The best cheap bars in Paris

There's no-holds-barred Irish pub in the centre of the Marais. Rest assured that the Guinness will flow...

An insider's favourite for cheap drinks, come during happy hour to dabble in the 300-strong cocktail list.

A winner with students in the area, value reigns in this cosy wooden bar with a 12-beer tasting 'platter' for €12. 

Test one of the many cocktails on offer, in one of the longest happy hours from 3.30-8pm. There's also a bar cat called René.

The drinks are cheap and the clientele eclectic in this vaulted stone wine cellar where hip students mix with the hoi-polloi.

Sangria dive bar complete with jukebox and pleasantly gruff moustachioed barmen. A treasure. 

Kitsch jazz and world music den doing mean rum and ginger cocktails. One to come to for a Saturday night shin dig. 

Look out for Thursdays in winter when it's 'Be my oyster' with tastings (€16 for a dozen, €10 for a half dozen, with a glass of Sauvignon) to a background of electro. 

A good time guaranteed in this no-frills bar basement-style bar with a busy events calendar.

Thierry Breton's restaurant and wine bar; expect bohemian high jinks (there’s a grand piano ready and waiting under the glass roof...).

Funky live music spot down from Canal Saint Martin. Great starting point for bar hopping afterwards. 

The perfect neighbourhood cafe, complete with board games, armchairs, charcuterie and cheese.

Be prepared to get some serious human warmth in this sardine-like bar on Faubourg Saint-Denis. 

If you're in the mood for a late one, this down-to-earth booze-focused bistro open from 5am to 2am. 

Step into a Matisse-style dreamscape and groove to live jazz, swing and gypsy

Service with a beaming smile

Lively local République watering hole with a fusion food menu

Your best bet for quality live music gigs in Bastille

A cosy place to while away the evening, whose charm lies in being distinctly 'uncool'. 

Pack to the rafters in this easy-going gem. Dancing obligatory

Come early to enjoy the delights of this Kubrick tribute joint

Moroccan restaurant meets bar with music until 4am on weekends

A little boho bar that seethes with people day and night

Paris's temple to indie pop

Expect to strip off at this sweaty but loveable dive bar

A totally normal local bar with great prices and a ‘mi casa su casa’ atmosphere – we just keep going back. 

This Butte-aux-Cailles institution tantalises students and nostalgists with its splendid selection of rums (over 20) and a long list of cocktails. 

The boat that rocked: this purple café-bar is just next to Bibliothèque nationale de France

You'll never get bored at this old-style bar, what with its ageless murals on the walls, animated regulars and a spot of dancing to the Brazilian funk and jazz.

An Averyon-style bar and restaurant with bags of character

An old school bar-tabac in the heart of Montmartre, recalling the beatnik and rock bistros of the 1970s.

Tiny, completely bonkers boozer shared between Montmartre golden oldies and boho chic habitués

Cosy and cool, this bar-restaurant takes as much care in its music as its tapas

Unpretentious lively spot where locals meet for an aperitif and a gossip

Floating café with plenty of groovy live music offerings

Expect regular acoustic concerts, inviting jazz manouche, rock, funk, blues and folk groups, or DJs spinning hip hop, reggae, groove and soul. 

This busy, buzzy summer terrace transforms into a cosy pouf-strewn bar in winter

The kind of bar where you can arrive at 4pm and not leave until 2am, where one day you might take your best friend, the next your mum, the next a Tinder date. 

A slice of the village sweet life next to Ménilmontant metro

A community café hosting sociable events like citizens’ debates, film screenings, writing workshops.

70s blue collar nostalgia with gigs from 8pm

Come early for a seat at this boho-chic café and arts space

A big heated terrace in the winter, a competitive happy hour from 4pm to 10pm (€3.50 pints of Pelforth, a pint of more than decent mojito for €6 and €4.50 cocktails) and it’s open from 7am to 2am.

This homely, welcoming spot boasts a pretty staggering view over Paris

These laid-back dives are everything a night owl on a budget could wish for