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Are There Still Bohemians in Paris?

by Hella Cliques
June 21, 2025

Yes — but with a twist (and probably a phone full of VSCO filters).

While the days of absinthe-soaked poets haunting Montmartre cafes and starving for art’s sake are long gone, the Bohemian spirit still lingers in Paris — just not in the way it looked in the 19th century. Today’s “bohemians” are more likely to be freelance designers, indie musicians, and Instagram poets who can quote Baudelaire and build a Squarespace portfolio. They sip natural wine in Belleville instead of wormwood in Pigalle, and they wear thrifted Comme des Garçons instead of threadbare waistcoats.

Neighborhoods like Canal Saint-Martin, Belleville, and the 11th arrondissement have become the stomping grounds for the neo-bohème crowd: think open mic nights, zines, pop-up galleries in former garages, and more ironic mustaches than you can shake a baguette at.

Of course, the original Bohemians lived in genuine poverty and rejected bourgeois norms. Today's version? Let’s just say it’s aesthetic poverty — think €2 espresso sipped in €200 sneakers while writing your novel on a MacBook Air.

So yes, Bohemians are still around in Paris. They're just a little better moisturized.