Best Clubs in Paris 2012

Tis the season to recap the best clubs in Paris for this year, 2012. Santé!

5. Titty Twister (above): A new club for your black leather nights. Inspired by the Rodriguez/Tarantino biker bar in From Dusk Til Dawn, this is the perfect club to bust out that Hell’s Angels look.  Right in the heart of club district at the end of rue Ponthieu, its one of the few clubs in Paris to offer a pool table in the spacious fumoir. Scantily clad employées also dance on the bar, but that’s the only place you’re likely to see much dancing as there is no real dance floor just roomy tables. Viva americana.

4. VIP Club: This big club is nothing very original, but the space is huge and there is a festive ambiance with a lot of highrollers you might see again during the summer in Saint Tropez. If bling is what you are looking for, VIP and its impresario Jean Roch have that covered. You might catch a spontaneous concert by the Black Eyed Peas, Busta Rhymes, or FloRida.  Dinner in the restaurant, Gioia, is a surprisingly nice experience for kicking off a night of partying.

3. Matignon: Whether you are finished your meal or not, the restaurant at Matignon turns up the music to club levels around 11pm, and from then on, expect lots of champagne popping, sparklers, and dancing. Thursday-Saturday, this place is booked, especially during fashion week. Downstairs the club is small but hosts regular tables of fashion models and chic Parisien types.

2. Raspoutine: A club for all ages. A rare mix of the fashionable and accomplished, the ancien regime and the new. Kate Moss drops in during fashion week, and Mick Jagger parties there until 4am on a Thursday night. Raspoutine is decadent, fun, and ‘members-only.’ Once a club of ill-repute, its now the place to see and be seen in Paris.

1. Cirque de Bonheur: A little bit of Ibiza in Paris. This giant space (formerly the Man Ray) is home to guest DJ’s and elaborate parties. It attracts equal parts posh and bohemia, and is known for it’s ecclectic themed parties and sideshows featuring fireblowers and midgets. At the helm of this club is Danish impresario, Rasmus Michau, who’s creativity and enthusiasm (and Viking good looks) have helped reinvigorate Parisian nightlife.