one NIGHT in paris

If you like jazz there is a great nightclub just a block away from the Seine the opposite side of the river from Notre Dame called Caveau de la Huchette. That night Nico and the Rhythmes Dudes are playing and they are open until 2:30 a.m. I went there a few years ago and there was a jazz trio there playing swing tunes with people dancing the jitterbug/lindy hop on the dance floor. Historical place and very cool.

Here's a thought...take the RER/Metro to the Eiffel Tower - it will be lit up and is open til midnight I believe. You could even go up - I suggest the 2nd level, not the top - better views and takes less time. Then I would go over to Notre Dame either walking along the river, or by Metro - Notre Dame is beautiful and the area is fun and lively. There will be people out, there will be street entertainers, maybe music by the river...you could go across the river from Notre Dame to the Latin Quarter in the 5th arrondissement and get food if you wanted - lots of places open late there. After that, there isn't much except walking which is one of my favorite things to do in Paris - it's extremely safe anywhere in the heart of Paris....Have you thought about what you'll do with your luggage? You didn't say what month you'll be there...I'm assuming Sept?

Tesa!!! Thank you for your recommendation. That sounds fantastic! Susan! Thank you!!! I planned on exactly that! Get to the Eiffel Tower, then walk back along the Seine, to Notre Dame and hang out in that general area. I'm worried that when the flood lights go out (?), the City of Lights will be a little too dark. It is September, and I have one large bag. I have no idea what to do with it - as I've heard (and I'm still investigating, but HELP would be appreciated) that you can't leave your bag overnight anywhere?

We walked late one night and found that about midnight all the lights are turned out. Then it really gets dark and gloomy.

You'll come into the city on the RER trhough Paris Nord. They have lockers; stuff your bag there before hopping the metro toward the tower or everwhere else you decide to go. The downside is that, in addition to the locker fee, you'll have to bust another metro ticket to continue...same on the way back. The station's a bit far to hoof it.

The lights do not go out around Notre Dame at midnight...as well as lots of areas...Maybe they go out around or after 2 am...don't know, I've never been out that late...I'm sure the Champs Elysee is still lit up well past that (don't like the Champs Elysee though) in addition to many other areas...We just spent a month in Paris staying in an apartment on Ile Saint Louis (the little island behind Notre Dame) and it never closed down, never got dark. People partied on the island all night long. Our favorite cafe (Le Flore en L'Ile) on Ile Saint Louis, just as you cross over the pedestrian bridge from ND, it's on the right, is open until at least 2 am, if not later.

Take transportation into your planning. Most (all?) routes on the Metro shut down from about 1 a.m. to about 5:30 a.m., and taxies are few and far between during those hours.

Roy's right on the metro shut-down, and it's 'all' plus the RER. They fire up again around five or six. Taxis, however, usually have ranks around the major metro stations and one reason is so people can catch a ride after the metro dies....they're usually around all night as far as I know......One thing is that it's hard to hail a taxi in Paris....they don't drive around empty because of the gas cost......and it's illegal for a taxi to take a hailed fare within X-hundred meters (number forgotten) of a taxi rank.