Soirées On The Seine

It might seem cliché, but there are few places when you travel in Paris more popular than the Seine at night. More than a lovers’ hangout, the quais have bred a culture of their own. From nightfall until sunrise, the river’s edges feature a variety of activity, from lip-locking to fist-fighting. While sometimes intimidating, if approached with a sense of humor the Seine can be a great (and cheap) nightime hangout for travelers to Paris. Here are some of the usual suspects you’re bound to see around Paris:

Parisian Punks: crowds of Parisian teens come here to accumulate street cred. The louder and more obnoxious they are, the more respect they accrue: expect everything from drums to dreds.

Didactic Drunkard: usually enraged and occasionally homeless, there is at least one man whose self-appointed job includes pacing up and down the quais asking for substances—tobacco, alcohol, or weed.

Showy Study Abroaders: just as loud as the Parisian Punks, this crowd also travels in groups and totes cheap bottle sof wine.

Lustful Lovebirds: you’d think the rowdy surroundings would get to them, but they’re usually too busy making out to notice.

Inquisitive Oddball: a tourist or older couple who wanders along the quais until, bewildered, they realize it’s not their scene.