The Guinguettes and their magic ! (2)

A few weeks away from spring, the tradition of the Guinguettes no longer follows the seasons. Born on the banks of the Marne and Seine at the time when Parisians used to dance outside Paris, because the wine was cheaper there, they experienced a decline when it became forbidden to swim in the waters of those rivers -round about 1960. Today, they are experiencing a renewal as they are often located on barges in the heart of Paris, along the riverbanks’ new walks. On the right bank (we explored the left bank some time ago), at the foot of the Hotel de Ville, Monsieur Pelican and Les Maquereaux rub shoulders. Under the trees, just in front of the Saint Louis Island, Les Maquereaux offers oysters, prawns and casual seafood on a music background mixed by guest DJs. Upstream, facing the Cité de la Mode et du design, Barapapa is a somewhat unexpected place, in a relaxed atmosphere with street food and plenty of cheerfulness.  

Leaving the capital towards the privileged setting of the Marne banks, you will find larger spaces such as Martin Pecheur Guinguette de l’Ecluse, near Neuilly-sur-Marne, to dance over the weekend on an accordion musical background with mussels, French fries and white wine. At Joinville-Le Pont, two historical guinguettes are competing for entertainment. La Goulue, with its excellent traditional cuisine in a classified historical setting immersing you in a décor inspired by Toulouse Lautrec and the "French cancan" years. After dinner, do not hesitate to dance or better, “guincher”! As for Gégène, the place appears to have hardly changed in the past century, except that you can now dance not only musette waltz or tango, but also rock'n roll, twist and other styles. Made famous by the song "Chez Gégène" sung by Bourvil, frequented by Jean Gabin and many others at the great time of Joinville Cinema Studios, this guinguette remains the reference of the genre where you can dance freely at lunch, at teatime or in the evening! 

However, in northern Paris, close to the canal de l’Ourcq the new hot-spot guinguettes are opening. Even if the Grandes-Serres is still in the ephemeral summer register, you can always go to the already classic Rosa Bonheur in the Parc des Buttes Chaumont or A La Folie in the Parc de la Villette which combines space and privacy on a background of DJ music.