A no-star hotel in the front garden of Notre Dame Cathedral. The wallpaper is bizarre, there is no lift (five floors though), and the bathroom door (yes, we had an en suite) came away in my hand.

But the view from the window is breathtaking and the owner is friendly and helpful. Shakespeare Books is just across the street. Doubles from €60 per night.

4 rue St-Julien-le-Pauvre, Paris 75005

+33 (0)1 4354 1920

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Great cheap hostel near Gare du Nord.

Le Montclair Montmartre, 62, Rue Ramey, 75018 Paris

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This bar is on the 33rd floor of the hotel and overlooks the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. Fantastic views. You can watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle while having a glass of your favourite wine.

The hotel is near to the Porte Maillot metro station, you can't miss it

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Traditional bar/restaurant. Atmospheric and reliable - immortalised by Juliet Binoche in Kieslowski's Trois Couleurs. Open every day from 8.30 (great coffee and croissants) and all day and evening.

Corner of rue Mouffetard and rue de l'Arbalète; nearest metro: Censier-Daubenton

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A beautifully decorated, trendy, yet unpretentious bar just off the well-trodden Rue Oberkampf. Great music, delicious cocktails and arguably the most beautiful man in the world works behind the bar towards the end of the week. Wonderful local atmosphere, but completely welcoming. Paris doesn't get any sweeter than this.

4, Rue Neuve Popincourt; Metro: Parmentier or Oberkampf; Bus: 96

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When I was a happy Sorbonne student, me and my "Amphithéâtre" mates used to meet up at this hidden but crowdy pub after class. Drinks are cheap, the landlord's pitbull doesn't bite and the setting is great. Inside, the Pantalon (Trousers) looks like a microscopic Parisian street where all customers can leave their artistic touch or simply stick their chewing gum under the table. Happy hour between 17h30 and 19h30. Open at 10 am till 2 am, everyday.

Le Pantalon, near the Panthéon 7, rue Royer Collard 75006. RER or Métro Luxembourg. Tel:01 40 51 85 85

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It is a cafe where they do brilliant cocktails or pints of beer for 4.50 euros from 7pm til 9pm. The waiters are charming and friendly and with each drink you order they bring a dish of delicious olives and another of peanuts. Whisky Dewalis were especially good, with a whole fruit salad balanced on top!

We were particularly grateful after the appallingly rude behaviour of the staff at Brasserie Lipp, down the road, our original intended destination.

164 Boulevard St Germain

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In a street shyly hidden from tourists unless you're returning home after a late one on the Grands Boulevards. Part of this small bar is celtic open-plan, for the usual wide-screen-loving rugby shirts. After 10 pm, the dj turns the turntables on for indiebeatpunkdiscomodeighties music (it's the name of one of the nights). A rare delight for French students looking for a pub "comme a Londres". The crowd's a mixture of self-styled fashion throwbacks and relaxed trendsetters, in an alcohol-fuelled (try the vodka-caramel) but relaxed atmosphere.

10-12, rue Feydeau, 75002: 00 33 (0)140265997: Metro Bourse/Grands Boulevards

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For those who want to turn boring weekday nights into party intervals between work - generous happy hour policy, creative cocktail arrangements and eclectic dj workouts. Arrive at ground level, you'll encounter a Parisian Anglophile ambiance (great brunch and anglosaxon press), then go into the basement to impress your English to an unpretentious cosmopolitan crowd, eager to mix with the English enemy in very sense.

18 rue du Bourg-Tibourg, 75004: 00 33 (1) 42 72 81 34: Metro Hotel-de-Ville/Saint Paul

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Great Anglo-expat hideout smack bang in the middle of Paris. It's where the French meet their Anglo-Saxon neighbours to have a proper knees up. Although situated in the tackiest location, it has (fingers crossed) kept a hedonistic and cosmopolitan crowd. Overcrowding gives it its charm, but it could be its downfall.

18 rue Saint Denis, 75001: 00 (1) 40 39 00 18: Metro Chatelet

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Low lights and a crumbling interior give this cramped basement drinking den a nostalgic feel. Sangria is sold by the jug and the juke box plays an eclectic range of old pop records. An authentic left-bank experience.

10 rue de l’Odéon, 75006. Telephone: 01 43 26 66 83. M° Odéon.

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Le "Lèche-vin" (=lick wine) is a bizarre and noisy bar, near rue de la Roquette, Bastille. The place is frequented by locals, including La Sorbonne rugby players because of its cheap pints of lager (4.10 euros) and the friendly atmosphere. But what makes it interesting is his "décor". Thousands of crucifixes, yellowed pictures of former popes, religious paintings are stuck absolutely everywhere in the bar... except in their gloomy Turkish toilets where every single space is filled with porn pictures. An hilarious experience!

Tel. 01-43-55-98-91, at 15 rue Daval 75011, near Métro Bastille.

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When in Paris there is absolutely no excuse not to get a little lightheaded on a glass or two of wine before lunch. To which end, drop in at Le Baron Rouge around 11am, order some bread and pate and tuck into a little red. Or white. Or both.

Le Baron Rouge is a new-ish but old-fashioned bar, with upturned barrels dotted about the place for you to stand around, and a fine selection of wines. One of life's pleasures - wandering off afterwards for a stroll and a long lunch.

It's also open in the evening, and can become quite busy.

1 rue Th. Rhoussel; Tel: 01 43 43 14 32; Metro: Bastille

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