Paris for Free - enjoy Paris without spending (2024)

About-France.com- the connoisseur's guide to France

IMPORTANT- COVID-19 information for Paris.Paris is open again for tourism, though some restrictions and socialdistancing rules maystay in place for a good while. Museums and attractions areopen. The wearing of facemasks rmay be requiredin some locations too. For general covid info for tourists, see Frenchcovid rules

There are major monuments andmuseums in Paris that offer free entry foreveryone every day; there are others that are free for students everyday, and there are others that are free for everyone one Sunday amonth. Inaddition, there are plenty of other ways, besides visiting museums andmonuments, of enjoying Paris, its ambiance and its life, withoutspending more than is needed for a cup of coffee or a beer on acaféterrace.

About-France.com- Paris for free

You may also like : Parison a budget and our choice of Cheap Paris hotels

Thereare plenty of things to see and do in Paris, without spending a singlecentime. Theseinclude;

Freemuseums andcollections:

Freefor all - The permanentcollections of museums owned and run by the City of Paris tend to befree. This may require obtaining a free ticket from the "Accueil" orticket office before you can get in. The best free Paris museums are :

• 
  Viewof the Seine, by Monet, in the Petit Palais

  PetitPalais,City of Paris museum of fine arts; a large collection of great masterpaintings including Rembrandt, Monet Sisley and many more, plus a finecollection of artefacts. Located just off the ChampsElysées. Anexcellent general collection museum and art gallery.
• Cityof Paris Museumof Modern Art,at the Palais de Tokyo, near the Trocadéro. A largecollectionof late 19th and 20th century art, including works by Picasso, Bonnard,Bracque, Dérain, Dufy, Modigliani, Rouault, Utrillo and manymore
• Maisonde Balzac,devoted to France's great 19th century novelist.
• MuséeCarnavalet- the museum of the history of Paris
• MuséeCognacq-Jay- A fine Paris 16th century private residence with a collection of 18thcentury art, sculpture and crafts. Located in the 9th Arondissem*nt.

Free only onthe first Sundayof each month:
The Louvre, Musée Rodin, Musée Picasso,Musée d'Orsay andothers.

Freefor students and anyone under 26

• Alwaysfree: National museums (such as theLouvre, the Musée d'Orsay, etc.) are free for all personsunder 26 from the EuropeanUnion : proofof identity is required (passport or EUidentity card).
• Occasionallyfree: The Louvre is free for all under-26s,fromany country in the world, on Fridayevening from 6pm to 9.45 pm.

Apartfrom this, you'll have to pay to get in to the mainmonuments and attractions. And unless you wantto waste hours oftime standing in queues, a skip-the-line visitor pass,including museums, sights and public transport, is essential.
About-France.comrecommends the Paris City Pass, which offersbetter value than any other pass. Plus, get aspecial 5% discount with About-France.com using code aboutfrance

Freemonuments andother places;

• NotreDame cathedral, the Sacré Coeur de Montmartre, andotherParis churches.
  The churches themselves are free to visit -though some parts of them, such as towers or crypts, tend to have anentry charge. Following the 2019 fire, Notre Dame remains closed tovisitors while the building is renovated. Plans are for the cathedralto be reopened in time for the 2024 Paris Olympics, though itisnot sure if this time frame can be respected.
• Maisonde Victor Hugo6 place des Vosges in the 4th arrondissem*nt. Visit the cityapartment of France's greatest 19th century poet:
• Père-Lachaisecemetry,located in the 20th Arondissem*nt. One of the most famous cemetries inthe world. Visit the tombs of the great and famous, including EdithPiaf, Oscar Wilde, Balzac, Jim Morrison (of the Doors),IsadoraDuncan, Yves Montand, Alfred de Musset, and hundreds more...-
• Jardindes Plantes botanicalgardens (opposite Gare d'Austerlitz). One of the world's oldest andlargest botanical gardens, open to the public since 1640! There is paidentry for the "menagerie" section, specialised in the preservation ofendangered species. However the small pandas can be clearly observedfor free from the botanical gardens.
• Arènesde Lutèce. 49 rue Monge, paris 5.(Latin Quarter). The Remains of a Roman arena in the heart of Paris.Sit on the terraces where Romans once watched games and spectacles.
• Note: Neverfree: The Eiffel tower. They don't even do discounts ! Andwhy should they? They already get as many visitors as they can take.More details on our Eiffeltower guide page.

Freetowander - Paris onfoot

Aslong as the weather is OK, Paris is a great city for wandering through:and what better way to soak in the atmosphere of a city than to walkthrough its old streets, and through its famous sites. And ifyou're into running, take a look at Runparis.fr,which offers freeguided running tours of the French capital

Fiveplaces to walk in Paris
Stopto admire, enjoy the atmosphere, stop off for a coffee or a drink,visit the free monuments on your route - from the outside or the inside- and each of these four Paris walks can take a full morning or a fullafternoon.

