Rousing santés and popped corks all round — Paris’s hotel bar scene is in good health indeed. Start with a strong stylish base in the city’s coolest and most central arrondissements; add spirit aplenty and tweak to your tastes (French Empire finery, Bobo insouciance…); then get cocktail wizards, encyclopaedic sommeliers and tech-led tastemakers to shake things up, and you’re guaranteed a good night. In all senses — after all, your bed is just steps away.
From Montmartre’s cobbled back streets to dirty-glam South Pigalle and the pomp of Place de la Concorde, our pick of the best hotel bars in Paris will keep you buzzed from l’apéro to à bientôt.
FOR LOW-LIT DATE NIGHTS
Hôtel Providence Paris
Hôtel Providence Paris
Comparisons to jewellery boxes are gauche, but Hôtel Providence’s bistro-style bar is literally lined in boldly patterned velvet wallpaper, a facet of its maximalist look. When not stroking the walls, cradle a coupe of prestige champagne, a cult cuvée, bio bottle or travel-inspired cocktail. Keep an eye on Haut Marais’ trendsetters from the terrasse, or sit by the fire for live piano music, and carouse after hours at your room’s own mini custom bar, with full kit.
Make ours a… bottle of Ruinart or a citrusy, grappa-sloshed cocktail inspired by Palermo.
Monsieur George
If you were hoping to catch Monsieur George’s eye in his bar’s antique-mirror-lined walls, pursue him over a Pastis then abscond to a sumptuous dove-grey bedroom upstairs — after all, going by this Champs-Elysées-skirting stay, he has exceptional taste — we’re afraid his handiwork is really that of legendary designer Anouska Hempel. But you’ll still swoon for the racing-green banquettes, romantic globe candelabra and sophisticated sips.
Make ours a… signature Lady Anouska, with sparkling rosé, quince syrup and umeshu plum liqueur.
Wilde’s Lounge at L’Hôtel
Oscar Wilde said ‘work is the curse of the drinking classes’ — reason enough to take a break in L’Hôtel’s Wilde’s Lounge, so named in honour of the inimitable writer who died in a room upstairs when it was Hôtel d’Alsace. His spirit lives on not only in name, as we imagine he’d be right at home among its opulent velvets, silks, marble columns and gilding, all of which make it a flamboyant yet fun date spot, especially when live jazz is playing.
Make ours a… ‘Usual’ (champagne, violet liqueur and lime), concocted by none other than Tilda Swinton in honour of Wilde’s inimitable legacy.
Grand Powers
Grand Powers’ bar is a smart yet bijou spot best suited for an apéritif before making the most of its 8th arrondissement setting (close to the Arc de Triomphe, Galeries Lafayette, Champs-Elysées…). But if you or your amour are abstaining, its health-conscious drinks menu — with kombuchas, blended juices, 0% sparkling rosé, plus add-ons like collagen or CBD oil — will give you a night to really — like actually — remember.
Make ours a… zingy ginger-and-lemon booster with spirulina. Even the alcoholic drinks, such as the Rhumantic (rum, amaretto, lemon and ginger kombucha), feel virtuous.
Lounge Bar at JK Place Paris
The impeccable styling of the JK hotel group plus a spectacular setting along the Left Bank make JK Place Paris’s bar as iconic an Italo-French pairing as Bruni and Sarkozy. Go full Fellini — the deco-style marbles and fringed velvet banquettes demand cinematic glamour, and the aperitivo is a masterpiece, where Negronis are paired with Vermouth-infused parmesan, Prosecco-marinated pineapple slivers and mini seabream burgers.
Make ours a… Solaro Sour, inspired by both Italy and France, with Galliano and Grand Marnier, muddled with gin and lemon juice.
FOR DESIGN-LED DRINKING
Mob House
Herbarium at Hotel National des Arts et Métiers
If you love to leave duty-free clutching a bouquet of fragrant swatches, then head to Herbarium at Hotel National des Arts et Métiers, a chic modern take on an apothecary (think charred leather, burnished copper, furry seats). Here, tatted-up Roman mixologist Oscar Quagliarini takes inspiration from Anouck Goutal or Guerlain, blending botanicals into sensual potions and guiding your taste with vials of perfumed strips. Heady, sexy and eau-so clever.
Make ours a… Signature: maybe a moody Sables (gin, sandalwood, patchouli and lemon) or sweeter Sparkling Rose Velvet (champagne, rose liqueur and elderflower).
Shell Bar at Hotel des Grands Boulevards
Tucked into Hotel des Grands Boulevards’ pre-Revolutionary building, the intimate Shell Bar takes Rocaille-style decor inspo from Marie Antoinette. Designer Dorothée Meilichzon has dotted walls with gold scallop shells, but a coating of carmine red and rose-gold bar add an unabashed femininity. For alfresco drinks, head to seasonal rooftop bar Shed. As part of the Experimental Group — led by cocktail maestros — drinks are excellent at both.
