Music in Paris

Year round at the various churches there are offerings of Mozart, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, gospel music and, at Christmastime, “Ave Maria.” It is particularly lovely to sit in one of the churches, such as Sainte-Chapelle or St. Julien le Pauvre, and enjoy your surroundings and the music in Paris. Look for posters around the center of town. You can normally get tickets just before the concert begins, but they are also sold at FNAC.
Café de la Danse
5, passage Louis Philippe, in the 11th Arrondissement. 01 47 00 57 59. An eclectic venue offering all different types of music, from folk to electroswing.
Divan du Monde
75, rue des Martyrs, in the 18th. 01 42 52 02 46. A hip place in Montmartre that hosts DJs and live music of all types. Free entry until 11, as well as happy hour if you get there early. There are a number of clubs nearby, including La Cigale, an old venue updated by Philippe Starck, and La Boule Noire, where a lot of very hip musical acts play, including one of our favorites—the Dandy Warhols.
La Maroquinerie
23, rue Boyer in the 20th. 01 40 33 35 05. Café, bar, restaurant, club and music venue. Très kool!
Olympia Hall
28, blvd des Capucines, in the 9th. 08 92 68 33 68.Big music hall for larger acts.
Point Ephemere
200, quai de Valmy in the 10th. 01 40 34 02 48. All arts venue with dance, music, art, special conferences. This place has it all plus a fabulous location on the Canal St. Martin.
Théâtre Champs-Élysées
15, ave Montaigne, in the 8th. 01 49 52 50 50. This is an exquisite venue from 1913 in the Art Nouveau style offering opera, dance, classical music and jazz. Josephine Baker performed here!
Théâtre de la Ville
2, place du Châtelet, in the 4th. 01 42 74 22 77. In the center of town at Châtelet, Théâtre de la Ville offers theatre, dance and world music. They also have a place in Montmartre that presents mostly dance performances.
Théâtre du Châtelet
Place du Châtelet, in the 4th. 01 40 28 28 40. Also offers music and dance, right across the street from Théâtre de la Ville.
Le Trabendo
211, ave Jean-Jaurès, in the 19th. 01 42 01 12 12. Le Trabendo is a popular concert venue in the northeast outskirts of Paris. Hosting some well-known acts, it’s a great place to catch a show any night of the week. You’ll find everything from dub to indie rock to electro-pop. Tickets may be purchased online.
Le Triptyque
142, rue Montmartre, in the 2nd. 01 40 28 05 55. Le Triptyque has been on the Top Five list of Paris clubs since its opening, thanks to a careful and varied music program. It’s a stylish, rock-influenced club in the midst of the bustle of the Grands Boulevards.
Le Vieux Belleville
12, rue des Envierges, in the 20th. 01 44 62 92 66. This is one of those authentic, non-tripisty bistros that have become nearly impossible to find, where one can sing along (they’ll even hand out songbooks) to classic French chansons (folk songs) such as old Edith Piaf numbers. Book ahead. And see this YouTube video.

Jazz

Parisians love jazz and have a long history of appreciating this musical form. We love to take in some jazz here, and the city boasts many more clubs than New York. In June and July there is a wonderful low-key jazz festival in the Parc Floral’s Bois de Vincennes that only costs 5 euros.
Charlie Birdy
There are three locations in Paris, and you can grab a bite here, too. They have gospel brunches on Sundays, plus, at the location in the 8th, the décor has recently been updated to give you more of an Indian vibe—there’s even an ice bar. Half-price drinks for happy hour, weekdays 4 p.m.–8 p.m.
Duc des Lombards
42, rue des Lombards, in the 1st. 01 42 33 22 88. One of the best jazz clubs in town.
New Morning
7–9, rue des Petites Ecuries, in the 10th. 01 45 23 51 41.For fabulous jazz.
Full listing of jazz clubs here.

Opera

Opéra National de Paris
Palais Garnier: 8 rue Scribe, in the 9th. Opéra Bastille: Place de la Bastille, in the 12th. The Palais Garnier, from 1669, is a spectacular place to see opera or dance—the setting is absolutely divine. Ceiling by Marc Chagall. You can access information on the more modern Opera Bastille through this link as well—the Bastille location concentrates more on opera, Garnier a bit more on dance.