Page 346 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Paris

344  TR A VELLERS ’ NEEDS

The Nouveau Casino, Another good bet is Carmen, The oldest gay club in Paris
behind the ever trendy located in a ravishing is Le Club 18, just behind the
Café Charbon (see p311) in Second Empire mansion, Palais-Royal. It’s very small but
Oberkampf, pulls in an eclectic and drawing a select, good- friendly and attracts a good-
crowd for its live music and looking crowd with its cutting- looking young crowd. Raidd
club nights, often run by edge programming and Bar is well known as the
cutting-edge collectives. experimental cocktails. infamous “shower bar”, where
Creating a buzz in the scantily clad men dance in a
Bastille area is Badaboum. neon-lit, glass-fronted shower.
Set in an old warehouse, it World Music Some mainstream clubs also
hosts live bands and club You can dance to more exotic host gay nights; one of the best
nights. It also has a cocktail sounds – Afro, Latin, Balkan is Gibus’s Nuit des Follivores/
and tapas bar, plus a secret and tropical beats – on Crazyvores, where a young,
room upstairs, complete weekends at La Dame de relaxed crowd parties to 80s
with a bed, sofas and a fridge. Canton, a wonderful Chinese pop and house music.
Sporting a retro-industrial junk moored on the Seine in La Champmeslé, one of
setting is Yoyo, a large club the 13th arrondissement, near the most venerable fixtures
housed in the cavernous Batofar. It also has a bar and on Paris’s lesbian scene, also
concrete basement of the restaurant. Another good bet welcomes gay men and stages
Palais de Tokyo’s contemporary is L’Alimention Générale, one regular cabaret nights. In the
art site. Its eclectic of the most popular fixtures Marais is the 3W Kafé (the
programming and renowned on the Oberkampf nightlife 3Ws standing for Women With
international DJs draw a young, scene, where you can dance Women), and Le So What,
glamorous crowd. to live bands playing Afro where club nights tend to
Out on the northeastern and Balkan beats, samba and attract thirty-something
edge of the city, Glazart is a gypsy jazz; on weekend club lesbians, who enjoy cocktails
bit of a trek, but worth it for its nights, the music tends in between DJ sets. Also with
slightly alternative vibe and towards techno, hip hop a strong lesbian following,
wide range of music, including and funk. La Bellevilloise’s though open to all, is Sunday
hip hop, drum ‘n’ bass and club nights often have a night at Rosa Bonheur. Hidden
electro. As well as club nights, world-music slant. away in the Parc des Buttes-
it puts on regular concerts, For salsa, head to Barrio Chaumont and set in a former
which, unusually, are mostly Latino. Occupying three guinguette (an old-fashioned
free. In summer, La Plage de floors of a building designed open-air café/dancehall), this
Glazart creates a beach-party by Gustave Eiffel, it combines is a lovely place to drink and
atmosphere: some 50 tonnes Latin music with great dance any day of the week,
of sand are imported to create cocktails and tapas served especially in summer.
a mini-beach, where you can from trolleys by roaming staff. Aimed at both gay men
play boules and sit and enjoy Dancers can perfect their and lesbians, Le Tango is a
open-air gigs. moves at the Sunday salsa converted dance hall where
On the city’s eastern limits, classes. You can also take salsa you can spend the first half
old-timer La Flèche d’Or, set lessons and then dance the of the evening (till 12.30am)
in a converted train station, night away at La Pachanga. perfecting your tango, cha
also offers an eclectic array cha cha and other old-time
of concerts, DJ nights and dances, before letting your
concept evenings. Gay and Lesbian hair down to a traditional
Venues
Though mostly a live music disco (techno is banned).
venue, it’s worth checking what’s Paris boasts a thriving LGBT
on at Le Cabaret Sauvage, a scene. The traditional strong-
swish locale in La Villette, shaped hold of the gay community is Admission Charges
like a big-top tent, where the Marais neighbourhood, Some clubs are strictly private,
collectives often stage electro which features lots of LGBT- while others have a more
and drum ‘n’ bass nights. friendly bars and clubs. One of open admission policy.
the best known is CUD (Classic Prices range from €10 to
Up and Down), with its €30 or more and may be
DJ Bars
ground-floor bar and vaulted even higher after midnight
Popular DJ bars – bars that turn basement dance floor. It pulls and at weekends. Quite
into clubs on the weekend – in people of all ages and gets often there are concessions
include Panic Room, on jam-packed after 2am, since for women.
happening Rue Amelot, with it’s one of the few places in In general, one drink (une
a bar on the ground floor and the area that stays open till consommation) tends to be
a dance floor in the basement; the early hours. The nearby included in the club’s entry
and Glass, a cocktail bar in Le Free DJ bar hosts popular price; thereafter, it can
the hip South Pigalle district. weekend club nights. become an expensive evening.

334-351_EW_Paris.indd 344 03/04/17 2:53 pm
Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Practical template “UK” LAYER
(Source v1.3)
Date 17th October 2012
Size 125mm x 217mm