Make ours a… very Gallic Silent Spring, with Armagnac, verjus, champagne and pollen.
Mob House
Paris’s village-sized Saint-Ouen flea market requires Tough Mudder levels of stamina for treasure-hunters. Luckily nearby Mob House hotel is refreshing in many ways — from its pool to its all-things-to-all attitude and its Philippe Starck-designed spaces. Bar isn’t the mot juste for this multi-hyphenate workspace, eatery, play area and community hub; but they’ve nailed the cocktails, deshabilles atmosphere and hip service.
Make ours a… sweetly complex, whisky-laced Tonka Sour or wasabi-spiked Kyoto Margarita.
Le Roch Hotel & Spa
Designer Sarah Lavoine could make the best of friends of even the most clashing colours and textures. At Le Roch she’s composed three spaces for clinking champagne flutes and ticking off the edit of signature cocktails: the inviting lobby and library, as blue as the Liberté section of the tricolore, a dinky mirror-lined bar to the side warmed by golden backlighting and a seasonal terrace and sometime vegetable garden.
Make ours a… Maison 28, shaken up with gin, port, rose and strawberry, to see the barkeeps in action.
FOR PARIS’S BEST VIEWS
La Fantaisie
Bar sur le Toit at La Fantaisie
Designer Martin Brudnizki is like an eccentric grandmother: he’s never met a tchotchke he didn’t like, patterns don’t have to match or make sense, and chintz is king. But combine the scalloped velvets and floral-wallpapered ceilings at La Fantaisie‘s rooftop Bar Sur Le Toit and he’s made something all killer, all frill-er. The profusion of greenery on the terrace and panoramic rabble of rooftops dazzle too; and there’s a spray of pastel-hued botanical cocktails.
Make ours a… Pick La Lavande or La Bergamote, both of which taste garden-fresh.
Hôtel Madame Rêve
From Sacré Coeur’s cupola to the tip of the Eiffel Tower and beyond, Paris is laid bare from Hôtel Madame Rêve’s 360-degree-view, 10,000sq ft roof terrace. It’s a staggering space that tops the former Louvre Post Office, already magnificent in its Second Empire ornamentation. There’s a bank of sunloungers for those overcome and tables for Japanese restaurant and lounge Le Plume, plus a glass roof so you can sip under the stars in all weather.
Make ours an… exotic Féza, with umeshu plum wine, yuzu and sumac, garnished with sakura.
Maggie Rooftop at Hotel Rochechouart
There’s a pinch of Provence to Hôtel Rochechouart’s rooftop bar, which is planted with lavender, rosemary and lemon-thyme. Waft yourself up to the ninth floor to eye up Sacré-Coeur and the city at large. It’s in the Pigalle party-zone, so it’s ideal for plotting out nights of can-cans and cabaret; but pleasant for staying put too — after all, it’s had a few absinthe shots in its time and Smith guests get a free cocktail flacon on arrival.
Make ours a… herbaceous wild-card: a Yuzu Julep with tarragon or rum and roasted pineapple with coriander.
FOR TIMELESS ELEGANCE
Rosewood Hôtel de Crillon
Library Bar at Saint James Paris
A stay at Saint James Paris feels like having an appropriate hug from a butler — staff are impeccable in their politeness and attention. This honest-to-God château in the 16th embodies old-school luxury. The wood-panelled Library Bar with its caged leather books, Iranian rugs and cashmere throws feels haute yet homey; and what was once the city’s hot-air-balloon landing pad (naturellement) is now a seasonal garden with a pergola bar.
Make ours a… Poire, with pear juice, a dash of armagnac and hints of vanilla.
Château des Fleurs
Victor Mabille — a famous 19th-century Parisian socialite — had balls; spectacular ones, in fact. The Bal Mabille was the seasonal soirée, held on the site of what’s now luxury hotel Château des Fleurs, where the Belle Époque spirit keeps on high-kicking (and showing off its frilly knickers). The sophisticated lounge and bar has cornicing, marbles, a fireplace and a steady flow of champagne and French spirits, plus more exotic offerings.
Make ours a… traditional Lillet or Louis Roederer; or a Korean Cosmo, with vodka, black-raspberry liqueur, Timur berry, lemon, cranberry and mandarin granita.
Les Ambassadeurs at Rosewood Hôtel de Crillon
Staying at Rosewood Hôtel de Crillon, which is guarded by Corinthian columns and overlooks the Place de la Concorde, makes you a part of Parisian history; after all, here’s where Marie Antoinette took piano lessons. Bar Les Ambassadeurs indulges in a very loud kind of luxury with its frescoes, chandeliers and gold coating; but it’s not stuck in the 18th century, adding DJs, live music and cutting-edge mixology to the rich mix.
