Paris_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Lonely Planet [233]
This glossy lesbian cocktail bar is the flagship venue on a street with several dyke bars. It’s relaxed and elegant and there’s no ban on men. If you’re looking for something a bit more hardcore and ‘exclusive’, head for the 3W’s sister-bar Les Jacasses (Map; 01 42 71 15 51; 5 rue des Écouffes, 4e; 5pm-2am Tue-Sun; St-Paul) just opposite.
INTERFACE BAR Map Bar
01 47 00 67 15; 34 rue Keller, 11e; 3pm-2am; Ledru Rollin
No, not ‘In yer face’… This is a laid-back gay bar that attracts locals and habitués of the nearby Gay & Lesbian Centre. Unusualyl for a gay bar in Paris, it attracts customers in the afternoon and early evening, especially during happy hour (6pm to 9pm).
LE COX Map Bar
01 42 72 08 00; www.cox.fr, in French; 15 rue des Archives, 4e; noon-2am Mon-Fri, 1pm-2am Sat & Sun; Hôtel de Ville
This small gay bar has become the meeting place for an interesting (and maybe interested) and cruisy crowd throughout the evening from 6pm. OK, we don’t like the in-your-face name either, but what’s a boy to do? Happy hour is 6pm to 9pm daily and the décor – be it a farm, be it a casino, be it a rodeo – changes every quarter.
LE QUETZAL Map Bar
01 48 87 99 07; 10 rue de la Verrerie, 4e; 5pm-5am; Hôtel de Ville
This perennial favourite gay bar – one of the first in the Marais – is opposite rue des Mauvais Garçons (Bad Boys’ Street), a road named after the brigands who congregated here in 1540. It’s always busy, with house and dance music playing at night, and cruisy at all hours. During happy hour (5pm to 9pm) a pint costs €3.60.
LE SCARRON Map Bar
01 42 77 44 05; www.lescarron.com, in French; 3 rue Geoffroy l’Angevin, 4e; 10pm-6am Wed-Sat; Rambuteau
This rather chic bar de nuit (night bar) hots up as the evening progresses, especially in the vaulted basement. There’s a rather subdued piano bar on the ground floor much more suited (key word) to quiet conversation.
AMNÉSIA Map Bar-Café
01 42 72 16 94; 42 rue Vieille du Temple, 4e; 11am-2am; Hôtel de Ville
In the heart of the Marais, cosy, warmly lit Amnésia is an institution not easy to forget. Friendly and stylish, it remains resolutely popular with gay guys but is more mixed than many of its counterparts. There’s an attractive lounge area upstairs and a tiny dance floor in the cave (wine cellar) downstairs with DJ music from the 1980s and 90s.
LITTLE CAFÉ Map Bar-Café
01 48 87 43 36; 62 rue du Roi de Sicile, 4e; 10am-2am; St-Paul
Run by some of the eminent ladies from the much missed lesbian club Le Pulp on the Grands Boulevards, this modern wine bar-café is a new local favourite, with great coffee and meals. The clientele is relaxed, mixed and street smart, with a penchant for electronic music and good wine.
L’OPEN CAFÉ Map Bar-Café
01 42 72 26 18; www.opencafe.fr; 17 rue des Archives, 4e; 11am-2am Sun-Thu, 11am-4am Fri & Sat; Hôtel de Ville
Until recently this Marais institution was the place for gay men of all ages to head after work, but the action seems to have shifted a few doors southwards to the Cox bar (left). Still, L’Open’s large terrace and daytime schedule are drawing cards, as is the four-hour happy ‘hour’ starting at 6pm.
NYX Map Bar-Café
01 42 78 71 55; 30 rue du Roi de Sicile, 4e; 5pm-2am Sun-Thu, 5pm-4am Fri & Sat; St-Paul
This lesbian café and lounge bar at the corner of rue des Écouffes (in what was once a boulangerie-patisserie) has a stylish vibe and an upbeat crowd. There’s a DJ club downstairs that operates on Friday and Saturday nights.
LE DÉPÔT Map Club
01 44 54 96 96; www.ledepot.com, in French; 10 rue aux Ours, 3e; admission €8.50-12.50; 2pm-8am; Rambuteau or Étienne Marcel
With a cop shop just next door you’d think this strictly men-only bar and club over three floors would be a titch more subdued. Fat (actually, rather buffed) chance. It proudly waves its gay flag just metres from the red, white and blue ones of the commissariat (police station) and is perhaps just as much of an institution. It’s a major men’s pick-up joint, with theme nights, DJs and notorious backrooms.