Browse >Home / DESTINATIONS, France / Free Things to do in Paris

Free Things to do in Paris

May 12, 2010 by davendeb  
Filed under DESTINATIONS, France

46 Comments

Free Things to do in Paris

-

paris-1Paris is an expensive city. That is all I ever hear when talking about traveling there.  “You don’t want to spend too many days in Paris, it is too much money.”

But did you know that there are many free things to do in Paris?

Not only are there many things to do in Paris that are free, they are actually some of the most famous sites in the entire city. What we love about Paris is that the architecture and history is so rich and interesting, that you don’t have to spend a penny to have a great time there.

Here is a list of free things that we found to do in Paris. Our friend Marie Louise that lives in Paris contributed some great ideas on free things that we didn’t get a chance to do, but they are excellent recommendations.

Free Things in Paris

  1. Visit Notre Dame – Entering Notre Dame is free. You can walk around and enjoy its enormous Gothic Splendor.
  2. See Basilique du Sacre Coeur – You get two activities in one for free here.  You can enjoy the beauty of Sacre Coeur Basilica both inside and out for free and you can enjoy an amazing view of Paris from the highest point in the city for free.
  3. Take a free walking tour – Every day at St. Michel in the Latin Quarter and in Montmartre you can join a free walking tour of Paris.
  4. Go on a pub crawl – In Montmartre you can join a free pub crawl of the bars in the area.  A great way to go where the locals go.
  5. Walk along the Champes Elysees – This is one amazing street filled with fine dining, cafés, shopping and people.  It is easy to spend some time window shopping and people watching.
  6. Explore the famous cemeteries – The Cimetiere du Pere Lachaise is the famous resting place of Jim Morrison  and Oscar Wilde.  The Cimetiere de Montmartre is the famous resting place of Alexandre Dumas and Edgar Degas.  These cemeteries are both free and very interesting.
  7. Jardin du Luxombourg – This amazing garden in the Mont Parnasse area is a beautiful place for a picnic.  It is filled with sculptures, gardens and greenery.  It is a work of art and a wonderful place to spend the afternoon.
  8. Free Art - Along the fence of the Jardin du Luxombourg near the Senat there are free exhibits that in another city would not be free. But this is Paris and they have world class photography right on the sidewalk!
  9. Go to every major site and enjoy it from the outside. The city of Paris is a work of art.  Every building is breathtaking and walking around the city and enjoying the sites like The Eiffel Tower, Arc De Triomphe and the outside of the Louvre is a very fulfilling experience.
  10. Go Dancing – On Sundays on the Left Bank there is free Dancing to old French music.  Watch and learn from the older couples that are dancing their hearts out.

There are many free museums and art galleries in Paris and we have heard that there is free rollerblading and skateboarding that has become very popular in Paris.  They close several km of City Blocks for people to merrily roll through the city.

There you have it, 10 Free things to do in Paris brought to you by Dave and Deb.

Do you have any suggestions of more free things to do in Paris? Leave a comment below with some advice. Everyone in the world can use more free things in their life.

For other tips and advice on saving money in Paris, check out our other posts below.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed for latest posts via email or on your homepage!

Bookmark and Share
Related Posts with ThumbnailsFree Things to do in Paris
« « Previous Post
Next Post » »

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

The North Face Logobanner
Disclosure: Some of the links on this site do make us money. But like everything here at theplanetd, we would never recommend something if we did't believe in it's value.

61 Tweets

Comments

46 Responses to “Free Things to do in Paris”
  1. Anis Salvesen says:
    May 12, 2010 at 10:29 am

    Great list! Paris is indeed a rare gem among cities where anyone can enjoy it without paying a dime.

    Another great place to visit that is free is the Bois de Boulogne. For some reason it was chosen for shady activity at night, but in the day time it is a paradise. The lake is beautiful – a wonderful place to spend a sunny afternoon or go for a brisk walk or run in the early morning. It’s in the 16th arrondissement, which is one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Paris.

    Another great way to enjoy Paris for free is to find a host. A great resource for finding a host is Tripping.com. Through the site, you can find a host to meet you for coffee and give you the inside scoop on which of the many beautiful parks to visit, where to shop for clothes, etc. Or you can find a host who will offer you a spare room, a sofa or floor space.

    Lastly, I wanted to mention that the Trocadero is beautifully lit up at night. It’s better to go with another person, as one can find shady characters there. But mostly you’ll see lots of smiling tourists and the mesmerizing beauty lighting up the night.

    If you want to check out that resource website I mentioned, here is the link:
    http://www.tripping.com

    This was a great article, and I can’t wait to see other reader tips!

    Paris, je t’aime. Tu es mon coeur.

    Reply
    • davendeb says:
      May 13, 2010 at 3:46 am

      Anis, thank you for adding some great suggestions for free things to do in Paris, we are developing a great list here that we are goign to use for reference when we go back.

