A bar that’s very much about relaxing, with tangential possibilities for drinking, playing pétanque, flirting, sunbathing and meeting new friends, BarOurcq is a summertime favourite for canalside beers and caipirinhas. It’s easy to find, with its turquoise exterior and corner site; walk up the canal from the Marais towards Parc de la Villette, and you’ll come across it just as you’re getting really thirsty. DJ sets at 6pm and 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays inject energy, though really this is a chilled-out venue, somewhere to sink into an old sofa with a drink or chat outdoors until closing time. It goes into hibernation in winter, emerging only at weekends until the chilly months are over, so ring to check times.