The ten best outdoor terraces in Paris

This family-friendly bar-restaurant looks right onto Quai de la Marne and does top-notch pizzas, perfect washed down with a glass of rarefied wine. Fine Italian aperitifs and craft beers are on the menu too, with an informative barman on hand to guide your choices. The neo-vintage interior is basked in light, which pours in from large bay windows  - making it the ideal spot for soaking up the chilled canal vibe, whatever the weather.

Never was a bar more aptly named: this quaint café-resto, tucked away on place Sainte-Marthe, gets extremely packed. Expect to get intimate with your fellow patrons, rubbing shoulders and unavoidably eavesdropping on their conversations. Located on Place Sainte-Marthe, Belleville’s answer to a village square, this is a relaxing, tree-shaded terrace with hardly any passing traffic. It’s got a decent wine list, with several organic varieties, best accompanied by tapas (think Serrano ham, creamy caviar of aubergine and blow-your-head-off chorizo). 

In the centre of Paris’s ‘Little Egypt’, outlined by the Rue d’Alexandrie, the Passage du Caire and the Rue du Nil, is Hôtel Edgar’s restaurant. The seafood platter shines: oysters with bread and Bordier butter, calamari, mussels with chorizo, langoustines, cod with blood oranges and grilled octopus. All main dishes are served with home made chips, each priced around €20. You’ll want to come back – for the Sunday fish and chip brunch (€27), or for cocktails on the terrace, with a view out over the shady square.

Set between imposing trees of Parc de Villette, this colourful enormo-bar exudes the atmosphere of a trendy Berlin beer garden, with drinks prices at Paris standard (€6.50 a pint, €7 after 10pm). The excellent tapas (€4-€12) and kebabs (€8-€18) go down much better than a sticky late-night currywurst. The bar also regularly hosts affiliated clubbing collectives, which is the perfect time to visit – with so much space, you really can let it all hang out.

This charming hotel-restaurant with its menu of expensive terroir dishes is for those craving a bit of Montmartre glamour. Right at the top of the Montmartre hill, its big terrace borders a narrow paved street, offering a boundless view of northern Paris and the suburbs. It’s blissfully calm in the afternoon and its off-the-beaten-track location gives it a villagey feel. Be firm to get the attention of waiters.

The Café Charlot is one of the most lovely old-school cafés in the Marais, thanks to its magnificent old-fashioned bakery shop front and retro ambiance, which has seduced the local hipsters who come to sun themselves on its lovely terrace. Expect tartare, entrecôte, salads and sandwiches, plus the outstanding brasserie-style dishes. We recommend happy hour for the delicious cocktails from only €6.50, but come early to nab a place on the terrace.

A large heated terrace, vast bar space and cosy backroom make SUNSET a buzzing and versatile hangout, perfect for a date or a birthday. Friendly staff mix cocktails like the Red Sunset (vodka, brut champagne, peach and grapefruit bitters, peach liqueur, lime, fresh mint). The wine list is short yet carefully curated, and beers are from up-and-coming Italian, German and French micro-breweries. Snack on pork pâté in a crispy filo parcel (€5) and small sharing plates (€5-€10), like hake and chips and beef ravioli in a smoky sauce.

A Belleville drinker’s institution, never empty of local youth imbibing black coffee with their afternoon papers or kicking off the evening with an aperitif or five. The packed terrace is the place to be in every season, as it stays heated and lit until the sun goes down. Finding a spot is a challenge, but so worth it – especially with beers at €2.50 and €4.50 cocktails. In the evening, red lights go on beneath the bar, and the friendly, efficient staff remain cheerful despite the throng. 

Tucked away on a lovely square in the 15th, expect to be dazzled by the neon-lined bar at Au Général Beuret and just past that, the bustling brasserie decked out in superhero décor and abuzz with friendly locals. The food is classic heart attack fare: cheeseburgers (€12), sirloin steak (€10), chips (€5.50 with a pint during happy hour), and lemon meringue tarts (€4). Rock music and an attractive terrace complete the picture. Unpretentious, unexceptional, but great fun.

Simple wooden tables and dilapidated sofas rule at this canal-side café-bar; its cool clientele tap away at MacBooks during the day and sip cocktails in the evening. The relaxed vibe, carried by smooth jazz soundtrack – and sometimes live jazz – stays on the right side of insufferably hipster. This charming waterhole is rammed during the 6-8pm happy hour, when the local restaurant-going clientele stop by for a quick aperitif. At €3 for a pint of Amstel or €4 for a mojito, you can see why.