The 11 free activities and visits to Paris

Visit the French capital without ruining? It is possible with our selection of free activities and visits to Paris!

You always thought Paris wasn't playing with free? Know that this is not quite true... Like all capitals, Paris has its lot of attractions and paid tourist or artistic sites, but it is also possible to enjoy the City of Light, its culture and its heritage without paying a penny. Yes, you read well, "without paying a penny"!

You live or visit the capital and you ask that to go out or discover it with a small budget? Just find here our list of 11 free activities and visits to Paris, concocted only for you!

1. Free museums

Paris would not be Paris without all its museums. The capital has over 1200 museums and art galleries, on all subjects, and the permanent collections of some of them are part of the free visits to Paris. And yes, no matter your age, status or season! Among them are:

• The Museum of Modern Art
• The Balzac Museum
• Le Petit Palais, Museum of Fine Arts of the City of Paris
• La Maison de Victor Hugo
• The Museum of Romantic Life
• The National Museum of Air and Space
• La Gaîté Lyrique
• The Shoah Memorial

In addition to the museums that open their doors for free on the first Sunday of each month, such as:

• The National Museum of Modern Art, Centre Pompidou
• The Museum of Arts and Crafts
• Eugène Delacroix National Museum
• The City of Architecture and Heritage
• The Orsay Museum
• The National Museum of Orangery
• National Picasso Museum

Many other museums offer a free entrance on the first Sunday of each month, except summer!

Good to know: if you are lucky to be in Paris on the first Saturday of a month, enjoy it for visit the Louvre Museum which is free from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

2. Free monuments

We continue our list of free visits to make Paris with these two essential monuments:

• Basilica of the Sacred Heart : this superb building located on the top of the Montmartre hill was built between the late nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century. It is to date the second most visited Parisian religious monument after Notre-Dame de Paris.
• - The Cathedral of Notre-Dame: this historic and emblematic religious monument in the city of Paris dominates the island of Cité since the 14th century. (Due to the fire on April 15, 2019, Notre-Dame is currently closed for an indefinite period.)

3. The cemetery of Father Lachaise

With its 44 hectares, Father Lachaise is the largest cemetery in Paris. Why visit him? For it houses the tombs of politicians, artists, literary artists and famous scientists who have marked their time as Honoré de Balzac, Simone Signoret, Jim Morrison, Frédéric Chopin, Jean de La Fontaine, Alain Bashung, Molière, Edith Piaf or Oscar Wilde, for example.

Do not hesitate to check the interactive map of the cemetery on the official website to find you in its very beautiful green avenues!

4. The docks and banks of the Seine

Are you wondering what to do in Paris for free? Take the time to walk on the pedestrian banks, some of which have been arranged, along the Seine and its canals (canal Saint-Martin, canal de l’Ourcq...) that cross the capital! These walks may allow you to attend a free dance or dance class, to play at the petanque, basketball or ping-pong on the tables and grounds made available by the city, or to access beautiful views of the city and some of its most beautiful monuments.

5. A film course

Did you know that you can attend a free cinema course at the Images Forum? Every Friday evening (except summer), a cinema teacher, a historian or a critic offers a course accessible to everyone on a film or a defined theme. To participate, a reservation in advance is highly recommended! Visit the website of the Images Forum to find out the program.

6. The beautiful neighborhoods

Paris is often considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and rightly so. So enjoy it! You can walk in the lively areas of the Marais and Montmartre, climb the Champs Elysées, before taking a break at the Trocadéro in front of the Eiffel Tower, or on the Belvédère de Belleville from where you will have a panoramic view of the whole city, for example.

Otherwise, you can also register on the Greeters website for free to discover more unusual Parisian neighbourhoods with a resident and volunteer guide!

7. A roller hike

What if you were taking part in a roller hike to meet people and discover the capital while doing sports?! The roller hike is organized every Friday night and welcomes free tou·te·s skaters·s non-beginners. Indeed, by security measure, it is advisable to be comfortable on rollers and to be able to brake to join the procession. The departure is scheduled at 9:30 pm on Place Raoul Dautry in the 14th arrondissement of Paris.

8. Green spaces

Folding in the most beautiful parks is one of the best free activities to do in Paris. The sun's tipping his nose? Choose your preferred green space to enjoy:

• Parc des Buttes Chaumont
• Parc Monceau
• Jardin des Tuileries
• Parc André-Citroën
• Champ de Mars
• Plant garden
• Jardin du Luxembourg
• Bois de Vincennes
• Bagatelle Park
• Royal Palace Garden
• Parc Montsouris

9. La Ferme de Paris

Are you travelling with family and wondering what to do for free in Paris with children? Take a walk to the Ferme de Paris, located in the woods of Vincennes! This 5-hectare farm allows you to discover the traditional cultures and livestock of Île-de-France, but also eco-grazing, urban agriculture and permaculture. The smaller ones can meet, among other things, geese, ducks, rabbits, pigs or goats.

10. A cooking class

Wake up the blue cord that sleeps in you and participate in one of the free cooking classes offered by the Amateur Cooking Federation! This association created in 2007 aims to promote the cuisine as a leisure with the largest number of people and offers free cooking classes and tastings on the Paris markets. You can see the next dates on their website. Here's a free activity to add your list!

11. Nightlife

And yes, it is possible to attend a concert or dance until the end of the night in Paris with a small budget! Whether you prefer a friendly, tropical, timed or trendy atmosphere, here is a list of some of the Parisian clubs and bars-concerts whose entrance is free:

• Chez Moune
• To the Folie
• 4 elements
• Favela Chic
• California Avenue
• L’Alimentation Générale (except special evenings)
• The International
• The Wanderlust