PARIS SAVVY. OPINIONATED. INSPIRED. GAY. 2016 MASTERFILE PARIS: MANABOUTWORLD MASTERFILE ManAboutWorld provides information and inspiration for gay men who love traveling. “Expert-sourced” from our network of Global Correspondents and contributors, we’re all about insider recommendations, opinionated reviews and savvy advice for getting the most out of every trip. ManAboutWorld MasterFiles are the internal files we use to aggregate all of our insder information for a destination. They contain all of the content from every article we’ve published on the destination, along with new restaurants, hotels, shops and nightlife that periodically appear in the CitySeen and Radar sections of our magazine. This MasterFile is over 16,000 words long — a savvy guide to the City of Light. And while it’s been recently updated, things are always changing, so be sure to verify our listings before using them. And if you find something out-of-date, please let us know! You’ll get a free subscription to ManAboutWorld when you submit updates to [email protected] CONTENTS INTRODUCTION GAY PARIS WHERE WE STAY: RIVE DROITE WHERE WE STAY: RIVE GAUCHE WHERE WE EAT WHERE WE PLAY/MEET WHERE WE SHOP WHAT WE SEE/DO TOURIST OR TRAVELIST WHERE WE WORKOUT GET SMART Cover Photo Credit: (cc) juanetdc.com Thanks for reading ManAboutWorld Magazine. © ManAboutWorld Incorporated 2012-2016. All rights reserved, except for photographs used under a Creative Commons share and share alike license (cc), which are not subject to our copyright. INTRODUCTION: #YAYFORPARIS Paris has a magical attraction for travelers of all orientations. Europe’s grandest capital is the planet’s premier stage for romance. Spared destruction in WWII at great cost paid on the western front, the city’s grand archi- tecture impresses with its ornate magnificence at every turn. On the world stage it may have competition as a center of fashion, style, food and art, but when it comes to romance, nowhere else comes close. From strolls along the Seine, to picnics in its gardens, to stolen kisses atop the Eiffel Tower, Paris is filled with moments made for two. For single travelers, Paris demands an attitude check: If you’re the type to stroll its streets with a nagging feeling of “if only I had a boyfriend/husband/unrequited love/trick to share this with,” go somewhere else. If you can silence that voice, Paris offers gay singles all of the attractions of a major world capital: endless activities to fill your days, and a vibrant nightlife scene of bars, clubs, parties, baths and sex-on-premises venues. And there’s definitely something to be said for not having to share your lastLadurée Macaron. http://www.laduree. fr/en/histoire/macaron Our hotel coverage, like Paris itself, is divided by the Seine into Left and Right Banks (Rive Gauche and Rive Droite, respectively). To make planning more convenient, we’ve also separated culture, food and gay life into their own sections, along with a separate planning section that shares our best tips and strategies for visiting the city of lights. We’ve also created Tourist/Travelist guides for the city’s most popular attractions; with some- thing like 27 million visitors a year — all trying to catch a glimpse of Mona Lisa’s smile — you’ll be thankful for our insider tips to avoid standing in line behind them. We love Paris every time of the year, but if you’re looking to schedule your visit around a special event, here are a few to consider: EVENTS TO PLAN AROUND Marvellous Island http://marvellous-island.fr/ In May five of the best organizers of gay parties — Matinée, Spyce, Code 69, Crazyvore, Club Sandwich — put aside their competition and join forces to put on a unique outdoor event in the Bois de Vincennes. International Gay Tournament of Paris http://www.paris-tournament.com The Paris International Tournament organized by the French Gay and Lesbian Sports Federation (FSFL) takes place in May and features over 20 sports in competitions and workshops, along with social events, such as the famous TIP Party on Sunday night. Fifteen hundred athletes from all over the world come to Paris for this great event — even if you’re not participating, show your support and meet some hot athletes. French Open Tennis Championship at Roland Garros http://en.parisinfo.com/show-exhibition/1377083/french-open-tennis-championship-at-roland-garros The French love their tennis and the expression of the passion is in full flower for the two-plus weeks of the French Open or, as it’s affectionately known here, Roland Garros (“row-law(n) gah-rohss”), which takes place on clay courts in Roland-Garros stadium. Or catch the games live in the forecourt of the Hôtel de Ville Paris in the Marais (City Hall) Lesbian & Gay Pride de Paris http://www.gaypride.fr A generation ago, Gay Pride Paris