Guinguettes a-go-go
Once painted by the likes of Renoir and Van Gogh, the guinguette is the cheeky love child of a beer garden and dance hall. And it’s having something of a revival. Hot on the heels of Paris Plages, the city’s hugely popular urban beach, the neo-guinguette is tapping into a nascent Parisian appetite for seasonal pop-ups and outdoor fun.
A new generation of younger, cooler, quirkier venues is cropping up all over town with crowd-pleasing programmes of karaoke, weekend brunches and tattooing nights.
Here’s our pick of the best.
Party like a Parisian: the city’s best summer spots
Chez Gégène
162 Bis, quai de Polangis, 94340 Joinville-le-PontThis riverside joint in Joinville-le-Pont, just outside the capital, has been entertaining the working classes for the past 125 years. Regulars still turn up at the weekend for summer frolics: a punt on the water, a long lunch and a dance or two.
Rosa Bonheur Seine
Port des Invalides, Quai d'Orsay, 75007A sister venue to the Buttes Chaumont classic, this floating guinguette has a much-loved terrace and enormous pizza oven. Bring your dancing shoes every Wednesday for pop-rock covers or with a live band.
Le Bal de la Marine
Port de Suffren, 75007The mood is jubilant at this pop-up venue at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Throw shapes on a dance floor right by the water, or pluck up the courage to take to the stage during the Friday open mic. The seafood’s not bad, either.
Le Chalet du Lac
Avenue de Bel Air, 75012Napoleon III must have boogied at his pavilion by the Bois de Vincennes. It’s still just as charming, with dance nights ranging from swing to deep house.
EP7
133, avenue de France, 75013By day, this futuristic monolith displays experimental works by up-and-coming digital artists. By night it’s a hangout for creatives, with a third-floor restaurant fostering culinary and musical talents alike.
Le Barapapa
Port de la Râpée, 75012Come sunny weather, this hipster canal boat takes over the adjoining river bank. Expect comedy nights, a rotating cast of innovators in the kitchen and cut-price lagers on the odd rainy day.