Free things to do Paris

Eiffel Tower Views - Picnicking in the public green spaces around the tower is one of the Parisian favorites. Join them and admire the view.

Seine River - Stroll along Paris’ famous river, or peruse the legendary bookseller carts that line up along the riverside on the Left Bank.

See the Light: To see why Paris is called the "City of Light," just stroll after dark when its star attractions are illuminated. You can’t miss the Eiffel Tower, that sparkle every hour for 10 minutes.

Notre Dame Cathedral is always free to enter. You’ll pay a fee to climb the tower or visit the treasury, but not to enter the church itself.

Many Museums in Paris are free. Check out our comprehensive list.

Pére-Lachaise Cemetery is a pleasant place to spend an afternoon and it’s free. Since 1804 this cemetery in the 20th arrondissement has served as the final resting place for a "who's who" of cultural icons. Chopin, Colette, Molière, Modigliani, Oscar Wilde, Isadora Duncan, Georges Seurat, Sarah Bernhardt, Gertrude Stein, and Jim Morrison. Other cemeteries in Paris worth visiting are the Montparnasse Cemetery and Montmartre Cemetery, both having many famous people.

Parc du Sceaux and Castle/Museum is free and the best place to have a picnic in the summer. The park has the 'grand canal', fountains, and huge expanses of immaculately kept lawns. You can find more about this park and castle on www.chateau-sceaux.fr/ Parc de Sceaux is approx. 15/20 minutes from zone 1 on RER line B nearest RER stations: « Bourg-la-Reine », « Sceaux », « Parc de Sceaux » www.ratp.com

Art Galleries are free and there are many of them in Paris. Marais district as well as St Germain des Pres are the areas with the highest concentration of some great galleries. Watch Paris roll by on the World's Grandest Promenade. Pointing from place de la Concorde, to the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Elysées offer chestnut trees, palatial hotels and shops, movie houses, sidewalk cafes, automobile showrooms, gift stores and much more. It’s best ‘show’ is at night.

Window shopping is free and the best places for a taste test are along Avenue Montaigne and Rue du Faubourg St-Honoré, where trés chic retailers have set up shops.

Paris Flea Markets - Just walking through Paris’ many outdoor markets and enjoying the people-watching they offer won’t cost a thing.

Gardens of Paris are free and have benches or chairs where you can relax and rest your feet. Some of our favorites are Jardin des Tuileries and Jardin du Carrousel, Jardin du Luxembourg, Place des Vosges, Jardin du Palais Royal, and Parc du Champ de Mars.

Free things to do Paris

No matter what time of day or day or the year there are many things you can do in Paris for free.

Here are a few ideas:

Almost free

Concerts in Churches

A concert at Paris's Notre-Dame cathedral is a memorable experience. It usually cost around 20 Euros to see world-class orchestras and ensembles.

St. Sulpice church in the Latin Quarter and St. Eustache's 8,000-pipe organ is not to be missed.

River walks

Explore Paris Neighborhoods For Free. Paris is the world's most walkable city-- not only because most neighborhoods are built for pedestrians, but because the neighborhoods are dizzyingly varied and fascinating. So bring a good pair of walking shoes, get a free map from the Main Tours Office, and hit the streets for a zero-Euro treat.

Weekly Sunday in-line skating are hosted by Rollers & Coquillages and covers a traffic-free 12-mile route, around Paris. The starting point is at 2:30 p.m. near Place de la Bastille. A more extreme 18-mile version gets underway Friday nights.

Free Concerts in Paris - Many of the parks and churches in Paris regularly host free concerts. Notre Dame or Saint-Eustache, offers free Sunday afternoon organ recitals, Sacré-Coeur invites visitors to attend hour-long choir rehearsals on Sunday mornings at 9:45, classical or blues concerts are held at the American Church in Paris. The days of the week vary, but if you’re interested ask at the tourist information office to see what’s going on while you’re in town.

Dance the Night Away there are plenty of places where you can practice your own moves and sometimes get a lesson or two, at no cost. Try the open air dance floor (open every evening, weather permitting, May to September) on Quai Saint-Bernard.

Free street and metro performers are one of the best way to enjoy Paris. You will find some talented performers that might one day became famous. Edith Piaf was one of them, before he was launch as a star. Best places are around Bobour and Latin Quarter.

Meeting the Natives is one of the adventures of traveling to Paris, and it's free. Tolerance, gentleness, and patience are not their strongest points, but compliment a bistro owner on her cuisine, and 9 times out of 10 she'll melt before your eyes. Ask about the correct pronunciation of a French word and a Parisian may become your language teacher.

Try to meet a Parisian halfway with some kind of personalized contact. Only then do you learn their best qualities: their famed charm, their savoir-faire and, yes, believe it or not, the delightful courtesy that marks their social life.

Parisian Gardens

Free discovery of the Paris City Hall

Hôtel de Ville de Paris
29 rue de Rivoli, 75004 Paris

M° : Hôtel de Ville
Tél. : 01 42 76 40 40

Visits are organized once a week, according to official events.

Call on Friday to 01 42 76 50 49 to make an appointment for the following week.