France's bar scene is engineered around two traditions: the Parisian cocktail bar (which since Experimental Cocktail Club opened in 2007 has gone from sleepy to globally significant) and the French wine bar, which still leads the world. The 10 below run from Little Red Door's conceptual menus to Septime La Cave's natural wine to Marseille's Vieux-Port view. Lyon, Bordeaux, Nice, and Strasbourg all add regional weight — but Paris remains the centre of gravity.
The 10 best bars in France
01 · Paris
Paris (Le Marais)
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World #50 · Conceptual
World's 50 Best regular with conceptual menus.
Order: Whatever the current menu is built around
02 · Paris
Paris (2nd)
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Iconic · Pioneer
The 2007 Paris cocktail bar that started everything.
Order: Old Cuban or Old Fashioned
03 · Paris
Paris (3rd)
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Iconic · Behind taqueria
A taqueria fronts a hidden speakeasy.
Order: Guêpe Verte
04 · Paris
Paris (11th)
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Iconic · Natural wine
Bertrand Grébaut's natural wine bar.
Order: Whatever the rep brought today
05 · Lyon
Lyon (Vieux Lyon)
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Iconic · Cocktails
Iconic Vieux Lyon cocktail bar.
Order: A precise Negroni
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06 · Marseille
Marseille (Vieux-Port)
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Iconic · Vieux-Port view
Iconic Vieux-Port cocktail bar with port view.
Order: A pastis with the port view
07 · Bordeaux
Bordeaux (Saint-Pierre)
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Iconic · Cocktails
Iconic Saint-Pierre cocktail bar.
Order: A precise Manhattan
08 · Nice
Nice (Vieux Nice)
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Iconic · Cocktails
Iconic Vieux Nice cocktail bar.
Order: A bartender's signature
09 · Paris
Paris (10th)
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Iconic · French spirits
All French spirits, all the time.
Order: A French-only riff on a Negroni
10 · Strasbourg
Strasbourg (Petite France)
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Iconic · Cocktails
Iconic Petite France cocktail bar.
Order: A bartender's signature
The full guide, city by city
Each entry below is a deep dive into the best 10 bars in that city — picked by editors who live there.
Browse the full France bar indexBars by French city — every featured venue has a profile.
See the full list
What makes a great French bar
Forget the Champs-Élysées. The best French bars work because they earn their place — through cocktail precision (Little Red Door, Experimental Cocktail Club), wine seriousness (Septime La Cave), or regional confidence (Vertigo, La Caravelle). The 10 above all do that. Pick the city that matches the night you want.
