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Your main options for getting around at night in Paris are to make it home before the metro closes around 1:30am or to stay out until the metro reopens and decipher the nightbus system.
Cultural Learning
Though France may be better known for its wines, you don’t have to limit yourself to the cultural experiences of your host country. There’s a Belgian beer-and-mussels restaurant with a selection of over 300 beers, each of which comes in its own specific glass.
Cirque d’hiver Bouglione
The Cirque d’hiver has been run by the Bouglione family since 1934, but the institution has existed since 1852. The show included aerial acrobatics, a heart-pounding tight rope act, dancing horses, and, of course, a lion tamer.
Voulez-vous
UMass’ own Evan Shelhamer, Lindsey Tulloch, Hannah Reuter, and Jenna Warren pose for the 800th time as I demand to take a photo of them in front of the iconic Moulin Rouge.
Dubstep ’til Dawn
Paris takes its nightlife seriously and all-night club events are not uncommon. Three study abroad students enjoy themselves at one such 11pm-6am dubstep show, in this picure.
“Ils sont fous ces romains”
My Parisian university is two blocks from the Goscinny Library, named for the famed French cartoonist Rene Goscinny. “They’re crazy, these Romans!” is an easily recognizable quote from one of the most famous French comic books series, Asterix et Obelix.
From the top of the Arc
The 284 steps to the top of the Arc de Triomphe (roughly 200 of which are up a particularly narrow and steep spiral staircase) are well worth the view, especially given the free admission for European students (but be sure to bring your visa). Paris, like many other European cities, has a vast number of activities, museums, cultural events, and even menus available to students at reduced or no cost.
L’Arc de Triomphe
UMass juniors Lindsey Tulloch, Jenna Warren, and Kate Grannemann pose in front of one of Paris’ most recognizable landmarks, the Arc de Triomphe. The monuments stands at the western end of the Champs-Élysées and is dedicated to all those who fought and died in the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. It also houses the Tomb of the Unknown Solider from World War I. The Arc is surrounded by a 10 lane traffic circle and pedestrians may only access it by underground passage.
The tomb of Cardinal Richelieu
Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu, Cardinal-Duc de Richelieu was King Louis XIII’s “Chief Minister.” He helped consolidate royal power and fortify a centralized French government at the beginning of the 17th Century. He became one of the most influential statesmen of the time as well as a great patron of the arts.
Tour of la Sorbonne
A group of UMass students, along with their international classmates, tour La Sorbonne, the historic home of the University of Paris. Founded in 1257 by French theologian Robert de Sorbon, the college provided a free education for 20 poor students.