      Reply
  2. Marylouise says:
    May 12, 2010 at 1:44 pm

    The first Sunday of every month, the Louvre and other major museums are open and Free! This Saturday, all Museums in Paris are open at night and are free. All towns in France with a museum of note are also open at night and are free. This free, night opening is a once a year event. There are free Poetry readings at many of the English bookstores as well as events of meeting current authors. The American Library has a monthly program of free events with a variety of speakers, free wine, fruit juice and small snacks. At the American Cathedrale and also the American Church there are weekly music programs of all styles of music performed. These programs are also free however its kind to put in 1 Euro as a donation, but not necessary.In the summer there are free Tango classes once a week on the Quay of the Seine. Several major parks, in the summer, have Film Festivals with space to bring a blanket or chairs and a picnic lunch to enjoy. Can you just imagine watching “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and looking across the city of Paris and seeing the spires of Notre Dame? There are the Flea Markets, weekly in Paris where you can glimpse items of history that are of France. Books, Dolls, Stamps,China, cookware, vintage clothes…an endless list of fascinating objects to have an insight into the life in La Belle France!

    Reply
    • davendeb says:
      May 13, 2010 at 3:44 am

      Thanks for the great information Marie Louise, it is great for people to learn more about free stuff to do in Paris!

      Reply
  3. Canadianfreestuff.com says:
    May 15, 2010 at 12:57 am

    Thanks so much for the list. We are actually planning our trip to Europe next year. And this is the first time I’ve been to your site. I’m so bookmarking this, and I hope to see more FREE lists of things to do around England, Scotland, and Greece,
    Keep up the great work!
    Canadianfreestuff.com´s last blog ..Shoe Company Canada Coupon My ComLuv Profile

    Reply   More from author
    • davendeb says:
      May 15, 2010 at 4:25 am

      Hey CanadianFreeStuff. Glad this helped. We are not going to England, Scotland or Greece this trip. But we are considering coming back in late summer to cycle our way south through Europe possibly starting in the UK. We are just in the planning stages, but we will keep you posted and we will definitely keep an eye out for free stuff!

      Reply
  4. TravelingCanucks says:
    May 17, 2010 at 12:26 pm

    Thanks for the tips! Paris is such a great walking city… it seems every corner has a new surprise
    TravelingCanucks´s last blog ..Snorkeling & Diving the Red Sea – Dahab, Egypt My ComLuv Profile

    Reply   More from author
  5. Charlotte PI Lawyer says:
    May 27, 2010 at 3:37 pm

    Excellent suggestions. These activities seem like a great time.

    Reply   More from author
  6. website hosting says:
    June 24, 2010 at 2:32 pm

    Thank for the free tips. Actually that’s what I always hear about Paris too, that it’s way too expensive. Everyone always seems to really like it though.

    Reply   More from author

Trackbacks

Check out what others are saying about this post...
  1. Tweets that mention Free Things to do in Paris | The Planet D: Around the World Adventure Couple -- Topsy.com says:
    May 12, 2010 at 8:32 am

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Ross + Julie + Tracy, Anthony,Travel Tart!, Andy, Dave&Deb Travel Duo, Bhutan Travel Expert and others. Bhutan Travel Expert said: RT @theplanetd: Free Things to do in Paris http://bit.ly/avh3de #tips #lp [...]

    Reply   More from author
  2. Misc Article Free things to do in Paris - Canadian Freebie Forum ~Canada's top free sample, coupons, & contests forum says:
    May 15, 2010 at 1:01 am

    [...] to spend some time window shopping and people watching for more Free Things to do in Paris Read onhttp://theplanetd.com/free-things-to-do-in-paris __________________ Don't forget to enter all our fabulous blog contests. Click Here Don't [...]

    Reply   More from author
  3. Camping in France | The Planet D: Around the World Adventure Couple says:
    May 17, 2010 at 5:02 am

    [...] to see France away from the tourist route.Finding all of our campsites online through the website AlanRogers.com we managed to make an excellent route.  Using our GPS on our iphone we make our way easily to the [...]

    Reply   More from author
  4. Three Days in Paris | The Planet D: Around the World Adventure Couple says:
    July 4, 2010 at 5:23 pm

    [...] [...]

    Reply   More from author
  5. Dave and Deb StumbleUpon The Eiffel Tower | The Planet D: Around the World Adventure Couple says:
    July 4, 2010 at 6:15 pm

    [...] blog posts from Paris, check out belowFor more tips on Visiting Paris check out our other blog postsFree Things in ParisThree Days in ParisVisit Paris on a BudgetCatacombs of ParisIf you enjoyed this post, make sure you [...]

    Reply   More from author
  6. Paris Museum and Attraction Closures | The Planet D: Around the World Adventure Couple says:
    July 29, 2010 at 5:01 am

    [...] planning to see Paris and not break that bank and we wrote a couple of articles on the topic…Free Things to do in ParisParis on a BudgetGot Saga wrote and awesome post on other Free Things to do In Paris that we [...]

    Reply   More from author
  7. Will Travel Blogs Take Over Guide Books? | The Planet D: Around the World Adventure Couple says:
    August 2, 2010 at 11:14 am

    [...] first thing that we do when booking a trip is to search online for phrases such as “Free Things in Paris,” “Things to do in Sri Lanka,” “Adventures in Thailand” When you look [...]

    Reply   More from author


Speak Your Mind

Tell us what you're thinking...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!

CommentLuv Enabled

Additional comments powered by BackType

SEO Powered by Platinum SEO from Techblissonline
Performance Optimization WordPress Plugins by W3 EDGE