Nightlife

When darkness falls, the City of Light lives up to its name -- the monuments and bridges are illuminated, and the glow of old-fashioned and modern street lamps, the blaze of sidewalk-cafe windows, and the glare of neon signs flood the avenues and boulevards. Parisians start the serious part of their evenings as Anglos stretch, yawn, and announce it's time for bed. After the workday is over, most people go to a cafe to meet with friends over a drink and perhaps a meal; then, they may head home or proceed to a restaurant or the theater; and much later, they may show up at a bar or a dance club.

In this section, we describe Paris's after-dark diversions -- from attending a Molière play at the Comédie-Française to catching a cancan show at the Moulin Rouge to sipping a Sidecar at Harry's New York Bar to partying at Le Queen with all the boys.

White Nights (Nuit Blanche) in Paris -- Beginning in Paris in 2002, Nuit Blanche, a frenetic all-night multivenue cultural bash, was launched. Since then, the concept has swept such European capitals as Madrid and Rome. Dates for this event vary from year to year. In 2009, it occurs on October 3. Check its website for late-changing information: www.nuitblanche.paris.fr.

What to expect: The offerings seem endless, everything from street entertainers such as circus acts to Jazz jam sessions. Of course, there are modern art shows, theatrical presentations, and music of every genre, even old-fashioned French ballads. "Nuit Blanche is the greatest party ever thrown in the streets of Paris," said Pierre Monosiet. "We dance the night away until dawn's early light."

White Night events are free and take place, often spontaneously, throughout Paris -- not just in the historic core. As many as two million people might take to the streets in the next White Night extravaganza. Many museums and art galleries will remain open around the clock.

There might even be all-night dancing in one of the giant terminals of a Paris rail station. The axis of events will follow the course of the no. 14 Métro (subway) line from the Batignolles sector in northwest Paris, cutting through the heart of the city to the fringes of Les Olympiades in the southwest.

The Performing Arts

Listings -- Announcements of shows, concerts, and operas are plastered on kiosks all over town. You'll find listings in the weekly Pariscope, an entertainment guide with a section in English, or the English-language bimonthly Boulevard. Performances start later in Paris than in London or New York -- from 8 to 9pm -- and Parisians tend to dine after the theater. You may not want to do the same, because many of the less-expensive restaurants close as early as 9pm.

Tickets -- Paris has many ticket agencies, most near the Right Bank hotels. Avoid them if possible. You can buy the cheapest tickets at the box office of the theater or at discount agencies that sell tickets at discounts of up to 50%. One is the Kiosque Théâtre, 15 place de la Madeleine, 8e (no phone; www.kiosquetheatre.com; Métro: Madeleine), offering leftover tickets for about half-price on the day of performance. Tickets for evening performances are sold Tuesday to Saturday from 12:30 to 8pm. For matinees, tickets are sold Saturday from 12:30 to 2pm and Sunday from 12:30 to 4pm. Other branches are in the basement of the Châtelet-Les Halles Métro station and in front of Gare Montparnasse.

Students with ID can often get last-minute tickets by applying at the box office an hour before curtain time.

The easiest (and most expensive) way to get tickets, especially if you're staying in a first-class or deluxe hotel, is to ask your concierge to arrange for them. A service fee is added, but it's a lot easier if you don't want to waste precious hours in Paris trying to secure often hard-to-get tickets.

Tickets for festivals, concerts, and the theater are easy to obtain through one of these locations of the FNAC record store chain: 136 rue de Rennes, 6e (tel. 08-25-02-08-02; Métro: St. Placide); or 1-7 rue Pierre-Lescot, in the Forum des Halles, 1er. (tel. 08-25-02-00-20; Métro: Châtelet-Les Halles).

For information and tickets to just about any show in Paris (also Dijon, Lyon, and Nice), Keith Prowse has a New York office if you'd like to make arrangements before you go. It's at 234 W. 44th St., Ste. 1000, New York, NY 10036 (tel. 800/669-8687; www.keithprowse.com). The Paris office is at 7 rue de Clichy, 9e (tel. 01-42-81-88-98; Métro: Place de Clichy). They will mail tickets to your home, fax confirmation, or leave tickets at the box office in Paris. There's a markup of 20% (excluding opera and ballet) over box-office price, plus a U.S. handling charge of $8. Hotel and theater packages are also available.

The Music of Angels -- Some of the most moving music in Paris echoes through its churches, with sounds that can take you back to the Middle Ages. At Eglise de St-Eustache, 2 impasse St-Eustache, 1er (tel. 01-42-36-31-05; www.saint-eustache.org; Métro: Rambuteau), High Mass with the organ playing and the choir singing is at 11am on Sunday. In summer, concerts are played on the organ, marking the church's role in holding the premiere of Berlioz's Te Deum and Liszt's Messiah. Tickets to these special concerts sell for 12€ to 40€. It's open daily 9:30am to 7pm.

The American Church in Paris, 65 quai d'Orsay, 7e (tel. 01-40-62-05-00; www.acparis.org; Métro: Invalides or Alma-Marceau), sponsors concerts from September to June on Sundays at 5pm. You can also attend free concerts at Eglise St-Merry, 76 rue Verrerie, 4e (tel. 01-42-71-93-93; Métro: Hôtel-de-Ville). These performances are staged with variable musicians based on their availability, from September to July on Saturdays at 8:30pm, and again on Sundays at 4pm.

