Free things to do in Paris

21.07.2023 - 07:34 / roughguides.com / Oscar Wilde / Jim Morrison

For anyone planning a weekend break in Paris and attempting to find accommodation below €100 per person per night – and most likely failing – it’s pretty obvious that the capital of France is an expensive place to visit. An iconic city like this, though, with its intricate history, remarkable architecture and extraordinarily rich culture should be on everyone’s lifetime itinerary. Here are a few pointers to finding free things to do in Paris.

The information in this article is inspired by The Rough Guide to Paris , your essential guide for visiting Paris .

Lauded the world over, the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay, Musée Rodin and Centre Pompidou – to name but a few “big ones” – are free for visitors on the first Sunday of every month. Here you’ll find famous Impressionist masterpieces, exquisite sculptures and some of the best modern art ever created.

Pompidou Centre, Paris, France © OSTILL is Franck Camhi/Shutterstock

For four weeks in the summer (from late July), the banks of the River Seine become pedestrian-only, and three areas – the Louvre/Pont Suly, Bassin Villette and Pont de la Gare – are transformed into beaches, complete with ankle-deep sand, ice-cream sellers, stripey deckchairs, beach volleyball and even swimming pools.

It might sound a touch morbid but a walk around the elegant Père Lachaise cemetery, on Boulevard de Ménilmontant, is one of the most fascinating free things to do in Paris. A whole host of mostly French celebrities – writers, actors, philosophers, musicians – are buried here, along with Irish writer Oscar Wilde, American singer Jim Morrison and dancer Isadora Duncan.

Pere Lachaise Cemetery Paris, France © Zvonimir Atletic/Shutterstock

One of the free things to do in Paris until you fancy buying something, the Marché aux Puces, in the north of the city at St-Ouen, takes place on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays, and purports to be the world’s largest flea market. Food and drink lovers should try the fancier Raspail organic market (Sunday morning only) on Boulevard Raspail.

Flea market, Paris, France © Elena Dijour/Shutterstock

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Paris’ most famous churches are free. Standing sentinel at the top of Montmartre’s steep hill, the Butte, it’s more the views over Paris that are the attraction of the cream-coloured Sacré Coeur than its rather barren interior, while lofty Notre Dame, stranded on an island in the Seine, is truly one of the greatest Gothic cathedrals in the world.

You don’t have to be in a romantic clinch with a lover to appreciate the beauty of Paris at night. The Left Bank of the Seine is a particularly pretty spot to meander. Watch as the city’s lights twinkle and dance on the Seine as it flows sleepily by.

This is the perfect tailor-made city break for lovers: