Paris is the City of Light, and in order to see the city illuminated at its best you’ll need to stay up well past dark. So what can you do in Paris at night?
The answer is lots! Paris comes alive at night, with many attractions staying open late, restaurants and bars filling with locals, and historic streets taking on an otherworldly glow. Below, I’m going to highlight ten of the best things do in Paris at night, along with one bonus option for anyone (like me!) who is visiting in the summer months.
Speaking of my own recent trip, I hadn’t explored much of Paris at night before this year. Typically, when I’m in Paris I am so busy and active during the day that I can barely stay up past 10:00 pm. However, this summer I spent more than two weeks in the city, which allowed me more flexibility to both sleep in and stay out later than usual. If you’re an early riser then Paris’ sleepy mornings might take some getting used to, but if you’re a night owl by nature then you’ll have no problem hitting the streets of Paris at night to explore and have fun!
1. Watch the Eiffel Tower Light Show
Every evening, the Eiffel Tower puts on a magical light show, twinkling for five minutes on the hour, every hour, from nightfall until 1:00 am. One of the best places to see the light show is from Le Trocadero, just across the river.
Enjoy the show, but don’t take too many photos (and definitely don’t try to sell them!) – the light show itself is still under copyright by the artist who designed it, so it’s technically illegal to photograph or video the show. To be on the safe side my photo just shows the normal lights, not the special twinkling ones. That being said, as far as I know nobody has actually been sued!
The best places to watch the Eiffel Tower light show include the Trocadero, the Pont de Bir-Hakeim or, from a distance, the top of the Tour Montparnasse.
2. Take a Sunset River Cruise on the Seine River
I love touring a city from its waterways, and Paris is one of the prettiest cities to explore by riverboat. For a memorable evening, consider a dinner cruise with Ducasse sur Seine. Alain Ducasse is a French chef who has earned more than 21 Michelin stars at his restaurants around the world. His river cruise line offers lunch and dinner sailings with two-, three- and four-course meals (wine pairings optional). The dinner cruise departs at 8:30 pm from the pier in front of Trocadero, and the round-trip sailing is about two hours.
If you’re not on a Michelin-star budget, Vedettes de Paris offers a number of early-evening sailings so that you can see Paris at night at much more reasonable prices.
3. See a Show at the Moulin Rouge Cabaret
With nightly cabaret shows at 7:00 pm, 9:00 pm and 11:00 pm, it’s easy to fit an evening performance at the Moulin Rouge into your Paris itinerary. There are a couple of different ticket options to choose from, including cabaret tickets with champagne only (go for dinner nearby before or after the show) or the full dinner and cabaret experience. Either way, expect a spectacular evening with music, dance and entertainment that you can only find in Paris.
If you don’t have the time (or the euros) to see a show at the Moulin Rouge, you can still snap a shot of the famous cabaret from the outside when you spend one day in Montmartre, or you can pop into their gift shop to buy a souvenir.
There are also other cabarets in Paris if the Moulin Rouge is full or doesn’t fit your budget:
- Crazy Horse – A more risqué, but still classy, performance takes place at this cabaret near the Four Seasons Hotel.
- Paradise Latin – The oldest cabaret show in Paris is located in the Latin Quarter in a theatre that was redesigned by Gustave Eiffel himself.
- La Nouvelle Eve – A hundred years ago this Paris cabaret was shut down by the government because of its salacious shows. Since then it’s been completely renovated in Belle Epoque style and now they put on a popular show with a three-course dinner (champagne included!).
4. Wander Under the Stars à la “Midnight in Paris”
Have you seen Midnight in Paris? It’s one of my favorite movies about Paris, as it showcases the beauty, and magic, of Paris at night. Watch it before, during or after your trip and be transported to the most evocative locales in Paris, both today and during the bohemian 1920s. The historical scenes in the movie were filmed around Paris, including in Montmartre, Île Saint-Louis and Île de la Cité… wander at will!
5. Venture Underground to the Paris Catacombs
As if catacombs weren’t spooky enough, you can now visit Paris’ underground labyrinth after the sun goes down – all the way until 8:30 pm. You’ll walk more than a kilometer through narrow underground tunnels located in former quarries, surrounded by the skeletons of millions of former Paris residents.
Ticket sales open seven days in advance, and can only be purchased through the official website. But seriously, if you visit the catacombs you have to follow the clearly-marked route. Don’t try to explore on your own – people have got lost down here!
6. Tour the City by Double-Decker Bus or Classic Car
Although I usually get around Paris by metro, there’s something special about seeing the city from street level. This is especially true at night, when the city is all lit up and sparkling with lights, both old and new.
For a once-in-a-lifetime Paris sightseeing experience you’ll want to hop in the back of a vintage 1960s Citroen 2CV for a private tour of the most beautiful nighttime spots in Paris, including a panoramic view from the top of Montmartre. Your driver will pick you up at your hotel and whisk you around the city, while you sip champagne and snap photos en route.
For something more budget-friendly, Big Bus offers a Paris by night sightseeing tour. Unlike its daytime hop-on, hop-off services, their evening sightseeing experience is a two-hour tour of the city that takes you past the illuminated Eiffel Tower, Palais Garnier, Moulin Rouge and Champs-Elysees.
