Hi,
If you go to Paris, here are some places I like. I tried to group them by area. Of course there are MANY places in Paris; but I listed those I like to visit when I go back to Paris.
The "Saint Michel" area is just South of "Notre Dame" (the huge church on the small island in the middle of Paris). There is the famous "Saint Michel Fountain", a big rendez-vous point; it is the favorite place for a lot of people to meet and then go out to one of the may pubs or restaurants in the area.
Be careful as this is a touristic area, so some restaurants have people in front of them, trying to convince you to go in. You don't want to go to those places, especially if they promise you some perk (e.g. "free shot of tequila if you eat in my mexican restaurant!"; the tequila will be watered down at best, plain horrible at worse).
Here are some good places:
- Les Trois Mailletz (http://goo.gl/maps/WKp9e), very nice pub; but VERY expensive; it often has live music (usually one pianist and/or singer), piano-bar style
- Le Caveau des Oubliettes (http://goo.gl/maps/wSjgx), nice pub, often with live jazz/rock music downstairs, and often very friendly people upstairs; often met foreign students here
- Shywawa (https://goo.gl/maps/otJSMe1L3492), it used to be one of my favorite places, with beer cocktails (yes, and they are drinkable!), and a relatively quiet room in the back
- If it's cold, and if you like cheese, try to go to a "Fondue" restaurant; they serve a big pot of molten cheese, and you dip small bits of bread in it. Very good when the weather is cold, and there are a couple of good fondue restaurants in this area (look for "La Grange Saint Michel")
- La Creperie de Cluny (http://goo.gl/maps/WFhS3), it's a good "creperie" in that area.
A bit South, there is the 14th District, near "Denfert Rochereau" square. A few good restaurants in this area:
- Swann et Vincent (http://goo.gl/maps/gMLMr), very good french/italian restaurant. If you go there... They give you home-made bread, it is delicious. Don't stuff yourself on it (you will want to because it's SO GOOD) or you'll be to full to appreciate your main course :)
- Le Quinze (http://goo.gl/maps/0gyrv), small place but very friendly. This was a favorite place when I was coming back very late from work :-)
- Aux Petits Chandeliers (http://goo.gl/maps/rFi3n), they cook food from "La Reunion" (French island in the Indian Ocean). Very good too.
- You can also walk along the "Rue Daguerre", it's a street with many small shops, no cars, very typical of Paris. At least 3 good wine merchants in that street, and a "Valette" (shop that has foie gras and other duck produce); if you want to bring back that kind of stuff, you can as long as it is in tin cans preserves.
In the Eastern part, 12th District, close to "Place de la Nation", you can find:
- Dalou (http://goo.gl/maps/2xFf1), typical French "brasserie", they have good french food, and lots of fresh seafood, and they are open until very late
- Chez Propser (https://goo.gl/maps/kzcN6Mi3eKy), very French too, tends to be quite packed
- Amalfi (http://goo.gl/maps/KfGBN), Italian restaurant, very good!
- Corrida Cafe (http://goo.gl/maps/CLwSz), Spanish restaurant, very good too :-)
- Jardins de Mandchourie (http://goo.gl/maps/cW5Ro), Manchu restaurant, very good
- just next to it, there is "Le Janissaire", very good Turkish restaurant
... and many more (I lived in this area 5 years)
A few good places in the center, near Chatelet:
- Le Tambour (http://goo.gl/SKKZlf), this is an "overly Parisan" restaurant, with a decor made of scrapped old bus posts, etc.
- the whole Rue Montorgueil
- le Pied de Cochon (http://goo.gl/oSNZ8L), it is good but not awesome; however it's open 24x7, used to be one of my favorite places to take people e.g. at 4am after clubbing when you don't want to go to another club :)
- to get drinks: Hall's Beer Tavern (http://goo.gl/7LPgRU), very good choice of beers, and the food is OK too; perfect place during the week to enjoy a beer with friends in a not-too-noisy area (unless there is sports on TV that night, but even then, it's usually manageable)
I have a bunch of friends living in that area so when I go back to France we often end up there.