After-Dark Diversions: Dives, Drag & More

On a Paris night, the cheapest entertainment, especially if you're young, is "the show" at the tip of Ile de la Cité, behind Notre-Dame. A sort of Gallic version of the Sundowner Festival in Key West, Florida, it attracts just about everyone who ever wanted to try his or her hand at performance. The spontaneous entertainment usually includes magicians, fire-eaters, jugglers, mimes, and music makers from all over, performing against the backdrop of the illuminated cathedral. This is one of the greatest places in Paris to meet young people in a sometimes-euphoric setting.

Also popular is a stroll along the Seine after 10pm. Take a graveled pathway down to the river from the Left Bank side of pont de Sully, close to the Institut du Monde Arabe, and walk to the right, away from Notre-Dame. This walk, which ends near place Valhubert, is the best place to see spontaneous Paris in action at night. Joggers and saxophone players come here, and many Parisians arrive for impromptu dance parties.

To quench your thirst, wander onto Ile St-Louis and head for the Café-Brasserie St-Regis, 6 rue Jean-du-Bellay, 4e, across from pont St-Louis (tel. 01-43-54-59-41; Métro: Pont Marie). If you want to linger, you can order a plat du jour or a coffee at the bar. But try doing as the Parisians do: Get a 3€ beer to go (une bière à emporter) in a cup and take it with you on a stroll around the island. The cafe is open daily until midnight.

If you're caught waiting for the Métro to start running again at 5am, try the Sous-Bock Tavern, 49 rue St-Honoré, 1er (tel. 01-40-26-46-61; Métro: Les Halles or Louvre-Rivoli), open Monday to Saturday from 11am to 5am, Sunday 5pm to 5am. Young drinkers gather here to sample from 250 varieties of beer or 20 varieties of whiskey. The dish to order is a platter of mussels -- curried, with white wine, or with cream sauce; they go well with the brasserie-style fries.

If drag shows aren't your cup of tea, how about Last Tango in Paris? At Le Tango, 11 rue au Maire, 3e (tel. 01-42-72-17-78; Métro: Arts et Métiers), memories of Evita and Argentina live on. On-site is a ballroom called La Boîte à Frissons. The evening starts at 10:30pm, with couples dancing until 12:30am, featuring the waltz, the tango, pasodoble, the polka, rock 'n' roll, and cha cha. After that, the dance floor turns into a disco. The cover is 8€. It's open Friday and Saturday from midnight to 5am.

If you're looking for a sophisticated, laid-back venue, consider the Sanz-Sans, 49 rue du Faubourg St-Antoine, 4e (tel. 01-44-75-78-78; www.sanzsans.com; Métro: Bastille or Ledru Rollin), a multi-ethnic playground where the children of prominent Parisians mingle, testifying to the unifying power of jazz. In this red-velvet duplex, the most important conversations seem to occur over margaritas on the stairway or the backroom couches. The later it gets, the sexier the scene becomes. No cover is charged.

Bars

Wine Bars -- Many Parisians now prefer wine bars to traditional cafes or bistros. The food is often better, and the ambience more inviting.

Bars, Pubs & Clubs -- These "imported" places trying to imitate American cocktail bars or British pubs mostly strike an alien chord. But that doesn't prevent fashionable Parisians from barhopping (not to be confused with cafe-sitting). Many bars in Paris are youth-oriented. But if you're an older traveler who prefers to take your expensive drink in one of the grand-luxe bars of the world, Paris has those as well. The bars at the Plaza Athénée or Ritz, for example, are among the grandest in the world and provide a uniquely Parisian experience for those who want to don their finest apparel and take along a gold-plated credit card. In general, bars and pubs are open daily from 11am to 1:30am.

Gay & Lesbian Bars -- Gay life is centered on Les Halles and Le Marais, with the greatest concentration of gay and lesbian clubs, restaurants, bars, and shops between the Hôtel-de-Ville and Rambuteau Métro stops. Gay dance clubs come and go so fast that even the magazines devoted to them, such as Illico -- distributed free in the gay bars and bookstores -- have a hard time keeping up. For lesbians, there is Lesbian Magazine. Also look for Gai Pied's Guide Gai and Pariscope's regularly featured English-language section, "A Week of Gay Outings." Also important for both men and women is Têtu Magazine, sold at most newsstands.

Café Cox, 15 rue des Archives, 4e (tel. 01-42-72-08-00), gets so busy in the early evening that the crowd stands on the sidewalk. This is where you'll find the most mixed gay crowd in Paris -- from hunky American tourists to sexy Parisian men. Another hot place in Les Halles is Le Tropic Café, 66 rue des Lombards, 1er (tel. 01-40-13-92-62; Métro: Châtelet-Les Halles), where the trendy, good-looking crowd parties until dawn. A restaurant with a bar popular with women is Okawa, 40 rue Vieille-du-Temple, 4e (tel. 01-48-04-30-69; Métro: Hôtel-de-Ville), where trendy lesbians (and some gay men) enjoy happy hour.