’Tis the Season to Drink Champagne in Paris

The sound of popping champagne corks is synonymous with the Paris holiday season, throughout which bubbles are enjoyed among family and friends during apéros and evening meals. Paris bars are a perfect place to indulge and order une coupe de champagne to celebrate the festivities in the City of Light.
Many bars in Paris provide intimate settings for sipping champagne. La Closerie des Lilas allows one to enjoy a nightcap at the bar that once hosted Hemingway and Cézanne, among other notables. Arrive early at le Fumoir for a chance to grab a leather couch and settle in with a glass of champers at this classy bar across from the Louvre.

La Jolie Bohème.

Many Paris hotels, like the Hôtel de Crillon, the Hôtel Plaza Athénée and Le Meurice, offer stunning settings for those willing to splurge on spendy spirits. But fear not: enjoying some bubbly doesn’t have to break the bank, and a handful of Paris bars offer budget-friendly champagne happy hours.
Located across from the photogenic Lamarck-Caulaincourt metro entrance, Le Refuge offers front-row seats to some of the best people-watching in Paris. The welcoming interior truly is a refuge on a cold day, with its yellow, chalkboard-speckled walls and warm ambience typical of a Paris bistro. Happy hour is from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on weekdays, and during this time a glass of champagne is only 5 euros.

If the happy hour at Le Refuge is too short for your tastes, head down the nearby staircase and stop at La Jolie Bohème, where the happy hour lasts until 8 p.m. and champagne is also priced at 5 euros.
For a huge selection of champagne, head to Flûte, which holds a happy hour every Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., when glasses of champagne are two for the price of one. Make sure to reserve in advance if you’re going as a group; otherwise grab a spot at the bar or in the cozy upstairs lounge.

Related Links/Info
La Closerie des Lilas
Le Fumoir
Hôtel de Crillon
Hôtel Plaza Athénée
Le Meurice
Le Refuge
72, rue Lamarck, in the 18th Arrondissement. 01 42 62 01 62.
La Jolie Bohème
6, rue de la Fontaine du But, in the 18th Arrondissement. 01 42 57 13 29.
Flûte
Editor’s note: Let’s all celebrate New Year’s together—online this year! Take a picture of your revelries tonight and post it on our Facebook page.