Top 10 gay bars in Paris
There’s fun to be had any night of the week
Heloise Bergmann / Time Out
Paris is a European capital for all things gay and fabulous, from an out and proud mayor to a neighborhood teeming with addresses for a night of cavorting. The Marais, centrally-located just north of the Hotel de Ville and south of the Place de la République, is the epicenter for nightlife catering to boys and men of all walks, but it's just the beginning. Starting an evening in or around the Marais is the best way to find out from the locals what's going on around town. Whether you're looking to share casual drinks, to dance until dawn, or to have a brush with a local Parisian, there's fun to be had any night of the week.
Top 10 bars for a gay old time
Open Café
- Rated as: 3/5
- Price band: 2/4
Open Café is an institution in the Marais where the gay community congregates at night before heading off in all directions. Centrally-located among all other hotspots, it’s a no-brainer to start a soirée, or to finish if the scene is good. Young and old, sporty and chic, local and foreign all collide for a happy hour (6-10pm) on pints followed by specials on Champagne until closing that provide the perfect social lubrication for the rest of the evening. A welcoming atmosphere makes this a good meeting point for friends or for a solo drink if you’re looking to make new acquaintances. Grab a table on the sidewalk for some casual cruising and people-watching – and don’t be afraid to have a coffee or light lunch during the day when Open embraces the 'café' aspect of its name.
- 17 rue des Archives, 4e
Café Cox
- Rated as: 3/5
- Price band: 2/4
- Critics choice
The aptly named Cox bar is a mainstay, centrally located in the Marais on Rue des Archives where, on warmer evenings, the crowd spills onto the pavements with only a feeble chain rope to keep patrons from taking over the street. This watering hole attracts a manlier set of slightly older bikers and leather fans that seems intimidating at first, but if it’s your scene, prepare for a hearty welcome, even if you’re a bit younger with a full head of hair. And no, it hasn’t changed hands since it opened in 1995, but the décor does alternate every three months to keep things fresh. Ambiance is everything, after all. DJs spin on Thursday nights and a lengthy happy hour on Sunday keeps the beer flowing until 2am before the crowds head elsewhere.
- 15 rue des Archives, 4e
Raidd Bar
- Rated as: 4/5
- Price band: 2/4
This is one of Time Out's 100 best bars in Paris. Click here to see the full list. The infamous 'shower bar', Raidd welcomes a trendy mix of younger locals, innocent study abroad students, and other voyeuristic internationals to the Marais who don’t just come for the pricey drinks. Instead, they crowd around to ogle the scantily-clad go-go boys who make you feel dirty while they get clean, stripping down and lathering up in the glass shower by the bar. Each Thursday, Raidd has an extended shower show, featuring four different male specimens who take their time cleaning everywhere to make sure they get squeaky clean. Themed nights, including Disco Tuesdays and Brazilian Wednesdays keep the party going all week. It’s not the place for intimate conversation or a relaxed evening, but the crowds are thick enough that you could pick up a number or two. Men queue up on the weekends, but there’s no cover to enter, so prepare to wait patiently, and quietly, on the sidewalk and play nice with the bouncer.
- 23 rue du Temple, 4e
Bear's Den
- Rated as: 3/5
- Price band: 2/4
As the name implies, the Bear’s Den is Paris’s premier address for the cross section of the gay community known as bears. A bit older, hairier, and stockier, you won’t find these guys hanging out in the trendier, more refined bars. This lot carved out their niche on the fringe of the Marais on the lively Rue des Lombards where they fill the terrace and spill onto the street every night of the week, beers in hand. Welcoming and friendly, if just a bit imposing, the crowd splits time between the ground floor and the dance floor in the cellar. Evening apéros featuring different cuisine, from Nordic munchies to Spanish-style tapas, and a Sunday Tea Party until 9pm are on the agenda every week as well as a funk and disco soirée the last Saturday of each month. It’s the only place to be for otters, cubs, and any other hair-appreciating gay male in Paris. Bears, wolves and men who love hairy men also gather at the nearby Wolf.
- 6 rue des Lombards, 4e
Sly
- Rated as: 4/5
- Price band: 2/4
A newcomer to the gay scene, Sly is a kitschy bar down the street from the Bear’s Den that attracts a much younger set of guys and their gal friends. It seems trendy with its flashy lights and risqué videos on the flat screen inside, but there’s nothing pretentious about the bar or its patrons. The best spot is on the tiny heated terrace, offering some of Paris’s most eclectic people-watching on Rue des Lombards, but the seating inside is cozy and inviting if it’s too late to snag a seat outside. With cost-effective happy hours (€3.50 for a pint) and attentive service, it’s a great change of pace from some of the other overly-cruisey bars. That said, each Thursday is a special after-work party, 'Single or Not', where you can wear a colour-coded bracelet identifying your relationship status. Green means 'go for it', so give it a shot.