could barely muster a small crowd. Now it’s one of the biggest and brashest celebrations of queerness in Europe. La Nuit Blanche http://en.parisinfo.com/what-to-do-in-paris/info/guides/nuit-blanche-in-paris La Nuit Blanche (white night) is an annual all-night arts festival featuring museums, art galleries and other arts institutions open and usually free of charge. There are many art installations, and performances of all types (music, film, dance, performance, art) and other activities. It’s usually held in early October. GAY PARIS Go on, pronounce it gay Pa-ree. It sounds so right, and though the phrase originated in fin-de-siècle Belle Époque Paris (late 1800s) and really did refer to happy days in the City of Light, there has always been an undercurrent of sex in the phrase which carries over to today. Paris incorporates the best sexual characteristics of Northern Europe (a pretty no-nonsense attitude about sex and nudity) and Southern Europe (a belief in the importance of seduction and wooing, even if it’s just a smile and tilt of his bottle of Kronenbourg 1664). Paris is pretty damn sexy; as are its residents. Most visitors seem to absorb the come-hither vibe pulsating all around them, too. You can meet hot guys in museums, on the street, or in the Métro but there are easier ways. Plus with the singular sense of style evinced by straight Parisian men (they started wearing sexy underwear decades before American males did and France is one of the world’s largest markets for men’s fragrance), it’s sometimes harder to tell who’s straight and gay. We’ve singled out the following venues as some of the best places to cruise, meet, dine and shop with other gay guys. The ultimate goal doesn’t have to be a hook-up (though your odds are pretty good at most of these spots) but at least you can be confident that the good-look- ing man nibbling his morsel of camembert at the next table probably plays for our team. WHERE WE STAY: RIVE DROITE The Right Bank of Paris can sometimes feel like the center of the world, this cluster of neighborhoods just north of the Seine that encompasses iconic Parisian culture, fashion and commerce, religious monuments and strips of gay bars. If the Left Bank is bohemian chic with bursts of nature, the right is its more sophisticated coun- terpart, and you stay here to be in the middle of the city’s exploding foodie scene or to be front-and-center for gay nightlife, or close to so many of the city’s famed tourist attractions: the Louvre, Champs-Elysées, both opera houses, the Arch de Triumph, the Tuileries, the Marais, the Centre Pompidou ... And while the disparity of affluence between the two banks is no longer as apparent, the right bank retains its connotation of wealth, and its still the place you’ll find yourself at a white-table clothed affair sipping wine among black-tie waiters. These 14 arrondissements are more easily navigated than the more chaotic layout of the Left, its streets tightly woven and rich in history, and the buildings you see have endured World Wars, cultural revolutions and riots, and are still standing. Nowhere is Paris more urgent than its right bank; few cities are. Staying close to the Marais can be helpful if you plan to be out late at night after the Métro shuts down. But location always seems less of an issue for us in Paris than style. In a city where style carries more weight than most, hotel décor becomes atmospheric destiny. At the luxury end, Louis XVI style still dominates with a rev- erence for pre-revolutionary opulence that commands extraordinary room rates. But whether the Paris of your dreams is gold-plated, achingly-hip or somewhere in between, we have great recommendations for you. Hotel St. James http://www.saint-james-paris.com/ A chateau in the middle of Paris! The grand fountain out front will pull you in and you’ll wind your way around the majestic staircase and into these spacious, artistic rooms full of romance. This property is the perfect place to pop the question, or the perfect place to celebrate your honeymoon. The service is all class and guests are welcomed with a complimentary bottle of wine. The rooms are modern but retain their old renaissance charm to keep you feeling like you’re living your fantasy. Prince de Galles http://www.starwoodhotels.com/luxury/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=250 This Starwood Luxury Collection property reopened after a two-year renovation that restored it to its original Art Déco splendor. The management team is focused on creating a more accessible, less formal and impos- ing luxury hotel experience, with a ground-floor restaurant open to the street, and a more modern relaxed service style that we predict will be a great alternative to the more formal tradition-bound luxury that is so common here.