The City of Light truly heats up after dark. So, if you want to paint the town rouge after dutifully pounding the parquet in museums all day, there's a dazzling array of options to partake of. Whether you're a jazz fiend or a dance freak, a patron of the arts or a lounge lizard seeking refuge in a bar where the model count is high, Paris provides ample destinations for nocturnal creatures.

From opulent opera houses to low-key bars, dance floors in 17th-century cellars, or just the light-splintered Seine, you can find it all in Paris after dark. The hottest nightspots are near Menilmontant and Parmentier, the Bastille, and the Marais. By comparison, the Left Bank is definitely a minor happening scene. The Champs-Élysées is making a comeback, especially with stylish singles bars on its side streets, though the clientele on the main drag itself remains predominantly foreign.

Midweek, people are usually home after closing hours, around 2 AM, but weekends mean late-night partying. Take note: the last métro runs between 12:30 and 1 AM (you can take a cab, though they can be hard to find between midnight and 2 AM on weekends); you may just have to stay out until the métro starts running again at 5:30 AM.

The music and theater season runs September to June; in summer, most productions are found at festivals elsewhere in France. Detailed entertainment listings can be found in the weekly magazines Pariscope, L'Officiel des Spectacles,Zurban, and Figaroscope (a supplement to Le Figaro newspaper). Tickets can be purchased at the theater itself (try to get them in advance, as many of the more popular performances sell out quickly).

The 24-hour hotline and the Web site of the Paris Tourist Office (PHONE: 08-92-68-30-00 in English, www.paris-touristoffice.com) are good sources of information about activities in the city.

Half-price tickets for same-day theater performances are available at the Kiosques Théâtre (Across from 15 pl. de la Madeleine, Opéra/Grands Boulevards, Paris, France. Métro: Madeleine, Outside Gare Montparnasse, pl. Raoul Dautry, 15, Montparnasse; Métro: Montparnasse Bienvenüe.), open Tuesday-Saturday 12:30-8 and Sunday 12:30-4. Half-price tickets are also available at numerous private theaters during the first week of each new show. Check the weekly guides for details.

Your hotel or a travel agency such as Opéra Théâtre (7 rue de Clichy, 9, Opéra/Grands Boulevards, Paris, France. PHONE: 01-42-81-98-85, Métro: Trinité) may be able to help you get tickets. They take a 20% commission on each ticket.

La Robe et le Palais. Come here for the more than 120 wines from all over France, served au compteur (according to the amount consumed), as well as a daily selection of good bistro-style dishes for lunch and dinner. 13 rue des Lavandières-Ste-Opportune, 1, Beaubourg/Les Halles, Paris, France. PHONE: 01-45-08-07-41. Métro: Châtelet Les Halles.

La Tartine. Inexpensive wine and tartines in a tatty, almost seedy late-19th-century bar have given this place antihero status among the cognoscenti. 24 rue de Rivoli, 4, Le Marais, Paris, France. PHONE: 01-42-72-76-85. Métro: St-Paul.

Le Baron Bouge. Formerly known as Le Baron Rouge, this wine bar near the place d'Aligre market has changed in name only. In winter months you'll often find an oyster feast in midswing outside its door; inside, expect the regulars to welcome you with the same frosty suspicion as cowboys would at their local saloon. 1 rue Théophile Roussel, 12, Bastille/Nation, Paris, France. PHONE: 01-43-43-14-32. Métro: Ledru-Rollin.

Le Comptoir. Glasses of Burgundy and Bordeaux, as well as more unusual selections such as wines from Corsica, are served. 5 rue Monsieur-Le-Prince, 6, St-Germain-des-Prés, Paris, France. PHONE: 01-43-29-12-05. Métro: Odéon.

Le Rouge Gorge. This sophisticated Marais wine bar attracts discriminating locals who come for unusual wines by the glass and the hearty food. 8 rue St-Paul, 4, Le Marais, Paris, France. PHONE: 01-48-04-75-89. Métro: Bourse.

Le Rubis. This resolutely old-time bar specializes in Burgundies. It's most crowded during the day; if you're there from 7 PM to 9:30 PM it's best if you're smoke resistant. 10 rue du Marché St-Honoré, 1, Louvre/Tuileries, Paris, France. PHONE: 01-42-61-03-34. Métro: Tuileries.