12 Amazing Things To Do in Paris for Free

Contrary to expectations, you don’t need a vast budget to visit Paris. Whether you’re looking for cultural activities, family fun or strolls steeped in history, there are plenty of things to do in Paris for free.

Wandering through elegant 19th-century arcades. Admiring world-class street art. Paying tribute to legends in Père-Lachaise. The French capital is full of free cultural treasures, so here's how to soak up its beauty, history and atmosphere without stretching your budget.

Some of the city’s best museums are free to visit all year round. Among our favourite free museums in Paris are the Musée Carnavalet, which traces the entire backstory of the city; the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, with its 15,000 artworks by great names like Picasso, Matisse and Chagall; and the Musée de la Vie Romantique, with its pretty little garden – it’s set to reopen in February 2026 after extensive renovation.

You can also discover the eccentric collections at several of the city’s more niche museums without breaking the bank. These free museums in Paris include the Museum of the Prefecture of Police, with its grisly displays of weapons and a guillotine blade, and the fascinating Legion of Honour Museum in the neoclassical Hôtel de Salm, where colourful exhibits include Napoleonic memorabilia and portraits.

• Musée d’Orsay
• Musée Picasso Paris
• Musée de l’Orangerie
• Centre Pompidou
• Musée de Cluny – Musée National du Moyen Âge Paris
• Musée du Quai Branly
• Musée National Eugène-Delacroix

Whatever the weather, the banks of the Seine are a favourite promenading spot for Parisians – and one of the best things to do in Paris for free. No matter who you’re with, you’ll always find a spot along the riverside that works for you. Meet up with friends on the lively Quai de la Mégisserie or the steps in front of the François Mitterrand Library in the 13th arrondissement. If you’d like to salsa the night away for free, Quai Saint-Bernard is the place for you.

If romance is in the air, opt for intimate little Place Louis Aragon on the Île Saint-Louis, or fall for the Parisian cliché that is the Pont des Arts and take a selfie with Notre-Dame or the Louvre as background. When you’re visiting Paris with family, take the Parc Rives de Seine riverside promenade past the city’s famous monuments. There are playgrounds along the way, and in summer Paris Plages sees free beaches pop up along the riverside.

If you’re proud of the philodendron in your living room back home, wait until you see the plants in the soaring Beaux-Arts glasshouses at Auteuil, one of the city’s most peaceful botanic gardens. Another of the best things to do in Paris for free, a visit is a real treat for anyone needing a break from the bustling city streets, so have a wander among the begonias, ficus trees, ferns and giant palms from Asia or Latin America.

• 3 Avenue de la Porte d’Auteuil, 75016 Paris
• Opening times vary seasonally but roughly daily 9am–7pm

Make the most of your foray into the 16th arrondissement and detour to Molitor Hotel & Spa Paris MGallery Collection for a peek at its amazing street-art collection.

Another of the best things to do in Paris for free is to follow a self-guided tour of the open-air art exhibition that is the 13th arrondissement; here you’ll find more than 20 monumental murals by the world’s top street artists swathing the apartment buildings along Boulevard Vincent Auriol alone. If you’re a keen devotee of the genre, a 20-minute stroll will take you to Butte-aux-Cailles, where walls are liberally sprayed with political and satirical graffiti. Miss Tic, Shepard Fairey, Conor Harrington, Jace, Seth… all the big names in street art have left their mark here.

Several other Paris districts feature their own street-art displays, the Bassin de la Villette, Oberkampf and Ménilmontant among them. There’s also lots of vibrant urban art around the Centre Pompidou in Beaubourg – and of course, Banksy has his own permanent exhibition at the Musée Banksy - Paris, which does have an admission charge.

A visit to Père-Lachaise is undoubtedly one of the best things to do for free in Paris, for where else in the city brings together fans of jazz, film, literature or classical music? This sprawling cemetery is the final resting place of great stars of their day, including Frédéric Chopin, Eugène Delacroix, Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf and Jim Morrison. When it's not crowded with eager tourists, you can have an almost solitary stroll around the marble tombs, and it’s also one of the few remaining truly wild places in Paris – it’s quite common to see weasels, feral cats and even the occasional fox flitting through the undergrowth. To make sure you don’t miss any weird and wonderful stories about these famous graves, pick up a map of Père-Lachaise’s 70,000 burial plots at the entrance to the cemetery, or download one here.

• Main entrance is the Porte Principale, 21 Boulevard de Ménilmontant, 75020 Paris
• Open Mon–Fri 8am–6pm, Sat 8:30am–6pm, Sun 9am–6pm

If you’re looking for the best things to do in Paris for free when it’s raining, the city’s gorgeous 19th-century covered passages promise Belle Époque glamour and elegant boutique shopping. While they were once found throughout the city, many were destroyed during Baron Haussmann’s wholesale redesign of the city; today only 21 remain.

