Free Things To Do In Paris
18 genuinely worthwhile Paris experiences that cost nothing.
Paris has a reputation for being expensive. And it can be. But the city also has an extraordinary amount to offer for free — and not just the parks. The Louvre is free for EU residents under 26 on the first Friday evening of each month. Entry to restored Notre-Dame cathedral is free. The gardens of the Palais Royal, the Trocadéro views toward the Eiffel Tower, the permanent collection of the Musée d'Orsay for under-18s — Paris rewards those who know where to look. Here's the full list.
Notre-Dame Cathedral
Reopened December 2024 after the 2019 fire. Entry to the cathedral is free — you pay only for the towers or treasury. The Rose Windows survived the fire and are extraordinary.
Go early morning before tour groups arrive. The restoration is genuinely moving.
Sacré-Cœur Basilica
The interior of the basilica is free. Climb 300 steps to the dome for €8 — or just enjoy the free panorama from the steps outside, which is one of the best views in Paris.
Take the funicular up (covered by your Metro ticket) and walk back down through the village.
Arc de Triomphe & Champs-Élysées
Walking the Champs-Élysées costs nothing. The Arc de Triomphe itself charges €13 to go up — but the exterior and the roundabout chaos are spectacle enough.
Best seen at dusk when the avenue lights up.
Luxembourg Gardens
60 acres of formal French gardens, free to enter. Rent a model sailboat for the octagonal pond (€3.50), find the Medici Fountain, spot the beehives. One of Paris's great free pleasures.
Sunday mornings are magical — locals with newspapers and coffee, children sailing boats.
Palais Royal Gardens
Hidden behind the Louvre, these formal gardens are free and almost always calm. Daniel Buren's striped columns in the main courtyard are worth seeing. The arcades house remarkable shops.
Combine with a Louvre visit — the garden entrance is steps from the pyramid.
Tuileries Garden
The formal garden between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde. Free, always open, lined with statues. The outdoor café is overpriced but the benches and fountain are not.
Walk through rather than staying — it links the Louvre to the Musée de l'Orangerie perfectly.
Canal Saint-Martin
Paris's most photogenic canal. Free to wander, lined with iron footbridges, tree-shaded banks, and genuinely Parisian cafés. On Sundays the roads close and locals picnic on the bank.
The 10th and 11th arrondissements around the canal have the best neighbourhood restaurants.
Père Lachaise Cemetery
Free entry to one of the world's most famous cemeteries. 110 acres of Victorian funerary architecture housing Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf, Chopin and Proust.
Get a map at the entrance — Oscar Wilde's tomb and the Mur des Fédérés are hard to find without one.
Shakespeare and Company
Browsing the world's most celebrated English-language bookshop costs nothing. On the Seine opposite Notre-Dame, it's a living piece of literary history — Hemingway, Fitzgerald and Beckett all came here.
Check the events page — free readings happen most evenings in the upstairs rooms.
Galeries Lafayette Rooftop
Free 360° panoramic view of Paris from the roof of Galeries Lafayette on Boulevard Haussmann. The Art Nouveau dome inside the store is itself spectacular. The food hall in the basement is the best in Paris.
Take the lifts to the 7th floor and follow signs to the terrace. No ticket, no queue, no catch.
Centre Pompidou Piazza
The sloping piazza in front of Pompidou is free and always busy — buskers, artists, spectators. The exterior of the inside-out building is a work of art in itself. The view back toward the Marais is excellent.
The museum charges €15 but the piazza and the view from it cost nothing.
Les Invalides Courtyard
The magnificent courtyard of the Hôtel des Invalides is free to enter. Napoleon's tomb is inside (paid), but the courtyard and the exterior of the Dôme des Invalides are accessible without a ticket.
The military museum is included in the same ticket if you do decide to pay.
Musée Carnavalet
The history of Paris told through two Renaissance mansions in the Marais. Free since 2021 — one of the best value changes in Paris museum policy. Marcel Proust's bedroom has been reconstructed here.
Allow 2 hours. The collection covers Paris from pre-Roman times to the present day.
Bois de Vincennes
The eastern equivalent of Bois de Boulogne — 995 hectares of woods, lakes and cycling paths. Free to enter, easily reached by Metro line 1. The Château de Vincennes inside is a proper medieval fortress.
Rent a rowing boat on Lac Daumesnil — €14 per hour, one of Paris's best cheap pleasures.
Place des Vosges
The oldest planned square in Paris (1612), in the heart of the Marais. The red brick arcades, the central garden, the fountains — all free. Victor Hugo's house on the corner is a free museum.
The arcades have gallery-cafés. Sit under them with a coffee and watch the square.
Rue Mouffetard Market
Saturday and Sunday mornings, this ancient market street in the 5th arrondissement fills with fresh produce, cheese, bread and charcuterie. Free to wander; budget €10–20 for provisions.
Go before 11am before it gets crowded. End at Place de la Contrescarpe for a coffee.
Pont Alexandre III
Paris's most ornate bridge, built for the 1900 World's Fair. Gold statues, elaborate lampposts, sweeping river views toward Les Invalides. Walking across it is free and it photographs beautifully.
The view from the bridge toward the Eiffel Tower at dusk is one of the best in Paris.
Seine Riverside Walk (Voie Georges Pompidou)
The right bank of the Seine between Pont de l'Alma and Pont de Sully is now a permanent pedestrian riverside park. Running, cycling, cafés, pop-up events — and the river running alongside.
Walk the full stretch on a Sunday morning. The city is quieter and the light is extraordinary.
Ready to book Paris?
Once you've ticked off the free stuff, the paid attractions are absolutely worth it. We've found the best prices for Eiffel Tower tickets, Louvre skip-the-queue entry and Versailles.