the citadel by White Russian émigré…
