Free activities to do in Paris

Want to explore Paris without breaking the bank? Don’t worry, it’s possible! Don’t postpone your stay in the capital because you’ve heard that life is expensive. There are simple ways to spend nothing on a day in the City of Light. Here are 12 of the best free things to do in Paris. This way, you will have fun while saving money. And you’ll keep some change for a well-deserved drink!

Walk in the Père-Lachaise cemetery

The Père-Lachaise cemetery is the largest in Paris. Located in eastern Paris, it covers 43 hectares. It is open every day from 8am to 6pm (5:30pm in winter). Admission is of course free. The setting of this place is exceptional and invites to meditation and reverie. You wander through a real little labyrinth of stones and vegetation. Many celebrities are buried there: singers and musicians such as Frédéric Chopin, Edith Piaf, Jim Morrison, Alain Bashung, writers such as Balzac, Molière, Colette, Oscar Wilde, as well as politicians and historians. This funeral garden is steeped in history and art. You can also admire the fauna between the graves: lots of birds, weasels, hedgehogs, and, if you are lucky, foxes at dusk…

Visit Paris by rollerblade

Nothing better to visit Paris than to walk around. Why not do it on rollerblades? If you are interested in the experience, Pari Roller organizes every Friday night from 9:30 pm a 2h30 tour in the streets of the capital. You can participate for free, the only thing you need is a means of transportation on wheels! If you can’t rollerblade, other means of transportation are accepted: bicycle, scooter, gyro or monoroue, skateboard or board. The key is to be comfortable on your machine, to know how to turn and especially to stop! The hike is supervised by law enforcement and volunteers. The route is different every week, and the departure is in front of the Montparnasse station. A very fun way to visit Paris at night with family or friends!

Open air street art gallery

If you’re a fan of street art, don’t miss the Spot 13 gallery, allée Paris-Ivry in the 13ᵉ arrondissement. In a derelict building site, Street Artists paint splendid frescoes on the concrete walls. This ephemeral open-air gallery is a real playground for urban artists. The paintings are constantly covered by new ones, the visit changes at each of your passages. It’s a real place of exchange and freedom, where you can meet the artists and see them perform live. And, of course, the Spot 13 gallery is open to the public.

Open air cinema every summer

Every summer, open-air film festivals take place in the capital. Another free activity to do in Paris that will make you spend a magical moment! Don’t hesitate to consult the program of each festival, as it changes every summer. In July and August, the lawn of the Parc de la Villette becomes the largest open-air cinema in Paris, from Wednesday to Sunday evening. TheParadiso Hotel-Cinema also offers free outdoor screenings on its roof every Sunday night in the summer. You sip your drink on the rooftop, under the trees, admiring the sunset before the session. Magical! With the Silhouette festival, the Chapeau Rouge butte in the 19ᵉ also becomes a movie theater, in late August-early September. The program includes concerts and short films, even for young audiences!

A free cruise for your birthday

Your birthday is a special day. To celebrate it with dignity, here is a very good free plan to do in Paris. Les Vedettes de Paris offers you a guided cruise on the Seine on your birthday! You just have to come to the reception the same day (until 6:30 pm). You will be able to enjoy a walk on the Seine and admire the most beautiful monuments of the capital. A glass of champagne is offered to you, or a “gourmet break” (for children from 4 years old, or if you don’t drink alcohol). You won’t forget this very nice gift!

A free exhibition

Almost all museums in the capital are free on the first Sunday of each month. Did you know that you can access the permanent collections of certain museums in the city of Paris for free? The Petit Palais, the Museum of Modern Art, the Bourdelle, Carnavalet, Zadkine, Cernuschi, Cognacq-Jay museums, Victor Hugo’s house and the Galliera Palace are all free for the public. Please note that their temporary exhibitions are still subject to a fee. Paris Musées OFF offers free tickets for temporary exhibitions on certain dates only. Follow their posts on Facebook with attention, the places are going like hotcakes!

Visit of the art galleries

If you are a fan of contemporary art, you can also check out what’s new in the big Parisian galleries. Just push the door of these art galleries, the entrance is free! A way to learn without paying a cent. The Emmanuel Perrotin and Thaddeus Ropac galleries, in the Marais, are the most famous. If you love photography, the Polka and VU’ galleries are a must.

Charming walks in Paris

And why not simply walk through the streets of Paris? This is a totally free activity to do in the capital. You can visit all the flowered passages of Paris, such as the Cité des Fleurs, in the 17ᵉ, the charming Cité du Figuier, in the 11ᵉ, with blue-fronted workshops, the Passage Molière, in the 3ᵉ, which houses the Maison de la Poésie… Go and stroll through the bucolic streets of the Campagne à Paris near the Porte de Bagnolet. Or you can take a tour of the city’s covered passages, and discover the Passage du Grand Cerf, the Galerie Vivienne or the Galerie Colbert, all dating from the early XIXᵉ century. The Brady Passage is commonly called Little India, because of the Indo-Pakistani, Mauritian and Reunionese businesses.

Eating for free in Paris

Yes, you read that right! It is quite possible to eat for free, or almost, in the capital! Because you will still need to order a drink! But, with your €4 beer, you can enjoy a free couscous every Friday at La Terrasse, rue Botzaris, in the 19ᵉ. At Bouillon belge, in the 20ᵉ, it is mussels and French fries that you will enjoy with a drink. On Thursday nights, you can find merguez-frites at Le Grenier in 11ᵉ. On Friday night, a whole buffet will be offered with your drink, at Culture rapide, in the 19ᵉ, on the occasion of their open stage, where singers and slammers pass by. For an appetizer, head to Kémia in the 12ᵉ for their appetizers, or L’Olive in the 18ᵉ to pick at a plate of fries with a glass of wine.

Free concerts in Paris

Once your stomach is full, you feel like listening to music? Here is another free attraction to do in Paris. The capital has many venues where you can listen to music without paying a cent: the 9b, the Trac, La Gare, the Mellotron, etc. You can find the program of free concerts on Lylo.

A free film course

Do you love movies? Every Friday at 6:30 pm, the Forum des images offers a free one-hour class with a historian, critic or film professor. You can register on the site to participate. You will have the privilege to attend the analysis of a film or a theme related to cinema.

A terrace with a panoramic view

While passing through the Opera district, come and enjoy a magnificent view of the roofs of Paris. To do this, head up to the 7ᵉ floor of the Printemps Femme store on Boulevard Haussmann. This free terrace is one of the must-sees during a visit to the capital. On site, you can order a drink, sit back and enjoy the panoramic view. This good plan, still very little known, is of course possible during the opening hours of the store, from Monday to Saturday from 10am to 8pm.

In order to take advantage of all these free things to do in Paris, connect to the free Wi-Fi hotspots, available all over the city.