TheParis flower market, on the Ile de la Cité

1. The Parisflower Market
Followingthevisit to Paris in 2014 by the Queen of Britain,theParis Flower Market has been renamed "Marché au fleurs reineElizabeth II". Located on the Ile de la Cité, near the PontNeuf, Paris's famous flower market is a small haven of flowers andplants, where Parisians have for centuries come to find plants andflowers to decorate their apartments. With its orchids, exotic flowers,and many more flowers and more ordinary potted plants, it is adelightful place to stop off at, in the heart of the city. Continuethis visit with the next walk....

2. The banksof the Seine.
Riverbanks are popular places for a stroll, and les "quais", thebanks of the Seine inParis, are among the world's most famous riverside embankments.

Oneof the many Paris "bouquinistes" beside the Seine

Startingfrom Notre Dame, wander along the banks of theriver either upstream, to the Ile Saint Louis, or downstream to thepedestrian Pont des Arts bridge, and beyond. Up at road level, thebanks of the Seine are home to hundreds of "bouquinistes"or second-hand bookstalls. Many still do sell old books;otherssell old prints or modern copies of old prints, even old maps andhistoric newspapers, others sell postcards and souvenirs. Thebouquinistes are a historic Parisian tradition. On the right bank ofthe Ile de la Cité, enjoy the sights and smells of thehistoric Paris flower market.
Down near water level, the lower quais, once usedas towpaths, are among the great romantic spots in Paris.

3. The Latinquarter
Thenarrow streets off the left bank of the Seine - that is the left bankin relation to the flow of the river - are full of small shops, fromclassic tourist shops to clothes shops, as well as cafés andrestaurants. There are also arts and craft shops, including antiquarianbooksellers, specialist bookshops, and small art galleries. Walkthrough the old streets, enjoy the sights, the curiosities andmouthwatering smells from the many small restaurants in the littlestreets between the Boulevard Saint Germain and the Seine; or look atbooks and go window shopping in the stores of the Boulevard SaintMichel.

4. Montmartre

Artistsat workin the Place du Tertre, on Montmartre

Althoughit is very touristy, Montmartrestill has plenty of charm andatmosphere, and by far the best way to see it is on foot. From Anversmetro station on line 2, walk straight up towards the basilica. Thereis a funicular railway up the hill for those who don't like the idea ofclimbing the 222 steps to the entrance of the basilica. But the stepsare not hard, and wind up through a garden, with great views over therooftops of Paris. At the top, the Sacré Coeur basilica hasthelargest mosaic in France. Beside the Sacré Coeur, the old"village" of Montmartre, with its narrow streets and square, throngswith artists studios, street artists, cafés and restaurants.Though some of the artists will do you a decent portrait, there arealso many scam artists; if you want to have your portrait done, preferthe more sedentary artists on the square, la Place du Tertre, who willsit you down on achair, to the mobile artists who accost people in the street. Butportrait or no portrait, Montmartre is worth a visit for theatmosphere. It's not what it used to be in the olden days, whenMontmartre really was one of the haunts ofParisian artistslikeUtrillo or Toulouse-Lautrec, but it still has plenty of atmosphere andcharm.

5.Louvre - Champs Elysées - Arc de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe, at l'Etoile - Charles deGaulle

Enjoythe experience of the Louvre from the outside. Wander through the maincourtyard of the Louvre and view the glass pyramid close up. It is moreimpressive from the outside than from inside. Then cross the place duCarroussel, past the Arc de Trimphe du Carroussel, and into theTuileries gardens. The Carroussel arch is topped by anineteenth-century replica of the Quadriga, or Horses of Saint Marks,the finest Roman equestian bronze statues, which used to adorn St.Mark's cathedral in Venice, until they were removed to a museum toprotect them from atmospheric pollution.
The Tuileriesgardens are a popular park for Parisians and tourists alike. At the farend from the Louvre, they give onto the Place de la Concorde, in themiddle of which stands the oldest monument in Paris, the 75 ft. Luxorobelisk dating from the thirteenth century BC.
Fromthe Place de la Concorde, then wander up the Champs Elysées,themost famous street in the world. This magnificent tree-lined boulevardruns 1900 metres (just over a mile) from the Place de la Concorde tothe Place charles de Gaulle, or Place de l'Etoile, in the middle ofwhich stands the great Arc de Triomphe, or Triumphal Arch, erected inthe 19th century to commemorate the victories of Napoleon.
Walk up the Champs Elysées on the right side ifyou wantto see the most popular shops, including many flagship outlets forinternational brands. Wander up on the left of the ChampsElysées if you prefer less crowds and less shops - though ofcourse there are shops and restaurants on both sides of the avenue.
Other placesto wander:Enjoy the Champ de Mars, and admire the Eiffel Tower from below; orwander in the Jardins du Luxembourg, a very popular park in the Latinquarter

Freetravel:

Walking is free ! But if you have a Paris City Pass or a travelpass,then you also have free unlimited travel on public transport withincentral Paris.

► Free touristattractions in other parts of France

Links to main Paris touristattractions: