Image by Tamara Mesaric

This is a place that doesn’t really need advertising; it is well known to Parisians and their guests. Whenever I came in the evenings, there were more people than actual room for them, and the crowd is very diverse.

The atmosphere is very easy going and nonchalant, it makes you feel like it is the weekend all the time. Especially during the spring and summer period, when the spacious terrace reminds of Mediterranean bars. Lively and vibrant, calm and relaxing in the same time, it doesn’t have a typical big city flair, because it is retracted from the main big streets.

The surroundings are attractive so you have a real choice of bars to visit and check if they are your cup of bar or not.

It is positioned near the “bobo” trendy Rue Oberkampf where there are some nice places too, but this little enclave of original somehow eccentric mix of non pretentious yet special group of bars is a one of a kind.

People come to Lou Pascalou from different parts of Paris (I travel for about 40 minutes, but never regret the trip) but it has also has the image of a neighbourhood bar. During the day neighbours come with their kids playing around, usually well known to the bar owner.

It is not only a place to drink and talk – its specialty is different exhibitions and concerts that take place here. Exhibitions change monthly and concerts are held once a week, usually at weekends.

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Lou Pascalou | Art & culture, Bars, Music | Half-pint of beer € 3.00
14, rue des Panoyaux | Belleville/Nation | +33146367810
09:00 – 02:00 daily

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Image by Tamara Mesaric

Popular Fathers is a likable coffee-bar, where you’ll feel cosy and homey. Now open for a year and a half, it took the place of another coffee shop. Today it’s a spot where you can enjoy live concerts twice a week, have lunch (during the week only) or just come to savor the atmosphere or enjoy, for Paris, pretty low prices.

The original interior will remind you of a winery transformed into a living room, topped off by the small performance stage.

The staff is approachable and casual, nonchalant, the atmosphere unpretentious and lively.

Concerts are indie rock style, and you can check upcoming concert events on their Myspace .

Armchairs and colourful lamps will make you feel as though you’re in an extension of your own home. Don’t be deceived by the exterior: once you’re inside, you’ll be charmed by the diverse clientele of all ages, the school tables and wooden trays, and other details that will draw your attention with their unusual, but not excessive, touch.

In a search for good mood and cheap drink, or if you find yourself en route to Montreuil, Popular fathers is definitely worth a visit.

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Les Pères Populaires | Bars, Music | Coffee € 1.00
46, rue de Buzenval | Belleville/Nation | +33143484922
08:00 – 02:00 daily

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Image by Tamara Mesaric

La Bellevilloise is one of the important night life spots in Paris. There are lots of places where you can “live” culture during the day in the city, however the night palette of this kind is not so easy to find.

In today’s version Bellevilloise was opened in 2005 on the spot where there used to be (in 1877) an after Parisian-Commune worker’s cooperative. In those days it was dedicated to education and animation of the workers living in the area.

Today, the place took the same name and the motto is “dedication to light and creation”. Although nowadays you will meet mainly “bobo”(bourgeois boheme) public, but not exclusively.

There are different things going on even at the same time, as it is a music club, an exposition place, a bar and a restaurant with the stage (separated in 4 different rooms). From exhibitions, rock or world music concerts, to dj-ing, interactive workshops, film festivals to even bio markets there is always something interesting to participate in.

Once you are in rue Boyer you surely won’t miss a good concert, either in the nearby club la Maroquinerie (23, rue Boyer) or in La Bellevilloise. The pleasant choice is yours.

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La Bellevilloise | Art & culture, Bars, Coffee & tea, Music, Festivals & events
19,21 rue Boyer | Belleville/Nation | +33146360707
Wed – Fri 17:30 – 00:20, Sat – Sun 11:00 – 02:00

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Image by Tamara Mesarić

Had enough of the city centre? In the Rue de Bagnolet, 20th arrondissement, you can really enjoy a night out. Here are 2 cool places. One is a concert hall Fleched’Or (102 Bis, rue de Bagnolet) and the other is bar Le Piston Pélican. So you can combine the two, but also stay at the bar Le Piston Pélican- things are going on here as well-exhibitions, concerts. Or if you prefer no „events”, a drink at the Pélican can be just enough.