7. Have a Twilight Rooftop Drink
Paris abounds with rooftop bars serving champagne and cocktails with panoramic city views. An obvious choice is the champagne bar located at the top of the Eiffel Tower, but if you’d rather look at the tower, rather than from it, there are lots of other great options too.
Créatures is a chic vegetarian restaurant located inside the Galleries Lafayette Haussman with a summertime rooftop terrace and cocktail bar.
Solo travelers can always find someone to chat with at the rooftop bar at Paris’ Generator Hostel (one of my favorite places to stay in Paris!).
Cafe Oz Rooftop is a bit further afield, but this Australian-owned bar is right on the river and the terrace is a great place to watch a football match, check out a new DJ or just have an Aperol Spritz at happy hour. Note that from Friday to Sunday there is a cover charge if you arrive after 9:00 pm.
8. Join a Paris Bar Crawl
Not the fancy cocktail type? A great way to meet other travelers is to join in an organized evening bar crawl. In Paris, Meet & Drink runs a four-hour pub crawl with stops at three Paris bars, drink specials and icebreaker games to help you meet the rest of the group.
On the Left Bank, Riviera Tours also operates a four-hour pub crawl in the Latin Quarter. On weekdays you’ll visit three bars, and on weekends you’ll hit up for Paris bar. Again, expect drink specials at each place you visit.
If you want something a little more chill, this Paris speakeasy tour stops in two secret speakeasies and/or hidden bars, often behind password-protected or invitation-only doors. On some nights, you might even get to try authentic absinthe!
9. Have a Late Dinner with the Locals
In Paris, dinner is a late affair, with many restaurants opening for dinner service as late as 8:00 pm! Typically, Parisiens sit down for dinner between 8:00 pm and 10:00 pm, so join the locals for a late dinner on at least one of your nights in Paris.
If you want to eat at a popular restaurant, I highly recommend reserving your table in advance. The best way to book is via the restaurant website or their listing on Google Maps.
If you miss your chance to reserve, don’t worry: Paris has a number of very-late-night restaurants, including L’Alsace on the Champs-Élysées (the kitchen closes at 3:00 am), Au Pied du Cochon (the restaurant and kitchen both close at 5:00 am) and Le Rey on Rue de la Roquette, which is open 24/7!
10. See (or Hear) an Opera at the Palais Garnier
Some people say Palais Garnier, Paris’ opera house, is more spectacular than the Palace of Versailles. One of the best things to do in Paris at night is to take in an opera, ballet or symphony performance at this historical monument and decide for yourself. When booked in advance, tickets are available for as little as €15, but last-minute tickets can be significantly pricier.
If you don’t need to see the action on stage (for example, at a musical concert), you can try to snag one of the €10 last-minute “Category 6” tickets that go on sale at the Palais Garnier box office exactly one hour before the curtain rises. These cheap tickets have no view of the stage, so you can’t see the show, but you can still see the ornate interior and hear everything that’s happening.
Bonus: The Versailles Nighttime Musical Fountain Show
I am not including this in the main list as it isn’t a year-round event, but it is a great option if you’re in Paris in the summer! The Nighttime Musical Fountain Show at the Palace of Versailles takes place every Saturday evening from June 7 to September 20, 2025, from 8:30 pm to 11:05 pm.
Lasers, lights, music and water features combine to put on a spectacular performance that Marie Antoinette surely would have loved. Before the light show begins, you can purchase an optional tickets to the Royal Serenade, a one hour tour inside the Palace that takes you from the Royal Chapel to the Hall of Mirrors while dancers, live musicians and actors in period clothing recreate a scene from a 17th-century ball.
Is Paris at Night Safe?
The short answer is yes – Paris is safe at night. More than two million people live in Paris and they absolutely go out at night. As a solo female traveler in Paris, I always felt safe around the city at night. However, there are some things you that you should be aware of:
- Pickpockets operate throughout Paris, day and night. Secure your belongings, remain aware of your surroundings, and don’t carry anything you can’t afford to lose (day or night).
- As with most European cities, the areas immediately surrounding Paris’ train stations are gritty, and can be uncomfortable at night. If you need to be at or near a train station at night, take a taxi or Uber directly to your destination.
- If something doesn’t feel right, get out of the situation. Go into a hotel or a cafe, move to a busier area with more people around, or look for a police officer.
How to Get Around Paris at Night
It’s safe to walk around Paris at night, as long as you stick to well-lit streets and busy areas.
The metro operates at night until about midnight (weeknights) and 1:00 am (weekends), but you should always confirm the time of the last train before counting on a late-night ride.
Paris also has 47 night buses, that continue to provide service after the metro stops. The RATP website can help you plan a route using the night buses.
Finally, you can take a taxi or Uber at night. Taxis usually wait at taxi stands; the restaurant, bar or attraction you’re leaving can probably point you towards the closest taxi stand. Just keep in mind that the minimum fare for any trip is €7.30, so your trip won’t be cheap! Ubers aren’t much cheaper than taxis, but you could also use their app to call for a ride.
Looking for other unique Paris travel experiences? In the summer, consider swimming in the Seine, or (at any time of year!) create your own personalized perfume at a historic French perfume house.
Want to know more about how much all this sightseeing costs? Check out my new article about budgeting for a trip to Paris.
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