How to be gay in Paris – in the daytime

When away from home, I connect with a place the more I can express myself in it.

I’ll bypass tourist hotspots for something more local and closer to my identity. Maybe a cafe, a vintage shop, an art gallery – or a gay bar.

Gay bars are great. I hold dear memories of my fellow partiers on a sticky dance floor in Greece holding iPhones to their foreheads with the words ‘Bi’ illuminated on the screen. They handed their phones to me and I displayed mine. We danced together until 6am.

But I can’t party until the wee hours often – and in 2024, gay culture still feels relegated to nightlife. Most travel guides only add to this, recommending gay bar after gay bar after gay bar for queer travellers.

Want if you want to enjoy the local queer scene of a city like Paris without punishing your liver and sleep routine?  

As a queer local in Paris, these are my top picks for enjoying the best of the city’s queer scene in the daytime.

Shop til you drop

The neighbourhood of Le Marais, in the 4th arrondissement, is known as Paris’ LGBTQIAP+ hotbed.  

If you’re not sipping vino at one of its queer-friendly bars, you can spend your day dipping in and out of shops along Rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie or at small businesses like Atelier Grenade in the nearby 10th arrondissement, run by lesbian jewellery artist Caroline Sabotinov-Tuernal.

For quiet browsing, you could also scoot over to the 11th for Violette and Co, a feminist, lesbian and LGBTQIA+ bookstore and cafe, as well as Mots Bouche, another bookstore specialising in LGBTQIAP+ themes.  

Hungry?

For a giggle, grab a bit at Legaychoc, a small bakery with baguettes, pastries and sandwiches in the shape of … eggplants. After ticking off a boulangerie, as every visitor to Paris should, you’ll eventually need something more hearty, so head to Marais’ queer favourite Cafe Voulez Vous or check out the menu at lesbian-owned Dirty Lemon Bar for a feed.

Travelling solo, but want to socialise?

Gay bars have always been hubs to find and hang with fellow queers. In the digital era, there’s an app for that: Lex.  

Lex is not only for dating; you can use it to locate LGBTQIAP+ events and arrange meet-ups with Lex community members near you (where better to get recommendations than from a local trans guy you met on the app?).

Alternatively, you can get your social and cultural fix with tours run by Paris Gay Village and The Gay Locals – or get amongst gay-owned wine and food experiences at We Taste Paris.

Maybe just an apéro?

So, what about those times when you’re keen for a tipple, but not committed to a night out? Head to La Mutinerie in the 3rd arrondissement.

La Mutinerie is a self-managing collective that runs a bar-slash-queer-feminist space designed as an inclusive spot in Paris for “reflection and collective struggles against oppression”. More of a community corner than a bar, La Mutinerie offers a wholesome and safe way to rub shoulders with local LGBTQIAP+ Parisians when the sun goes down, with programs in music, performances, workshops, drag, yoga and karaoke.

Get your local queer inspiration

If you’re on social media, here are two LGBT+ Paris creators I recommend allocating your screen time to:

• Damon Dominique @damondominique is a gay American known for his travel videos. Steal ideas from his daily life in Paris or read his guide on flirting in French.

• Eden Morrissey @edenmorrissey and her girlfriend have such a pretty aesthetic that quenches your romantic Paris thirst. Eden’s page focuses particularly on vintage shopping. Check out her videos for ideas of places to visit in Paris.