Must-see nightlife in France

  • La Manufacture de Café

    Paris

    Legendary French chef Alain Ducasse's ongoing expansion of his empire includes this 2019-launched coffee roastery, using beans sourced from his travels to…

  • Green Man

    Besançon

    Formerly trading heavily on an Irish pub theme, these days the Green Man is a genteel, convivial place for coffee or an aperitif, decorated with musical…

  • Simone La Cave

    Paris

    Tucked away in the 13e, Simone La Cave lures a loyal wine-loving set keen to try its latest outstanding natural and biodynamic wine selection. Planches …

  • Nina's

    Paris

    With a history dating back to 1672, this tea specialist off place Vendôme still owns the rights to harvest essential oils, flowers and fruit from Le…

  • CopperBay

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    This sleek cocktail bar's floor-to-ceiling windows, polished pale-wood decor and glistening copper fixtures and fittings inject a generous dose of design…

  • Jekyll & Hyde

    Chamonix

    This British-owned après-ski mainstay has a split personality: upstairs the 'Jekyll' has really good pub food (from seafood tapas and sweet and sour duck…

  • La Commune

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    An atrium-style covered timber deck strewn with plants and comfy sofas marks the entrance to La Commune. Like its 10e sibling Le Syndicat, cocktails made…

  • Boot Café

    St-Germain & Les Invalides

    For a serious noisette, cortado or double crème made from coffee beans roasted in Berlin by 5 Elephant, duck into the Left Bank offspring of Le Marais's…

  • Au Père Louis

    Toulouse

    This unashamedly retro bar-brasserie in maroon and gold trim has been here since 1889. The left-hand entrance panel reads ‘vin blanc’; the right, ‘vin…

  • Bar Joséphine

    St-Germain & Les Invalides

    Named for former regular, entertainer and French Resistance activist Josephine Baker, glamorous Bar Joséphine is within the grand 1910-built Hôtel Lutetia…

  • La Causerie des Mondes

    Dijon

    Tucked behind a half-timbered façade in Dijon's pedestrian zone, this eclectically decorated cafe is beloved for its multipage list of teas and its…

  • La Caféothèque

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    From the industrial grinder to elaborate tasting notes, this coffee house and roastery is serious. Grab a seat, and pick your bean, filtration method …

  • L’Alchimiste

    Bordeaux

    A more refined, fashionable crowd sips craft cocktails at this stylish cocktail bar, decked out 1920s style with vintage armchairs, tassel-fringed…

  • Le Zytho

    Bordeaux

    Craft-beer lovers will be in heaven in this cavernous beer bar, an urban-smart place to kick back beneath gold-stone vaults over one of 100 bottled beers…

  • Honor

    Paris

    Hidden off ritzy rue du Faubourg St-Honoré in a courtyard adjoining fashion house Comme des Garçons is this opaque-plastic-sheltered black-and-white…

  • Little Red Door

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    Behind an inconspicuous timber façade, a tiny crimson doorway is the illusionary portal to this low-lit, bare-brick drinking den filled with flickering…

  • Strada Café

    Latin Quarter

    Beans from Parisian roastery L'Arbre à Café and Lyon's Mokxa roastery underpin the success of this sunlit corner cafe, strewn with an eclectic mix of…

  • Bambino

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    A cool new headquarters for devotees of both vin (wine) and vinyls, Bambino mixes music with an outstanding wine list packed with natural wines. Linger by…

  • Sherry Butt

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    Named for the sherry-seasoned oak casks used to age whisky, this dimly lit, stone-walled bar is one for serious cocktail connoisseurs. Seasonal menus…

  • Rosalina Bar

    Nice

    Way back before Le Port-Garibaldi became so trendy, Rosalina was the neighbourhood's nightlife pioneer. A decade later, it's still an inviting, friendly…

  • Matamata

    Paris

    Beans from France's best micro-roasteries are expertly brewed at this small, two-level space with tables and light fittings made from recycled timber and…

  • Les BerThom

    Grenoble

    Ten or more beers on tap, an industrial feel, and a mixed crowd of students and seasoned hop-heads: lively Les BerThom is beer heaven. Glug a Grisette for…

  • Septime La Cave

    Paris

    Run by Michelin-starred Septime, this rustic wine bar is an atmospheric spot to linger over an apéro while waiting for a table at one of the hip dining…

  • L'Illustration Café

    Lille

    Adorned with art nouveau woodwork and changing exhibits by local painters, this laid-back bar attracts artists, musicians, budding intellectuals and…

  • Perching Bar

    Champagne

    Squirrelled away deep in the forest of the Parc Naturel Régional de la Montagne de Reims, this slick, Nordic-cool treehouse commands broad views over…

  • Danico

    Paris

    While not exactly a secret, Danico still feels like one – first you'll need to find the hidden, candlelit backroom in Daroco before you get to treat…

  • Le Ballon Rouge

    Normandy

    Equal parts gallery, wine bar and taxidermy shop, this bohemian outpost near the waterfront embodies Cherbourg's most creative side. Stop in for a look at…

  • Le Perchoir Marais

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    Paris' original rooftop bar, run by the talented mixologists behind Le Perchoir in 11e, is a trendy sky deck languishing atop department store BHV. Seine…

  • Les Cuves de Fauve

    Paris

    Watch the brewing in action while you try Fauve's permanent range, such as Bon Esprit (pilsner), Force Majeure (raspberry stout) and Coup d'Éclat (IPA),…

  • Boot Café

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    Born in a former cobblers' shop, bijou Boot is a fashionable spot to grab a quality coffee and an accompanying sweet morsel. Colombian beans are roasted…

  • La Cave Paul Bert

    Paris

    Part of the Paul Bert empire, this bijou wine bar has eight wines by the glass (predominantly French), and cheeses, charcuterie, anchovies etc to nibble…

  • Prescription Cocktail Club

    St-Germain & Les Invalides

    With bowler and flat-top hats as lampshades and a 1930s speakeasy New York air to the place, this cocktail club – run by the same mega-successful team as…

  • Café Charbon

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    Night owls, this is your address. Canopied by a gold-stencilled navy-blue awning, Veteran Charbon remains one of the best bars in Ménilmontant and is…

  • Ob-La-Di

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    Coffee roasted by Paris' Café Lomi is the big draw of this pocket-sized coffee shop, clad with large mirrors, geometric blue-and-white tiles and glass…

  • La Jonction

    Chamonix

    A friendly, low-key place to mingle with fellow skiers and hikers, La Jonction pours excellent coffee by day, and – when après-ski hour arrives – mixes…

  • Les Caves

    Chamonix

    Spread over four levels with cosy hidden corners, this futuristic/rustic disco chalet – stone archways, fancy disco balls, sleek leatherette seats –…

  • La Vieille Cave

    Corte

    Sit round a barrel on a low stool in this jewel of a wine cellar, and let the formidable Emmanuel Simonini guide you through the innumerable vintages on…

  • L’Apollo

    Bordeaux

    No place buzzes with a local Bordelais crowd quite like the Apollo, a fabulous neighbourhood bar with burnt-orange, paint-peeling façade and busy pavement…

  • Chez Prune

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    This boho cafe put Canal St-Martin on the map and its good vibes, original mosaic-tiled interior and rough-around-the-edges look show no sign of…

  • Bar'd Up

    Chamonix

    This Anglophone dive bar borrows Irish, English and Aussie insignia in its bid to be the friendliest, grungiest place in Cham. Setting the scene are a…

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