- 22 rue des Lombards, 4e
Banana Café
- Rated as: 5/5
- Price band: 3/4
Banana Café, an institution the Les Halles neighbourhood, attracts a younger set of locals, suburban Parisians, and travellers who have strayed from the core gay scene of the Marais. With themed soirées, drag shows and go-go boys that could have taught Joséphine Baker a few moves, it’s a solid choice for any night on the town. The ground floor bar and adjacent terrace serve up happy hour drinks including €3 pints from 6-11pm, though service is far from attentive. After happy hour, patrons are ushered inside from the terrace and, eventually, downstairs for some dancing and go-go boy antics, should you be so interested. Depending on the soirée, there’s a cover fee for those who arrive later, but the relaxed ambiance and club-like atmosphere will make up for it.
- 13 Rue de la Ferronnerie, 1e
Duplex
- Rated as: 2/5
- Price band: 2/4
For those looking to drink and mingle without any flashy lights or erotic undertones, the Duplex is the place for you. Tucked away on a side street in the Marais, its shabby appearance doesn’t instill confidence, but that’s part of the charm. Upstairs you’ll find a smoking room and a small balcony for surveying the rest of the ground floor crowd, a mix of 20-40 somethings looking to hang out in a stress-free environment. Hipsters and bikers join preps and expats around the central counter for affordable beer and wine from the bar. Grab a stool if you can, as seating is rare, but it’s best to circulate around the cramped quarters until you find a spot that suits you. The bar also plays host to rotating art shows, so that means a night of drinking can also count as a 'cultural outing', right?
- 25 rue Michel Le Comte, 4e
Le CUD Bar
- Rated as: 5/5
- Price band: 2/4
When the bars and restaurants start close, the party is far from over in the Marais. Things at the Cud, an unfortunately-named but sinfully fun venue, start to heat up around 2am as party-seekers leave other venues for this classic and basic cave bar. Located off Rue du Temple on a tiny street, this is one of the best late-night spots in the Marais. The seating area upstairs is for amateurs, since the real party is in the vaulted cave below. Two bars serve pricey drinks all night long as the DJ spins a fun and current mix of pop tracks and house music – and he sometimes takes requests if you’re polite. The clientele, as per usual, is mixed, but notably younger and very friendly, sometimes too friendly, with a lot more cruising than many of the other bars. Those looking to get up close and personal with a Parisian shouldn’t have too hard of a time here, since space is at a premium, but a healthy dose of international men also frequent Cud since late night options in the Marais are few. Make sure you check your coat, it gets hot down there.
- 12 rue des Haudriettes, 3e
FreeDJ
- Rated as: 5/5
- Price band: 3/4
If you want to dance, and claustrophobia is no issue, FreeDJ, right around the corner from Open Café, is a top choice for an all-nighter with no cover to pay. Upstairs, the bar and a foosball table occupy those looking to chat or share a cigarette in the glassed-in smoking room. Head downstairs and the intimate cellar welcomes those looking to hit the dance floor with like-minded gentlemen. Soirées like Wednesday’s RnB night keep the weeknights new and fresh while house and pop take over the downstairs, pumping Madonna and Lady Gaga through the speakers while the bartender pours Red Bull and vodka all night long. It’s a relaxed and not overtly-cruisey scene that’s better fun with a few pals than solo, but don’t try to smuggle in any lady friends. The bouncer at the door notoriously turns away anyone with a menstrual cycle.
- 35 rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie, 4e
La Bonne Nouvelle
- Rated as: 3/5
- Price band: 2/4
La Bonne Nouvelle offers a getaway from the sometimes insular gay community in the Marais. Opened at the end of 2011, just off the Grands Boulevards on Rue du Faubourg Poissonnière, this unassuming bar is a surprising hub of gay life amidst a mix of Irish pubs and American fast food chains. The neighborhood, part of the bobo (read: yuppie) 10th arrondissement, is the enclave for the young trendy hipsters and alternative types that convene here for drinks. Patrons grab a beer at the bar, with happy hour until 8pm, converting the pavement into their own terrace for those who wish to see and be seen. Inside, it’s nothing special, but a relaxed atmosphere and accessible bar make it a good place to mingle and meet new people any night of the week. For those looking for a decidedly gay, yet casual and laid-back place to hang out, La Bonne Nouvelle is the good news it chalks itself up to be.
- 4 rue du Faubourg Poissonnière, 10e