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.

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.