Can you go to the Ritz bar without staying at the hotel?

Yes. Bar Hemingway and the Ritz's other bars are open to the public. The room is tiny and does not take reservations, so arrive at opening time or expect a wait at the door.

Is there a dress code in Paris hotel bars?

Formally posted rarely, enforced quietly always: smart casual is the floor. A jacket is never wrong at the Ritz, the Crillon or Le Meurice; sneakers-and-shorts will get a polite no almost everywhere.

How much does a cocktail cost in a Paris palace bar?

Plan on 25 to 35 euros for a signature cocktail, more for rare spirits. Expensive for a drink, cheap for an evening in a landmark room with some of the best bartenders in Europe.

What are the best hotel bars in Paris?

Start with Bar Hemingway at the Ritz, Bar 228 at Le Meurice and Les Ambassadeurs at the Hôtel de Crillon. Paris palace bars are open to non-guests, cocktails run about 25 to 35 euros, and the trick is timing: arrive at opening or book where booking exists, because the famous rooms are small and fill fast.

The shortlist, bar by bar

Bar Hemingway, Ritz Paris (15 Place Vendôme): a tiny wood-paneled room filled with Hemingway memorabilia, and the most famous hotel bar in the city. Legend has it Hemingway himself came to liberate the Ritz bar in August 1944. No reservations, so arrive before opening. Bar 228, Le Meurice (228 Rue de Rivoli, the bar is named after the address): dark wood, deep armchairs, facing the Tuileries. Les Ambassadeurs, Hôtel de Crillon (10 Place de la Concorde): cocktails under the gilt of an 18th century salon. Bar Joséphine, Hôtel Lutetia (45 Boulevard Raspail): the Left Bank's grand Art Deco hotel, its bar named for Josephine Baker, who was a regular. Le Bar du Bristol (112 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré): quieter, favored by a fashion-world crowd. Le Bar Botaniste, Shangri-La Paris (10 Avenue d'Iéna): plant and botany inspired cocktails in the former mansion of a Bonaparte prince.

How to get in without being a guest

You do not need a room key: every bar above serves outside visitors. Dress smart casual or better (no sportswear, no shorts), go early in the evening or late after dinner rather than at 9pm, and expect 25 to 35 euros a cocktail, which buys you a couple of hours inside some of the most beautiful rooms in Paris for a fraction of the room rate upstairs.

The concierge version

When Chic Trip plans a Paris trip, we slot the right bar into the right evening: Bar Hemingway before a Vendôme dinner, Bar Joséphine after a Saint-Germain one, so it lands as a moment instead of a detour. The whole trip is planned and booked for a flat fee, drinks and dinners at face price.

About Chic Trip

Chic Trip is a Paris-based trip planning and booking concierge for American travelers. Founder Frederic Canesso and his Paris team design day-by-day itineraries and book every reservation, restaurant tables, timed museum entries, tours and airport transfers, with tickets and tables at face price, for a flat fee. Start at Plan Your Trip, estimate your budget with the free Paris trip cost calculator, or read our client reviews.