France - Coworking spaces and Cafe remote working

I didn’t see one person in a cafe in Paris with a laptop. Seated so close together in Paris, I wouldn’t think it would be appropriate or appreciated but it’s only my observations from our most recent trip a few months ago.

Why not work from your lodging?

I saw a lot of people working at laptops in coffee shops in Paris when I was there for 6 weeks last fall. The ones I frequented the most were in the 4th and the 11th. I did not see anyone making people leave and in fact every time I went to the second place listed below there were no seats available and about half the tables had people who looked like they were there for the day. Here are three: Ollies in the 4th on rue Jacques Coeur (I think the name was changed this year), La Caféothèque on rue de le Hôtel de Ville in the 4th, and Back in Black on rue Amelot in the 11th. I did not check to see if they had WiFi because I worked from my apartment because of the excellent WiFi there and the time difference between Paris and my employer.
Also look at https://www.nuagecafe.fr/ which charges by the hour. I don’t know of a public place for video meetings.

I saw several laptops in more “contemporary” Parisian cafes last week. Also, some signs saying no laptops during lunch hours.

I’ve always worked from my hotel - no matter which continent I was on…,

The big chains (Paul, Pret a Manger, Brioche Dorée) seem to me to operate pretty much like Starbucks does in the US. And there are Starbucks in Paris.

I have seen some signs that say no laptops

I think that if you’re in the heart of the tourist district it’s going to be more difficult but if you are in some of the outer areas, you will not be alone. That’s been my experience when I stay in the 13th or 14th. It’s people working there just like they would at a US Starbucks In the fifth and the sixth, where a lot of people think you have to stay it’s not going to be as welcome because they are not used to people staying at their tables long-term. They’re churning tourists and they want to keep churning tourists.

I have a relative who works for WeWork and I’m pretty sure he’s told me they have a spaces in Paris

Speaking of WeWork, I totally forgot about them. There's one on Rue des Archives and I am sure that there are other locations in Paris. They have "phone booths" for video calls.

Thanks to each of you for your informative answers. I appreciate it.

“ Are there other suggestions of public spaces I can work from where I could take video meetings?”

Working in public on your laptop sending emails is one thing, but take video meetings in public? I’m sorry, but that’s simply not done in the countries you plan to visit. It’s definitely a big no no.
In France the staff might try to politely let you know that taking a video meeting in their coffee place is not wanted. Do the same in a coffee place in Amsterdam and it’s very likely that you will be told in no uncertain terms that none of the other customers are interested in your boring video call and you will be then given the option to end the call or leave the premises. That’s Dutch directness for ya.
There are however plenty of coworking places in Amsterdam where you can buy a day pass and work remotely. Coworking is such an American/international concept that there isn’t a word for it in Dutch. So simply google for “coworking space Amsterdam”. You’ll notice that the coworking businesses in Amsterdam have English names like Bouncespace, Mindspace, The Social Hub etc etc

I am hoping that the OP means a public space for video calls as someplace not in their apartment or hotel. I can think of nowhere that I have been to where doing a video call in the middle of a restaurant, cafe of coffee shop would be okay if people in the space could hear both you and the others in the meeting.

Video meetings are not done from France? I’m not sure where some of y’all are staying, but I can tell you at the cafés in the 14th there were definitely people doing video meetings. It is considered appropriate to wear headphones so no one can hear and if you talk softly, no one‘s probably noticing, but I can see their lips moving.

It’s not really any different from those of you who take conference calls or regular phone calls in a café and talk on your phone. as a matter fact the video call conference calls were probably less obnoxious than some people on their cell phone.

I know that there had been some banning of laptops in London cafes happening for a while now, but I couldn't think of where I've seen it in person. I Googled and dug up a couple of links for you to read. One from 2018 and one that got some traction in the news from last month. I can see where places that want to create a particular ambiance, or establishments with a lot of solo visitors spending a long time lingering over one cup of coffee while working, might get fed up and draw the line at some point. I don't think it's very common here in the UK, but maybe some French cafes have picked up on it too, prompting the OP's question.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/feb/12/no-laptops-allowed-the-cafes-bringing-back-the-art-of-conviviality

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2ndnn6zzno

edit: I remember now where I'd heard about it in London. Someone told me ages ago that laptops were banned in Soho House, which is also a private members' club.

https://www.sohohouse.com/terms-and-policies/house-rules/laptops

Doug, I'm surprised that nobody has brought up the legality. You are admitted on a visitor visa which doesn't allow you to work on a regular basis. An occasional phone call, submitting a report that you finish on the plane, an urgent meeting are tolerated, but working daily is illegal without a work visa. Given your visitor status, I'd stay out of cafés for daily work.

