Spots

Cafés, wine bars and Sunday places chosen for conversation: neighbourhood, atmosphere and budget for each address.

• Paris cafés where you can actually hear each other

  A good café for conversation isn't judged on its coffee. It's judged on noise level, distance between tables, and how long the staff let you stay.

• Paris wine bars for a first drink

  A good first drink rests on a precise balance: somewhere alive, but where you can lower your voice without disappearing into the noise.

• Paris on Sundays: where people actually talk to strangers

  Sunday is the most social day of the week and the worst used. Here is where to go when you want to leave the flat and talk to someone.