Piston Pélican is a mixture of a local friendly bar, arty on one side, style bistro Parisien on the other. It’s unusual and original, like it’s name. Le Piston means a person that is a connection in “the right places” so nepotism in the hands of pelican.

They have benches with art deco designed tables, in combination with some parodic arty works gets ironic-collage impressions. The cooked eggs at the counter are a funny detail as well as the Pelicans drawings on different parts in the bar.

The atmosphere is friendly, crowded on weekend nights when there are concerts or DJ’s. Other days are calm but not boring, with selected music.

Pelican is not going to disappoint.

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/pistonpelican

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Le Piston Pélican | Art & culture, Bars, Music | Pint (happy hour) € 3.50
15, rue de Bagnolet | Belleville/Nation | +33143711576
Mon – Fri 08:30 – 02:00, Sat 10:00 – 02:00, Sun 10:00 – 00:00

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Image by Tamara Mesaric

Irish pubs are usually known for having cheerful atmosphere and good spirit. This one is no exception.

The Cork and Cavan Pub is a welcoming pub at the canal St Martin, in the area with a rich concurrence concerning cute and unpretentious places for a drink.

Step inside and you will find a rare and interesting 2 rooms place: one room with a counter (serving great Irish beers) and bookshelves where you can exchange English books and the other room with a sports TV screen. Both of them are equally enjoyable. It’s possible to sit on the outside so choices are here.

Cosmopolitan easiness, cute interior, nice look over the canal makes this place attractive and inviting. I almost forgot: you can play darts too!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
The Cork&Cavan Pub | Bars | Beer pint € 5.50
68/70 Quai de Jemmapes | Belleville/Nation | +33142081115
Mon – Thu 15:00 – 02:00, Fri – Sat 12:00 – 02:00

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Image by Tamara Mesarić

Théâtre National de la Colline is an important Parisian theatre. It is situated in the 20th arrondissement, founded in 1951 (today’s building opened in 1983) to decentralise theatre life and to create one relevant place of the theatre creation of the plays from the end of the 19th century till our days.

It is a National theatre meaning that it is funded by the state/ministry of culture (with only 4 other theatres in the country), it’s openly leftist with a diverse and well thought-out repertoire. At the moment the shows on the repertoire are: “Salle d’attente” written by Lars Norén, directed by Krystian Lupa in the main theatre and in the small theatre Déjà là written by Arnaud Michniak and directed by Aurélia Guillet.

This literature based theatre that doesn’t neglect quality acting, so if you don’t understand French it’s still worth visiting. Though you shouldn’t expect experimental theatre here. From the season 2009/10 there are some performances with English subtitles.

The present general director Stéphane Braunschweig defined his program as the one which will promote contemporary plays and openness to its public. There are often lectures, public reunions, thematic workshops and discussions with artists.

Except interesting theatrical program, Theatre National de la Colline is an architecturally powerful site, appearing around the corner in a small street where you wouldn’t expect big modernistic theatre hall.

If you are younger than 30 years or a student, the ticket price of 13 Euro is also inviting (in Parisian terms).

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Théâtre National de la Colline | Theaters | Ticket € 27.00
15 rue Malte Brun | Belleville/Nation | +33144625252
Box office 11:00 – 18:30 & 19:30 – 21:00

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Image by Frédéric Moussaïan

When winter seems never to be ending (but also in summertime), I like to imagine that I am on the tropics, diving among exotic fishes… That’s where the Tropical Aquarium of Porte Dorée intervenes.

This aquarium, located at the entrance of the Bois de Vincennes, a big park at the East boundaries of Paris, exhibits very diverse and coloured species of fish, including sharks and even crocodiles!!!

