Bus Palladium

Worth getting out of bed for

The flamboyance of your in-house night club at Bus Palladium sets the tone for after-dark revels around Pigalle and the Ninth: consummate cabaret spot Le Moulin Rouge is close by for dinner with dancing, as is its club Le Machine du Moulin Rouge, tucked into the basement, or Bar à Bulles offering iconic windmill views. Amour, too, is on the cards: the Museum of Romantic Life is one of your neighbours (and has a sweet tearoom in a glasshouse out back). Romantic painter Ary Scheffer once lived here, and it’s where he held salons with Chopin, Liszt, Eugène Delacroix and George Sand. Make time for hand-in-hand strolls around Montmartre and a neck-craning, awe-prompting tour of the Sacré-Coeur Basilica. South of Le Bus, the antique passages and stately architecture of Grands Boulevards keep the mood genteel. 

Local restaurants

A day in the life of a Parisian gourmand plays out at diminutive dining spot Buvette on Rue Henry Monnier, from mid-morning croque-monsieurs via afternoon oysters and champagne, to steaming coq au vin at candlelit tables by evening. Light-dappled, plant-dotted interiors signal la dolce vita at Italian restaurant Pink Mamma, where classic dishes range from scamorza-and-pancetta filled veal escalope to Neapolitan pizza, and a basement speakeasy is primed for digestifs. Weekdays-only Le Pantruche teams mid-century decor with hearty bistronomy — comfort food never looked so pretty; leave room for Grand Marnier soufflé, too.

Local cafés

Caffeine connoisseurs Marlette have outposts in Pigalle and Montmartre, poised for mid-morning cappuccini or chai lattes, perhaps even brunch. It’s all about the bean at KB Cafeshop, and where passion for coffee leads, excellent brews follow.  

Local bars

Drag and burlesque pepper the cabaret calendar at Sister Midnight, where accomplished mixology always earns an encore. Lively cocktail bar Le Lipstick meets all Pigalle preconceptions with scarlet velvet upholstery, sultry lighting and an exhaustive drinks list.