Details for Saturday Group Event
Elizabeth Cunningham
Hi Folks -
The Free Tour meets daily at 11 AM, 1 PM and 4 PM in front of the fountain at Place Saint-Michel in the Latin Quarter*. To get there, take Metro Line 4 to Saint-Michel and exit the station at "Fontaine Saint-Michel" OR take the RER B or RER C to Saint-Michel Notre-Dame and exit the station at "Quai St. Michel" and walk one block south (away from the river) to Place St. Michel. Look for our guides wearing their red 
T-shirts!
Baron Samedi – The grooviest bar in town
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The Baron Samedi is a sensual deity in Haitian voodoo beliefs, but also now the name of a recent addition to the Belleville streetscape. This atypical bar may be barely a year old, but if I didn’t know that I would swear that it has been here since the 1960s.
I’ve rarely been to a bar in Paris that has such a sense of identity and character, with deep red Chesterfield sofas, New York loft brick, and blackened walls, thick with vintage soul posters. It is a bar that lives above all for music, with the three associates who run the venue being passionate about Northern Soul, funk, R&B, rock and roll, reggae and rap – in fact anything but techno electronica!
They like to compare the bar to ‘a Louisiana cemetery where you drink spiced rum whilst dancing to Desmond Dekker‘, but in reality it is a chilled venue where you feel instantly at home, especially during happy hour when the music is low and you can relax on the Chesterfields.
The particular ambiance of the venue attracts a eclectic collection of characters, illustrators and artists among them whose work can often been seen decorating the walls. It also home to regular and unusual events, including poker nights and soul crosswords, and several times a week it hosts DJ slots. When the music is turned up, the devilish rhythms bring people onto the dance-floor and the atmosphere gets steamier. The grooves may not put you into a trance, but they’ll make sure you leave with a smile on your face.
Details about this spot (Show on map)
Baron Samedi | Bars, Music | Pint of Beer (Happy Hour) € 3.50
12 Rue des Goncourt | Belleville/Nation | +330143573158
18:00 – 02:00 daily
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There are few places in Paris that can offer everything you need in one place, but this is certainly one of them. Open for an incredible 20 hours a day, it provides customers with everything from the first rousing coffee in the morning to the last nightcap late at night.
I particularly like this place for four reasons. It’s right next to where I live, it has a great terrace at the front, the food is very cheap, and it has a (free) live music venue in the cellar downstairs. A perfect night out is to combine all of them. Begin with an aperitif on the terrace, then move inside for something to eat before watching an upcoming band after the sun goes down. Not only is it a cheap evening for me, but I can also be home in two minutes afterwards!
Details about this spot (Show on map)
La Cantine de Belleville | Bars, Music, Restaurants (French) | 3-course € 14.00
108, Boulevard Belleville | Belleville/Nation | +33143159929
06:00 – 02:00 daily
