Paris has been in the middle of a cocktail renaissance for the better part of a decade now, and the results are good. The Marais and the area around Oberkampf have the highest concentration of craft cocktail spots, though they've spread into the 10th and 11th arrondissements too. Expect to pay somewhere around 14 to 18 euros for a well-made cocktail in these places — not cheap, but comparable to other major European capitals. The wine bar scene, though, is where Paris still feels most like itself. Natural wine bars have taken over entire streets in neighborhoods like the 11th and parts of Belleville. You sit on mismatched chairs, the bartender pours you something cloudy and funky from a small producer in the Loire or Jura, and you eat charcuterie off a wooden board. It's unpretentious in a way that feels earned rather than performed. The older-style wine bars — the ones with zinc counters and regulars who've been coming for decades — are harder to find now but still exist, in the 5th and 6th. Dive bars cluster around Oberkampf, Ménilmontant, and parts of Pigalle. Sticky floors, cheap pints, and crowds that skew young and local. These tend to get packed on Thursday and Friday nights starting around 10 PM. Rooftop bars exist but they're largely a hotel thing in Paris. The views can be spectacular — the city's relatively flat skyline means even a sixth-floor terrace gives you something — but the drinks are often overpriced for what you get. They're best treated as a one-off experience rather than a regular spot. That said, the ones in the eastern arrondissements tend to be less tourist-heavy than those near the Champs-Élysées.

The Paris club scene has had a complicated couple of decades. It's never quite reached the scale or consistency of Berlin or London, but it's developed a personality of its own — around electronic music. The city leans toward house and techno, with a strong French touch that still carries traces of the French touch era. Disco-influenced house does well here. So does darker, harder techno, at the spots in the northeast of the city. Dress codes vary but tend to be less strict than you might expect from Paris's fashion reputation. At most electronic clubs, clean streetwear is fine. The velvet-rope, bottle-service scene exists — around the Champs-Élysées — but locals largely avoid those spots. They're expensive, the music is generic, and the door policies seem designed to make you feel bad about yourself. The clubs that matter are mostly in the 11th, 12th, 13th, and along the canal in the 19th. Some operate in converted warehouses or under railway arches. Things don't really get going until 1 AM at the earliest, and the real crowd arrives closer to 2. If you show up at midnight, you'll be standing in a half-empty room wondering what you did wrong. Entry typically runs between 10 and 20 euros, sometimes more for bigger names on the decks. Some spots use online pre-sale tickets through Resident Advisor or Shotgun, which is often cheaper and guarantees entry. Door selection still happens at some venues — showing up in a big group of guys without women can be a problem, and being visibly drunk will get you turned away. One thing to know: the French smoking ban pushed a lot of social energy onto the sidewalk outside clubs. Expect to spend a good chunk of your night in the fumoir or on the curb. It's actually where you meet people.

Paris has a legitimate claim as a jazz capital, and the tradition is still alive. The clubs in Saint-Germain-des-Prés and around the Latin Quarter have been hosting jazz since the postwar era. Some of these rooms are tiny — we're talking 40, 50 people max — which creates an intensity you won't find in larger venues. The music ranges from traditional bop to more experimental stuff, and the audiences tend to be knowledgeable and quiet during sets. Cover charges at the smaller joints might be 10 to 15 euros, sometimes with a drink included. Chanson has faded from the mainstream but hasn't disappeared entirely. You'll still find small rooms in Montmartre and the Marais where singers perform in the tradition, though the audiences skew older. It's worth seeking out at least once — there's something about hearing French chanson in a small Parisian room that recordings can't capture. The rock and indie scene is centered around the 11th, near Oberkampf and Charonne. Mid-size venues host touring acts and local bands most nights of the week. The French indie scene tends toward post-punk and synth-influenced pop, though hip-hop and rap have arguably become the dominant popular music in France over the past decade. Rap shows draw massive crowds, for artists from the banlieues. For bigger concerts, the venues in the 18th and 19th arrondissements handle larger touring acts. Check listings on sites like Paris Bouge or the Officiel des Spectacles — the latter has been the go-to listings guide for decades and still publishes weekly. Best nights for live music tend to be Thursday through Saturday, though Tuesday and Wednesday can surprise you at the jazz clubs.