Drawing Paris’ culturally clued-up crowd to the outlands of the 15th arrondissement is no easy feat, but Electric—the city’s new, futuristic focal-point of bohemia—has got them flocking south-west in their droves. Billing itself as an ‘alternative cultural center’ (part geographical jape perhap?), the venue plays host to a variety of bespoke cross-disciplinary events—ranging from fashion trade fairs to late-night party blowouts. It’s the space itself though that’s been sending shocks through the Parisian landscape. The 1000m2 main room, with its gnarled fibreglass tree centrepiece, affords stunning panoramic views over the city that a trip up the Eiffel Tower would have trouble bettering. Add to that a 400m2 adjoining balcony, a gargantuan 22,000m2 outdoor esplanade and a lighting system based entirely around video projection (the first of its kind in the world), and it’s not hard to see why Electric has the scope to indulge the wildest of ambitions that other more centrally located venues couldn’t indulge in their wildest of dreams.

Parisian parties took a serious nosedive somewhere in the noughties. Everything was all becoming a bit samey until Concrete blew a massive boat-sized hole in the city’s nightlife. So much so that it isn’t even at night any more. With a game-changing Seine-side locale, they can max out their Funktion One speakers for one filthy 19-hour mashup, and there’s not a peep out of the neighbors, simply ‘cos there aren’t any. Thoughts of this being some dark ’n loud after-hour gurn-fest, should be (at least partly) erased from your mind however. Lots of light reaches into the venue and in the summer, well, it’s all feet on deck! The techno-house soundtrack is marshalled by some real international ringers—no space to drop names here though, the word count won’t allow it. And everything takes place on the sleepiest of family days, so get your Sunday dinner excuse in early.

Along the Seine and adjacent to the Cite de la Mode et du Design is a burgeoning creative space, an experimental gastronomic experience as well as the largest riverside terrace in Paris. Though its space is certainly big, Wanderlust treads an even wider amount of territory with its full array of cultural and couture-addled pleasantries. An open-air cinema, outdoor bar, club and a restaurant led by rising celebrity chef Benjamin Darnaud explains the allure of this center dedicated to unconventionality amidst a city better known for its long-standing traditions.

Back in 1894, a design competition was announced for a monumental new building that was conceived to be one of the architectural centerpieces of the Universal Exhibition in 1900 alongside the Eiffel Tower, the Petit Palais, the Pont Alexandre III and the Gare de Lyon.

Four Prix de Rome winning architects were finally chosen to design the building’s façades and interiors. The most impressive fruit of their labors was the Art Nouveau iron roof that weighs a staggering 8,500 tonnes (compared with the 8,000 tonnes of the Eiffel Tower’s frame) which is lined with plate glass panels that elevate to some 45 metres at some points. The structure stood firm until 1993 when one of the panels fell resulting in the closure of the premises for a further 12 years. After a huge restoration project it reopened in September 2005.

Interestingly, the Grand Palais has its own police station in the basement for the increased security of the works on show in the Galeries nationals. The building also houses a science museum and Chanel host many of their annual fashion shows there, creating a decadent and lavish arena for their newest trends.

It should be a cliché, but it’s not—it’s one of the best cafes in Paris. Inspired by the 1938 Marcel Carne movie of the same name, Hôtel du Nord wears a trio of Parisian stereotypes—a green facade, sidewalk terrace, all the comestibles and coffee in the world—and still remains a prime people-watching hot spot, just opposite the Canal Saint Martin.

Bohemian by day, swankier by night, with a bunch of locals and creatives thrown into the mix, the cafe is the perfect reprieve for a four-hour lunch or a post-dinner drink. Inside, there is a small biblioteque, wood bar and a more formal dining area serving cod en papillote and a good Millefeuille du Thon.