Paris by Night

Hi Everyone

am going for a week to Paris this Wednesday and am reaaalllly excited. I have the itinerary planned to the minute for the day tines with the museums and the gardens and the shopping but am curious. What are your favorite late evening/night experiences in Paris. I will do the Siene tour one night and a jazz club on another. But both my husband and I are nightbirds who hate crowded pubs or discotheques. What does one do as a tourist on Paris evenings?

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We just like to go into an area where there are still plenty of people about, see what%26#39;s open, generally just a %26#39;stroll%26#39;... Sometimes we go see a movie, usually a new American release in English w/French subtitles (it%26#39;s fun to compare the translations)... or wander about, looking at the %26quot;illuminated%26quot; monuments for a different perspective. We aren%26#39;t really night owls, so dinner followed by one of the above is usually sufficient entertainment before turning in for the night...

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You must go for a leisurely walk along the Seine, start around the Eiffel Tower area and then wander along. There is so much to see and you can catch glimpses into shops, apartments, offices, cafes etc.

Nothing beats it and you can just keep going til your feet get too tired and you need to hope on to the next Metro!

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I agree...a walk along the Seine is wonderful at night. Also, seeing Notre Dame at night is a delight. The architecture is just so stunning with the light and shadows that only night can bring. Have you thought of going up in the Arc de Triomphe at night? We went up at the very end of the night and it was just lovely. What a view of the city of lights!

And always a great way to pass the time in my book is to wander an area thoroughly and then plop down somewhere for a delicious dessert. :)

Have a fabulous time! And happy travels...

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Thanks so much for your advise everyone. Looks like I need to invest in a nice pair of walking shoes for the trip :)

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For my coming up trip I already have tics to a play at La Comédie Française and to a ballet in Opéra Garnier.

I like to visit Montmartre in the evening, Sacré Coeur is open late (till 11pm) and is beautifully illuminated.

If you plan to go up the Arc, the views are wonderful at night, it%26#39;s open till about 10pm and the shops on the Champs are open late.

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There are the obvious things that are no different from New York other than sometimes being in French — plays, operas, concerts, clubs of various kinds (%26#39;nuff said...), movies. But the usual thing to do outside of those in Paris is to have a bit of a stroll before dinner, possibly including an apéro in a pleasant café, then a 2 to 3 hour (or longer...) dinner starting around 8:30 pm or later and then a stroll (or métro/bus/taxi) back to your hotel...

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inna - What are you seeing?

There%26#39;s no opera Garnier when I%26#39;m there next month but I%26#39;m going to Opera Bastille twice and Theatre des Champs Elsyees once.

After TCE, which is a 5pm start, I%26#39;m going to see the Nocturnes presentation at Notre Dame.

I%26#39;d wanted to treat myself to a dinner but by the time ND and the other OB performances have finished, it%26#39;ll be too late (for me, not the restaurants).

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Ailidh, we%26#39;re seeing Balanchine%26#39;s %26quot;Jewels%26quot; (Joyaux) with costumes by Christian Lacroix.

Try to have a nice late lunch, with a cheese plate and digestif, might get you through the night.

Would love to hear your impressions of the shows when you get back.

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Don%26#39;t forget the evening hours at the museums. Orsay Thursday to 9:45pm and Louvre Wednesday %26amp; Friday until 10pm

Far less visitors.

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All of the yooung people in Paris, and the young at heart, take a bottle of wine out onto the Pont des Arts at 8:45 or 9:45. They find a seat on one of the benches that run down the middle of the bridge or at the fence, open and pour the wine, then wait until the Eiffel Tower begins to twinkle on the hour. While you wait or afterwards you can watch the lighted Matteaux Mouches sail underneath you and the bridge, and there if a great view of the Ile de la Cite and Notre Dame in the other direction.

Pjk.