If you are in that area, ping me and I'll expand this section; but for now, just note that for great cocktails and a very decent menu, you HAVE TO check Fanfan (https://goo.gl/maps/ntD8ej41TBU2).
If you want to have a great dinner with an amazing view on Tour Eiffel, I recommend Les Ombres (https://goo.gl/maps/fTbmy18qSHn). It's on the top of the Musée du Quai Branly. Last time I was there, they had a pretty expensive menu (~70 EUR) but you could add a flight of wines for less than 100 EUR total (meal+wine) which makes it rather good value given the layout and the quality.
If you're into deep techno sounds, I know two places:
- Le Rex Club (https://goo.gl/maps/6pkPirtrWP12) - good sounds, but very packed
- Concrete (https://goo.gl/maps/jAGe7dr7EU42) - that's a boat; usually more enjoyable if the weather is nice
Note: if you live in Berlin, you probably do not to check these places, because while they sometimes have good line-ups, the layout and sound is barely as good as the cheapest pop-up club in Berlin. (And your drinks will be 2-4x the price!)
If you're into more classic stuff:
- the Queen (http://goo.gl/lpgkMb) is supposed to be "THE" place, but interestingly, I've only been there for private parties, so I can't tell from 1st hand experience
- real close, you will also find: Pacha, Six Seven, Regine's. All passable, but really depends of the line up they have the specific night you go.
- Batofar (http://goo.gl/i69rym) it's a boat! Great electro scene but has closed/re-opened so many times that I can't really vouch for them :D
If you like the "clubbing on a boat" concept, look for the whereabouts of "Concorde Atlantique" and "River's King". Again you have to check the specific line up before going; it can go anywhere from "open bar student party where everyone is completely wasted by 1am" to "lounge/electro/dubstep afterworks" through "retro 70s" etc.
Recently I've been to Wanderlust (near Austerlitz); youngish people (25-35) but very commercial boring line-up.
I'm told that people like Nüba (near Austerlitz as well) if you want top dance on a rooftop.
Things to do/see: well, here is a ~1 hour walk (http://goo.gl/Rg2khm) from Arc de Triomphe to Chatelet, where you will see place de la concorde, pont alexandre III, pyramide du louvre, jardin des tuileries, and much more. If the weather is not too cold, and if you must make only one walk, try this one :)
If the weather is nice, try to go for a walk at "Buttes Chaumont", it's a park in the middle of the city, very quiet and green.
For a scenic view of the city, go to Opera station, check the Opera house, then go to Galeries Lafayette (huge department store; don't check their stuff unless you have deep pockets because you WILL find nice stuff and it WILL be expensive :D), head to the roof: unless there's fog you'll see plenty of buildings. Try to get a map to guess what is what.
Places where NOT to go: Paris is pretty safe. I would probably avoid the Goutte d'Or by night (but well there is nothing to do there by night anyway!).
Metro/Bus/RER close around 1am, and even when the late trains are not very crowded, they are quite safe. Night bus ("Noctambus") feels spooky but I never had a problem. Avoid the big RER lines (A and B) at peak hours; it's really really packed. The universal advices work too (make sure that phones/passports/cash/etc are in closed pockets, esp in tourist places, etc.) If you miss the last bus/metro, you will probably have a hard time finding a cab because between 1am and 2am cabs are completely overloaded with all the people who, well, missed the last bus/metro/whatever. If that happens, just find another bar to a have a couple more drinks and go after that :)
Uber works in Paris now. Since I dislike Uber, I use the French "Chauffeur Privé" instead. If you create an account with them, use that link http://chpr.fr/JERPET6 or use promo code JERPET6 :-)
If you want to call a cab, look for Taxis Bleus or Taxi G7. They are quite reliable (especially compared to US cab companies).
cool tips, thanks Jérôme!