Dancing in Paris

The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France (Photo by Genevieve Richards)

By Genevieve Richards - Why go clubbing in London when you can go to Paris instead? After asking ourselves that question, we realized that there really was no excuse not to go. We figured out that it would probably cost us less than a night out in London to catch the Eurostar train to Paris, go out for supper at a really trendy restaurant, visit a “happening” bar or two and club the rest of the night away.

Our journey to Paris took roughly three hours, and we arrived at Gard du Nord station just after 8 p.m. We piled into taxis and went straight to the famed Buddha Bar where we had reservations for 9 p.m. Buddha Bar, situated just behind the Place de la Concorde, is an ultra-trendy bar and restaurant where the world-famous Buddha Bar CDs are mixed. Not only famed for its chic clientele and hip music, Buddha Bar is also known for its relaxing candlelit ambience and, of course, a giant golden Buddha overlooking the diners.

The Buddha Bar in Paris, France (Photo by Genevieve Richards)

The food was fantastic – the menu has been described as California-Japanese fusion – and we whiled the hours away, drinking cocktails and sampling a number of different dishes. Unbelievably, the bill was not as horrendous as we had expected it would be, and it worked out to roughly £40 per person, including the wines and cocktails.

Upon leaving Buddha Bar just after 12 a.m., we headed to another well-known Parisian watering hole, B*rfly, on avenue George V. The place was packed with undeniably beautiful people while the atmosphere was a mixture of relaxed, funky and cool. Because the dining area is quite far from the kitchen, the staff was ducking and diving between patrons, and everyone was having a great time. After several more cocktails, it was time to head out into the night again.

Although we had heard about a few clubs in northern Paris that were supposed to be really good, we changed our plans. We took the advice of our taxi driver who said he would take us to a club that was much better than the ones we had been told about.

The club we went to was so new that it didn’t even have a name – not one that we could find anyway. We just called it “the club.” The taxi driver was right – it was amazing. People there were only there to dance and have a good time. There was none of the posing that is rife in many London clubs. Everyone was dancing, and different groups of people were constantly shifting and forming new groups. The club also played a variety of music: bass, house, trance…the lot…all in the same room.

At 6 a.m., we headed out for breakfast, and the unanimous decision was to go “somewhere with a view.” We headed back into central Paris and found a little café overlooking Notre Dame Cathedral. Over strong coffee and a fry up Paris-style, we decided that this was definitely a night to remember… and although it would be impossible to replicate, we would definitely try to do it all again.