Make ours a… Seasonal-ingredient cocktail or all-year-round champagne — pair with a truffle-and-Comté croque.
FOR EXCLUSIVE EVENINGS
Soho House Paris
Soho House Paris
Soho House’s Parisian crashpad sits around the corner from the Moulin Rouge, and is harder to get into than a courtesan’s corset, for non-card-carriers. But guests with a friends’ membership can sit with the cool kids on a swivelly velvet stool, or sink Picantes by the petite terrace pool. It’s got solid cultural clout as the former home of director, poet and artist Jean Cocteau; but doesn’t take itself too seriously, with a cabaret space for frou-frou fun.
Make ours a… a minty Eastern Standard.
La Coquille d’Or Bar at Chateau Voltaire
You don’t actually need to be a member — or even a guest — at Château Voltaire hotel to spend an evening at its Coquille d’Or bar, but you do need to find it first. Technically a speakeasy, it doesn’t have a sign, but the giant gold scallop shell over its entrance blabs somewhat. Inside it feels discreet — cosy and low-lit, dressed in racing-green and gold leather and velvet, with an equally smart drinks list.
Make ours a… custom sipper concocted by the bartender on demand.
La Réserve Hotel and Spa Paris
If Napoléon himself swaggered into La Réserve’s lounge or bar, you’d say ‘bof’. It’s that kind of place: plump silk seating as buttoned up as an Imperial uniform; carved marble; all the trimmings… Well, the Duc de Morny (Bonaparte’s son’s uncle), who the library lounge is named after, used to live here; while unabashedly opulent bar Le Gaspard raises a glass to Louis-Gaspard d’Estournel, who brought Bordeaux wines to further corners of the world.
Make ours a… Bottle of Château Cos d’Estournel or Château Marbuzet from le cave — the hotel has vineyards at both.
BELLE HOTEL BARS WITH GARDENS
L’Eldorado
L’Eldorado
The 17th arrondissement is overlooked by tourists, but here real Parisians work and play. Journey there to the not mythical — but becoming legendary — L’Eldorado hotel and your reward will be green rather than gold. Hidden at the back is a secret(ish) garden sporting palm trees, rose bushes, hydrangeas and more, bringing the Med to Batignolles-Monceau. And if it does get chilly, florals bloom on the walls, carpets and light fittings of the bar within too.
Makes ours a… Frozen Marg for sunny days, Spiced Marg for cool days, Paloma for Tuesdays…
Hôtel Particulier
If Amélie’s not your bag, switch off because Montmartre’s Hôtel Particulier is so kiss-me-in-the-rain-and-drop-to-one-knee romantic that you could be in a rom-com. Its cobbled courtyard is fairylit after dark (even the seats have hearts on them); while indoors, the Très Particulier bar has Garden of Eden-themed wallpaper (the OG couple), live piano music, and a conservatory caressed by fronds, leading to Paris’s largest hotel garden.
Make ours a… The Rhett Butler, a spicy concoction of bourbon, Luxardo, lemon, vanilla and a dash of Tabasco, inspired by the old-school leading man.
THE LEGENDARY PARISIAN HOTEL BAR COCKTAIL CRAWL
A Death in the Afternoon at the Ritz’s Bar Hemingway
Hemingway frequented what was then the Ritz’s ladies’ bar; spending weekends placing bets for fellow drinkers. His love for the bar led him to ‘liberate’ it after the war, with a round of 51 Martinis. But raise a Death in the Afternoon — the drink he allegedly dreamt up during a naval rescue mission, with absinthe and champagne — to him, or try the bar’s other inventions: the world’s most expensive Sidecar (which uses a rare 19th-century champagne-Cognac) or a Mimosa.
A Raspberry Negroni at Le Meurice
On Thursday evenings, Le Meurice’s Restaurant Le Dalí puts its — très chic — party hat on and invites DJs to play, while mixologists let their imaginations run wild. The Raspberry Negroni — a fruitier take on the classic — created in collaboration with supercool Combat bar owner Margot Lecarpentier has emerged as a cult favourite.
A Serge 78 at Hôtel Raphael
The Serge 78 cocktail (gin, apricot brandy, angostura) at Hôtel Raphael‘s Le Bar Anglais is fairly self-explanatory, being created in 1978 by singer Serge Gainsbourg during a celebrity bartending competition. It’s had staying power and is still on the menu, served in a separate bottle chilling on ice, as cool as the man himself.
A French 75 or Boulevardier at Harry’s New York Bar
While it’s not a hotel bar (although Château Voltaire lies nearby for the night), Harry’s Bar is such a historic part of Paris we couldn’t miss it out. Here, two classics came about: the French 75 with champagne, gin, absinthe and lemon (so called for being as strong as a 75mm gun), and the Boulevardier — an equally knock-out combo of Campari, vermouth and bourbon.
Still thirsty? See our pick of hotel bars in London and New York