Paris

The temptation to make a beeline for the Champs-Elysées and Trocadéro should be avoided unless visitors want to end up crammed alongside fellow tourists in overpriced bars with large egos but little atmosphere. The livelier action has now moved on to the likes of bustling Bastille, which may have been deserted by the real local cognoscenti, but still boasts plenty of colorful small bars, popular clubs and unique little drinking dens. These days anyone wanting to really mix it with the style crowd and have an ‘authentic’ Parisian night out should break east to raffish Ménilmontant, which boasts an increasingly sophisticated and eclectic nightlife scene that was kicked off by the legendary Café Charbon on rue de Oberkampf, a street now overflowing with bars. The smart money is on Belleville being the next new ‘in’ place, though the scene in this rough-around-the-edges part of town is far less obvious and it is just that bit further from the center.

Back in the heart of the city, the Marais has managed an impressive renaissance of late and now offers plenty of bars, chic cafes and a perhaps surprisingly active gay and lesbian scene. Pigalle is the seedy sex center of Paris but home to some good music venues and the Moulin Rouge cabaret, 82 boulevard Clichy, 18th, where the cancan is still performed.

The minimum legal age for drinking alcohol (beer and wine) is 16 years of age, rising to 18 years for stronger drinks and spirits. The average price of a drink while out and about in Paris is €4, although prices can vary dramatically depending on the location. Bars are usually licensed until 0100 but this does vary according to the individual venue and area. Bouncers frequently turn potential punters away and many of the smarter clubs are (or claim to be) private. There is no sure way of gaining admission, although being foreign, dressed identically to everyone inside, accompanied by a regular or simply beautiful helps. Admission prices (usually around €15-20) often include one free drink. Clubs open at around 2300 and tend not to close until dawn; it is coolest to arrive around 0300, or at least after midnight.

Pariscope (www.pariscope.com) is one of the best sources of information for nightlife listings.

Bars

The lines between cafés and bars in Paris are very blurred with cafés where you can settle in with a beer and a croissant for breakfast and bars when you can enjoy a late night sandwich along with your cocktail. The 1990s craze for Irish and British pubs has to some extent run its course with the new focus on more funky and interesting bars that have more in common with East Berlin than the East End of London. With the exception of Anglo/Irish bars, beers on tap (bière à la pression) are normally served as a demi (25cl).

The once trendy Buddha Bar, 8 bis rue Boissy d’Anglas, 8th, has lost much of its shine, with the bars in Ménilmontant now the place to see and be seen. Café Charbon, 109 rue Oberkampf, 11th, the bar that kicked the rejuvenation of the area is still going strong and has stayed at the head of the game by adding a