The city's best gay terrace: Rosa Bonheur

It’s definitely springtime and that means the season of the terrace has begun. When it comes to finding the right mix of gays, terraces, drinks, and sunshine, our top pick is Rosa Bonheur on a Sunday afternoon.

Here’s why:

1. BOYS

Sunday afternoon is the unofficial gay afternoon at Rosa Bonheur and it attracts guys from all across Paris. Whatever or whomever you’re into, you’re likely to find them here. It’s a friendly mixed crowd, with women disappearing as the evening approaches. The other week we met a guy from Russia, who lived in Spain, who introduced us to a fellow Australian who was new to Paris and had friends visiting from Portugal. You just never know who you might meet.

2. ROSÉ

Rosa Bonheur is a fully stocked bar with a wide range of beverages, and tapas from the counter at the rear. Our preference is the Rosa Bonheur Rosé. It’s cold, it’s crisp, it tastes good, it’s pink, and you get six drinks to the bottle for €18.50, so you don’t have to go back to the bar as often. If that doesn’t work for you there is plenty of beer and other options from which to choose.

3. SHORTS

With it being the weekend, a sunny location and a place to potentially meet your (or just a) lover, it’s time to get fashionable. Don’t get us wrong, you don’t have to dress up but some people do. We just like the fact that many guys take the opportunity to wear shorts. We’ll leave it to you to decide if they wear them well or not.

4. PARC DES BUTTES CHAUMONT

The bar is situated on the top of the hill within the grounds of Parc des Buttes Chaumont. The terrace is one of the largest, and nicest in Paris, surrounded by trees that allow for plenty of sunny spots and relaxing shade all afternoon. One of the other advantages of the location is that many runners frequent the park and will do laps past the terrace, sometimes shirtless.

5. SACRÉ-CŒUR

If all of that is not enough, but we think it should be, there is also one of the best views of the Sacré-Cœur from the terrace. If the boys aren’t your type or you just want a quiet moment, you can take some time and admire the beauty of Paris laid out in front of you.

A practical tip for those going; we recommend arriving before 4PM. After this time, a fence is put up and you will have to join the queue to enter, which can take a long time…

ROSA BONHEUR