Even if you’re not staying, these watering holes have standout cocktail menus and offer a front-row seat to Parisian life.
LessThis old-world speakeasy inside The Ritz Paris was renamed for the writer who frequented the original and helped bring it to fame. Dimly lit, wood-paneled, and full of fishing-writing-drinking memorabilia, the bar serves one of the best dirty martinis in town, which Hemingway is said to have once ordered 51 of in a night.
The Hotel Lutetia's legendary bar has stunning Art Nouveau interiors, including massive frescoes by the painter Adrien Karbowsky in the early 1900s. Come on a weekend night for live jazz and order the Bang Bang—a cocktail of gin, oyster leaves and black sesame oil—which goes perfectly with their Asian-fusion bar snacks.
With shiny black granite floors, high-gloss ceilings and brass accents, the bar in the eponymous hotel brings the sultry spirit of the famous Italian fashion house to Paris’ Right Bank. The sexy interiors and cocktails served in chic coupes by charming Italian bartenders make it the perfect place for a nightcap.
On the ground floor of Château Voltaire, one of our favorite boutique hotels, this chic and discreet bar serves great cocktails and French-style bar snacks seven nights a week. It’s easy to miss—look for the lantern above the door—but once inside, try a signature cocktail made with herbs and botanicals sourced from the hotel garden.
If the oak walls could talk at this historic hotel bar at at The Peninsula Paris, they would tell of famous guests and government officials who’ve sat here for a drink—this is supposedly where Henry Kissinger signed the Paris Peace Accords in 1973. Much of the original decor has been preserved, including Belle Époque moldings, gold detailing, and hand-stitched tapestries, while the terrace offers an eyeful of the Arc de Triomphe.
Up on the seventh floor of the Cheval Blanc Paris, this relative newcomer is charmed with epic 360-degree views of the city. Peter Marino’s colorful interiors–red leather booths, yellow dining chairs, cobalt detailing–match the playful take on brasserie-style food, while the cocktail menu features equally brash concoctions, like fruit infusions and bourbon with cigar notes.
While it’s no longer the watering hole during Paris fashion week, the Jacques Garcia-designed space in Hotel Costes—low-lit and velvet-draped—still exudes boudoir-style glamour, and their playlists have been legendary since the ‘90s.
In the same spirit as Hôtel Hana , this restaurant-bar blends French and Japanese styles in every detail: the Laura Gonzalez interiors are chic but minimal, while the food is rich and umami-esque. At the bar, there’s a deep selection of sakes, French wines and classic cocktails that bridge cultures. Try their take on a dry martini, prepared with Japanese gin and sansho pepper-infused vermouth.
Head up to the 9th floor at Hôtel Rochechouart for this rooftop bar with Art Deco details and some of the best views in Paris, including a straight shot to the Sacré Coeur. There are DJ sets on Fridays, and Saturdays after 10pm, it draws a crowd of local creatives.
Sip a glass of Champagne, as one-time regular Marie Antoinette probably did, in these grand 18th-century rooms at Rosewood Hôtel de Crillon, overlooking the Place de La Concorde. Worth the sky-high price for a quintessentially Parisian experience.
A creative cocktail bar where tenders approach their drinks like perfumers, in a leafy, industrial-chic setting beneath a glass veranda. Open until 2am, the bar at the Hôtel National des Arts et Métiers is a favorite hangout among in-the-know locals. Order classic or bespoke cocktails—blends of herbal, smokey and citrusy flavors, per the name—over a selection of Italian small plates.
The intimate Art Nouveau-inspired boîte in the Hotel Grands Boulevards Expérimental is adorned with a shell motif that was once trendy in 18th-century French aristocratic homes, but the crimson walls, brass bar and low, velvet chairs feel decidedly modern. The cocktail menu also blends old and new, with great low- and no-ABV options.