The building is also of great interest. The Palais de la Porte Dorée was built in 1931 and was at that time the palace dedicated to French colonies. The bas-reliefs all around the building evoke, with propagandist purposes, the territories that France used to possess at that time. And it’s from those overseas territories that came the fishes showed in the aquarium, also founded in 1931, at the time of big colonial exhibitions.

Today, apart from the aquarium, the other spaces of the building are dedicated to the story of immigration (permanent and temporary exhibitions on this subject), and is a relevant cultural centre to understand the origin of today’s multicultural France.

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Aquarium de la Porte Dorée | Art & culture, Relaxing | Aquarium entrance € 6.50
293 avenue Daumesnil | Belleville/Nation | +33153595860
Tue – Fri 10:00 – 17:15, Sat – Sun 10:00 – 19:00

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Image by Frédéric Moussaïan

Eastern neighbourhoods have always been being the most « popular » areas, in the sense that they have been being occupied by lower classes, as opposed to the « quartiers chics », located in Western Paris. This sociological dispersion goes back to the end of 17th century, when aristocrats left the Marais to Western districts to get closer to the new royal residence in Versailles, and was reinforced by different factors, including prevailing winds blowing from West to East.

For these reasons, while Western neighbourhoods are quite homogeneous in architecture and urbanism, Eastern ones are more heterogeneous, with huge ugly buildings built to host working classes, but also « provincial » areas, like Village de Charonne or Villas de la Mouzaïa.

Another good example is « La Campagne à Paris » (Countryside in Paris), built on a small hill North-West of Porte de Bagnolet. From flowered Rue Paul Strauss or from one of the numerous stairs surrounding the hill, you can access to this beautiful and picturesque residential block, built on old gypsum quarries, today a paradise for urban cats, lovers looking for discretion to kiss or flirt, and spring or summer picnickers.

This neighbourhood was recently chosen as a set for a night scene in L’Armée du Crime and it is also where Nicolas‘s family lives in the filmed adaptation of popular French stories Le Petit Nicolas.

If you leave or arrive to Paris by international bus, don’t miss this spot. It’s just one metro station away from Gallieni International Bus Terminal!

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Campagne à Paris | Relaxing
Rue Irénée Blanc | Belleville/Nation
24 hours daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Paris

Image by Adam Roberts

Never judge a book by its cover we are told, and this maxim could equally apply to restaurants. Whilst Asian themed establishments and decor are currently flavour of the month, perhaps the most authentic Thai restaurant in Paris looks nothing like a Bangkok eating establishment. Instead the brown brick façade and original yellow bar signs shows that this was once a 1950s Parigot bar.

Open the book though, and the story on the inside is a very different one. Suddenly we are transported to the banks of the Mekong, to a cosy, jasmin scented room. The tables are low, with benches that you almost need to be a contortionist to sit on, but once you are in place you can relax and enjoy the fantastic food prepared downstairs. Notable items on the menu are the fragrant, fresh salads, with spikes of chilli and twists of citrus, or the spicy (rare in Paris!), aromatic curries. As it is a small venue with a big reputation, reservations are strongly recommended.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Krung Thep | Restaurants (Thai) | Main course from € 12.00
93, Rue Julien Lacroix | Belleville/Nation | +33143668374
19:00 – 23:00 daily, some lunchtimes

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Paris

Image by Adam Roberts

Tucked away at the back of an attractive, but now little-used 1920s art deco shopping arcade is La Java, the oldest nightclub in Paris. Follow the iron staircase underground for a trip back to a Paris of another era!

Opened in 1923, La Java was named after a particular dance style that was popular in the city at the time. In this inter-war period it saw the career debuts of several people who would go on to be worldwide stars including Edith Piaf, Maurice Chevalier and Django Reinhardt.

Today the venue has been renovated but has kept much of its historical charm. For an authentic night-out in Paris its a great unpretentious place to go. Early on in the evening there is generally live music or stand-up comics, then the dance floor is cleared for clubbers who arrive around midnight.

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La Java | Bars, Music | Beer € 3.50
105 Rue du Faubourg du Temple | Belleville/Nation
From 19:00 – 06:00 daily

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