You’ll find the most beautiful of Paris’s covered passages in the 2nd arrondissement, including Galerie Vivienne, Passage des Panoramas, Passage Choiseul, Passage du Grand-Cerf or the luxurious Galerie Colbert. They all have a beguiling mix of upmarket delis and chic indie shops. Stamp collectors and antique hunters take note too – these hidden Parisian malls are full of period treasures!

A temple of cinema in all its forms – including video games, VR and kids’ cartoons – for film buffs, the Forum des Images is set among the shopping malls and gardens of Châtelet-les Halles. Film experts get together there every week to analyse and debate the merits of vintage films and current hits – if you feel like combining your leisure time with a bit of culture, then go along!

• 2 Rue du Cinéma, 75001 Paris
• Admission free for workshops and debates
• Open Tue–Sun. Times vary according to event

From late July to mid-August, you can put your new-found film knowledge to the test on the lawns of Parc de la Villette. The Open-Air Cinema has held free film screenings in the park for more than 30 years, showcasing all genres from niche indie movies to mainstream blockbusters. Enjoy cinematic offerings from around the world while comfortably seated in a deckchair (you can only hire them online). This event is best for adults, as the films are shown in their original language with subtitles – and what could make a more romantic evening in Paris than sharing a picnic in front of your favourite film? This is definitely one of the best things to do in Paris for free in summer!

When the weather is good, Paris’s parks and gardens really come into their own. When you’re looking for the best things to do in Paris for free, simply head for an outdoor space to bask in the sun, glimpse the capital’s iconic monuments and join in activities for young and old alike.

Sitting on the Champs de Mars, you have fantastic – and free – views of the Eiffel Tower. Catch brass bands playing free concerts in the Luxembourg Gardens, find the quietest spots in the Bois de Vincennes or Bois de Boulogne for a family picnic, or blend pleasure and learning by finding the statues of Guy de Maupassant and Alfred de Musset in gorgeous Parc Monceau. It doesn’t cost anything to watch the enormous hot-air balloon floating above Parc André-Citroën, or let your kids play in the swings and roundabouts in the Tuileries Gardens. For more days lounging on the grass, playing games with the family and devouring tasty picnics, Parc des Buttes-Chaumont in the 19th is the perfect al fresco escape for anyone staying at hotels outside central Paris.

Montmartre is one of the major sightseeing attractions in the north of Paris. Perched high on its hill, it beckons tourists from across the world to enjoy one of the most beautiful panoramas over the City of Light for free. The flights of steps and the balcony outside the gleaming-white Sacré-Cœur Basilica are popular spots for sublime views over Paris rooftops to the River Seine and beyond. For a truly unforgettable experience, visit at dawn or sunset.

And did you know that it’s also free to visit the basilica itself? Although it's one of the city’s most visited monuments, it’s also a revered place of pilgrimage, so while you’re admiring its impressive mosaics and jewel-coloured stained-glass windows, take time to appreciate the mystical and timeless atmosphere of the place.

• 35 Rue du Chevalier de la Barre, 75018 Paris
• Open daily 6:30am–10:30pm

Hidden gems only known to locals, the city’s treasured secret lanes add an air of adventure to your stay in Paris. The undisputed leader of the pack is Rue Crémieux in the 12th arrondissement, with its colourful houses attracting crowds around the clock. Opt for less-known and more intimate spots for family adventures or a romantic stroll – the following are five of our favourites:

• Rue Sainte-Marthe: colourful boho shops and cafés in the 10th arrondissement
• Quai de Valmy: elegant pastel- and fluorescent-hued shopfronts overlooking the Seine, also in the 10th
• La Cité du Figuier: cobbled passage swathed in fig trees, potted plants and flowers in the 11th arrondissement
• La Cour d’Alsace-Lorraine: brightly coloured artist’s studios in the 12th arrondissement
• Rue du Retrait: colourful street art and a multicoloured school in the 20th arrondissement

While generally you can only see the sumptuous interiors of Louis XIV’s extravagant palace if you buy a ticket, the sprawling parkland beyond the formal gardens is free to explore on foot or bike all year round. However, if you want to peek into the palace’s ostentatious corridors and explore the formal water gardens – perhaps the finest of all landscape architect André Le Nôtre’s achievements – with their fountains, statuary and exquisite layout, visit on the first Sunday of the month from November to March. On these days, you also have access to the Estate of Trianon with its two mini-palaces and orangery, and the Queen’s Hamlet, built for Marie-Antoinette and complete with thatched cottages and rustic barns.

Find more ideas for free activities during your stay in Paris with our guide to historic bridges crossing the River Seine, or explore more little-known Paris neighbourhoods. But first of all, you now know about lots of free things to do in Paris, so it’s time to get started on planning your accommodation in the City of Light.