When planning an evening out in Paris, it is more important to decide where to go than what to do. The Champs-Elysees and Trocadero areas are full of tourists and overpriced nightspots, but if wishing to impress, may be worth considering.

During the night, Pigalle is the seedy sex centre of the city but home to some good music venues and the Moulin Rouge cabaret, where the cancan is still performed. Montmartre is heaving in summer but the views over Paris from Sacré-Coeur are unbeatable.

Bastille is buzzing with bars and clubs but is a bit too hectic for some. The best area for an evening's cafe-hopping is the Marais district, (also the centre of the gay scene), closely followed by the increasingly fashionable Oberkampf, which suits a younger crowd.

The gay district is set in the historical center known as "Le Marais". Le Marais is made of the 3rd and 4th districts. It is one of the most fashionable districts, and most expensive to live in too.

Theatre, music, major exhibitions of art, photography and sculpture, gallery previews, international concert tours, live performance, opera, popular celebrations and fireworks, reading improvisations, contemporary or classical dance, festivals of all kinds, cabaret shows, dancing girls in frills and feathers, games, trade shows, multi-vision productions, funfairs or sporting events: Paris just never stops, hosting hundreds of major events every year.