BTW, we have 80,000 university students in the French city where I live. I never see them working in cafés. That's pretty American, as is walking around with paper cups of coffee. Cafés are for socializing for us.

Update: somewhere on ETAIS.org it say digital nomads can work up to two weeks. However, the French government website says you cannot.

It starts getting complicated with tax filing, etc. France has a rule or law for every situation.

I have no idea why someone would do this at all. Even in the US unless they did not have any internet in the place they are staying or living. It seems a bit rude as you would not be interacting at all with anyone else, and taking up space and time.
I have never stayed anywhere that did not have internet now. Nor would I. OP should make sure he has internet where he is staying and use it inside that lodging. What could possible be gained by settling yourself in a cafe for long periods of time with no interaction excepting talking into a computer screen.

"I have no idea why someone would do this at all. Even in the US unless they did not have any internet in the place they are staying or living. It seems a bit rude as you would not be interacting at all with anyone else, and taking up space and time."

Because they want options and do not want to be cooped up in their apartment or hotel room. In terms of interacting with anyone else and taking up space and time, what is the difference between someone sitting alone in a coffee shop nursing a cup of coffee and reading a book or doing a crossword puzzle and someone sitting in that same place nursing a cup of coffee and typing on a laptop while wearing headphones. I mean how much interaction with others does one do at a coffee shop other order and pay for their food and beverages.

JHK you've described a distopian, sad state of affairs, a café with everyone isolated, under headphones.

Here's the difference with a crossword, a book, or a newspaper: people are relaxing, at leisure, approachable. And these recreational readers leave after an hour or so. Tables turn. They don't isolate themselves behind screens and under headphones, unapproachable, co-opting a public space as their private office for hours at a time. In a café, customers are expected to consume a new beverage every hour. Cafés are for social interaction with the occasional leisure reader, but we don't have this isolationist phenomena going on.

This use of this particular public space sums up a huge difference between the two cultures.

dougalleng,
Here in the states I have gone to a Starbucks (or other coffee place) to have a beverage and visit with friends for a half-hour or so, and find there is no place to sit because every table is taken up by someone on their laptop, and find out from the employees that they are there for 2-3 hours or more. To me it is rude and selfish to occupy a spot for so long. It is also not fair to the coffee cafe's owner(s) because sales are impacted, and not fair to other customers.
Mes deux centimes!

Not to get too far afield but is remote work on a laptop really what the French government is worried about? I guess I have broken the law because I have traveled to France for weeks at a time and worked while there on my laptop, sent emails, taken phone calls and done video calls which is all the same stuff that I do in the US for work. Someone looking at a tablet at a table could be doing leisure reading which is apparently okay even though they are not interacting with anyone else but another person looking at a tablet to check work emails and send out work instructions for the same amount of time is leading us to a dystopian nightmare. That just does not make sense to me. But hey, maybe that is just an American view because we do not have the vacation and work/life balance that the French do.

I do not know how much table turning there is at some of the coffee shops that I have been to in Paris. For example at La Caféothèque that I mentioned above, I am quite sure that I have seen people there for several hours -- I mean I got a coffee at 10 AM and stopped by later that same day for another at around 2 PM and saw the same people in at least two of the tables and those people had laptops. I think that if every so often they buy another coffee, they are not co-opting a public space.

I'm a little perturbed by the apparent attitude by some of the posters here that there's somehow something wrong with wanting to do productive work in a coffee shop, even while vacationing. Granted, it's perhaps something Americans are more likely to do than Europeans, but there's a moral implication that this means it's "wrong," or at least less desirable.

I've done work while on vacations, including working on my laptop while taking advantage of wifi provided by the local innkeeper. Wouldn't change those episodes for spending time chatting about local politics, good books we've read or which art works we find most appealing. I've done all those latter things, too, but I won't apologize for making a living. After all, it's why I can travel so much now.

By the way, I agree that if you're going to spend time working in a coffee shop, you need to continue to purchase products. And if the place fills up and your table is needed, go somewhere else that has more seats available. To me it's like using a restaurant's restroom: okay only if you purchase something to eat and/or drink. Courtesy matters.

Thanks again to everyone for their reply. I will share some news that others may benefit from. There is a coworking company in Paris that has several locations that allow conversations, calls, etc. See the link below. If you are searching for a location look for those that have the label Lively. There are several across the city.

https://www.wojo.com/en-US/search