Paris

The Best Place to Party – Paris

Batofar

Sitting on a converted barge floating on the Seine, Batofar is one of those Parisian clubs that has managed to stay fresh through the years, with crowds consistently showing up to line up outside. The lightship sways every evening till the early hours to beats of underground hip hop, rock, electro, techno, and dubstep. When you need to rest your feet, check out the fantastic view from the club’s bridge.

Address: Facing 11, Quai François Mauriac
Metro: Bibliotheque Francois Mitterand or Bercy More »

Chez Moune

Featuring low ceilings and mirrored-tiled walls, and a distinctively 1930’s style decor, Chez Moune caters to the Parisian branché (hipster) crowd. DJs mainly spin electro-rock here. Unlike the majority of Parisian nightclubs, this one is free, so expect a big queue outside filled with young 20-something’s looking to stay up through the “petit matin” (early morning hours).Address: 54, rue Jean-Baptiste Pigalle
Metro: Saint-Georges More »

Chacha Club

Dark and imposing on the outside, and featuring lush art deco labyrinth within, the Chacha Club offers the style of a private club, minus the onerous and elitist membership requirement. The hottest electro, pop, and techno DJs of the moment take over the posh dining room at midnight, while those seeking a bit of calm can escape into the in-house recording studio, fumoir, or the giant posh bathroom, complete with a huge claw-footed tub.Address: 47, rue Berger
Metro: Chatelet-les-Halles More »

Le Truskel

Blending a traditional Celtic pub style with a “micro-club” ambiance, this hipster hotspot in the Grands Boulevards neighborhood features indie, electro-pop, and punk music spun by well-known musicians and DJs until 6 am. Crammed and cozy, with a majority of anglophone dancers, the club also serves as the spot for after-show parties for crowds spilling out from the nearby (and legendary) Olympia concert hall.

Address: 12, rue Feydeau
Metro: Bourse or Grands Boulevards More »

Rex Club

Featuring sunken dance floors and an international crowd often in search of a mood-altering experience, the Rex Club easily recalls the big techno-grunge clubs of London. The music here is usually bass-heavy house and electronica, while crowds don’t start pouring in until well after the metro has closed. The bouncers here are known to be temperamental and grouchy at times, though, so come dressed the part (avoid jeans and t-shirts) and toe the line when in line.Address: 5 boulevard Poissonnière
Metro: Bonne Nouvelle or Grands Boulevards More »

Le Social Club

Located in the smack center of the Grands Boulevards club scene, not far from the aforementioned Rex, this electro venue boasts some of the hottest acts from the French and international DJ scene. Designed in a self-proclaimed “retrofuturist” style, the 500-capacity club is housed in the same building that used to print George Clemenceau’s “L’Aurore” newspaper. The music tends to be eclectic, but house, techno, disco, electro, and similar genres usually end up reigning.Address: 142, rue Montmartre
Metro: Grands Boulevards More »

Showcase

Set beneath the stately Pont Alexandre III, this may be the only club you’ll ever enter that’s literally nestled under a bridge. A stylish, “BCBG” (yuppie) crowd, usually with champagne bottles at close hand, dances to DJs and live bands while taking in iconic views of the Seine. While live bands are all over the genre map, DJs tend to stick to sets of house, electro, and disco beats.Address: Port des Champs-Élysées, under the Pont Alexandre III
Metro: Champs-Elysees Clemenceau or Invalides More »

Le Baron

Once housing the most expensive brothel in Paris, this small and exclusive lounge for 150 people serves as the “it” place for the international jetset crowd. Featuring original 1920’s decor intact, including tiles painted with nude women, tasseled lamps, and red walls, the dance floor at Le Baron is one of the most packed in Paris. With some of the world’s most beautiful people in attendance, befriending a regular still serves as the best way to get in.Address: 6, avenue Marceau
Metro: Alma-Marceau More »

La Bellevilloise

Tacking to the much grittier northeast: Once the home of Paris’ first workers’ co-operative, this off-the-beaten-path club/art space/restaurant boasts dance floors on two levels. The club regularly hosts live DJs or bands playing rock, reggae, and every indie genre in between. The downstairs level frequently hosts an 80’s theme night, while you can catch your breath on the upstairs lounge, which includes a lovely terrace. A favorite among the indie-rock set who eschew the mainstream scene of Grands Boulevards and the ostentatious bling of the western clubs. Avoid if you dislike faint fogs of patchouli and sweat.Address: 19-21, rue Boyer
Metro: Gambetta More »

La Machine du Moulin Rouge

Following a substantial makeover in 2010, this three-floor club and live music venue near Pigalle and Montmartre has reinvented itself with a dash of decadence. The main dance floor, dubbed “La Chaufferie”, used to be the Moulin Rouge’s boiler room. Though the old pipes remain, the new Alice in Wonderland-styled decor allows for a memorable dancing experience, with room for 800 branché types to let loose to techno and electro DJ sets.

Address: 90 boulevard de Clichy
Metro: Place de Clichy More »