Two women enjoy a walk along the banks of the Seine

Cheap things to do in Paris

By Ian Packham

Paris has a reputation for being très cher – very expensive. But, au contraire, it doesn’t have to be. There are a huge number of fun things to do which don’t cost the earth. If you’re heading to the City of Light on a budget – and even if you’re not – check out these cheap things to do in Paris. You won’t regret it!

Feel like a local

Image of Neighborhood, Road, Tarmac, City, Boy, Male, Person, Teen, Street, Urban, Car, Vehicle, Bicycle, Metropolis,

Budget travelers are likely to find themselves in the further reaches of the Paris suburbs, meaning potentially expensive taxi fares to the world-famous landmarks dotted on and around the River Seine.

However, as you might expect, there are a variety of cheaper alternatives. Not only that, but some can become attractions in themselves. A great addition to trips aboard a Hop-on Hop-off sightseeing bus are the city’s public buses. Route 89 takes in the sights of the Latin Quarter, including the Panthéon and Jardin du Luxembourg. The north-south route 69 incorporates the Bastille, Louvre, Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral.

When the sometimes-fickle Paris weather holds, one of the most charming ways to explore Paris is by bike. The bike-sharing stations of Vélib’ are located across greater Paris. A mix of pedal and hybrid electric cycles, they have rates starting at just €1 for 30 minutes use.

Whilst covering 41 square miles, the majority of Paris’s major landmarks are centrally located, making an afternoon stroll an excellent way to absorb the city’s atmosphere. So why not wander along a portion of the Seine, or follow the Champs-Élysées from the Arc de Triomphe towards the masterpieces of the Louvre?

Check out the markets

Image of Book, Publication, Adult, Male, Man, Person, Bag, Handbag, Child, Female, Girl, Shop,

You’re unlikely to discover a lost artwork by Monet or Degas among the stalls of Saint-Ouen flea market, located in the same neighborhood as the Sacre Coeur and Moulin Rouge. But even if you don’t, a bit of friendly-haggling with the stallholders can still get you a bargain. One of the largest flea markets in the world, stalls hold everything from vintage fashion to diamond bracelets.

There’s no better place to discover Parisians’ love of food and fine ingredients than the oldest covered market in Paris. Founded in 1628, the Marché des Enfants Rouges – or Market of Red Children, after the orphanage of the same name – is a great place to pick up some freshly-baked bread or a bunch of flowers. Should it get your stomach growling, there are also a good selection of cafés and restaurants, many of whom use produce direct from the market’s stalls.

Thursdays and Sundays sees another market appearing in the park to the north of Place de la Bastille. In addition to groceries, there’s also a good number of tempting objet d’art and other trinkets you’ll wonder how you ever lived without.

Discover the city’s green spaces

Image of Tree, Nature, Outdoors, Pond, Water, Scenery, Vegetation, Grass, Park,

No list of cheap things to do in Paris should be considered complete without mentioning the city’s array of parks and gardens. Among one of the best is the Jardin des Plantes botanic garden. Largely formal in style, there are few better places for a romantic walk, whilst the small zoo’s collection of animals is sure to enthrall the kids.

It’s easy to forget about the city beyond once inside Parc Monceau too. Created by the Duke of Chartres in 1778 as one of the world’s first public parks, it contrasts with the Jardin des Plantes because of its informal English landscaping style.

But for a park like few others, head to the Promenade Plantée, also known as the Coulée verte René-Dumont. Similar to New York’s High Line, but opened a full 15 years beforehand, this elevated park gave a long-abandoned railway viaduct a new lease of life as an urban oasis.

Take in the views

Image of Pants, City, Balcony, Face, Head, Person, Photography, Portrait, Urban, Cityscape, Blouse, Jeans, Adult, Female, Woman, Handrail, Coat,

In a city without the skyscrapers of New York or London, the Eiffel Tower has been the main vantage-point for citywide views since it was first erected in 1889. But for views of the Iron Lady herself you’ll need to turn your attention to the opposite end of the Champ de Mars and the Tour Montparnasse (Montparnasse Tower).

Although its observation tower is not the cheapest thing to do in Paris, the bar on the 56th story has equally beguiling vistas plus lively conversation for the cost of a drink.

Paris is also an excellent place to grab a street-side cup of coffee or plat du jour as you watch the world go by. If you’re keen to break through the frosty exterior some Parisians exude, many bars host a happy hour. Usually sometime between 5PM and 8 PM, just look for the advertising boards outside.

Grab a bargain

Image of Book, Publication, Shop, Female, Girl, Person, Teen, Bookstore,

It’s unlikely you’ll have such luck with the stores of Rue Faubourg du Saint-Honoré outside of January or July, but there are several ways to feel a million dollars without having to splash that sort of cash. For instance, top department store Galeries Lafayette hosts regular 30 minute fashion shows curated by some of the biggest names in the industry and complete with catwalk models.

Elsewhere, Shakespeare and Company has been supplying the English-speakers of Paris with reading material since 1951. As well as the new books you would expect, you’ll also find a treasure trove of secondhand tomes and also a free reading library. Would-be authors can even stay the night in exchange for helping out – it’s been estimated that more than 30,000 people have stayed since the store first opened its doors.

Seeing Paris on a budget

Just because you have a budget to stick to doesn’t mean you have to miss out on Paris’s big-ticket attractions. It’s possible to fully explore with Go City – allowing you to save on attraction admission and expensive overseas credit card charges without having to say goodbye to flexibility.

Together with our recommendations for cheap things to do in Paris, Go City can help create an unforgettable vacation. You can stay up to date with all the latest tips by connecting with @GoCity on Instagram and Facebook.

Continue reading

The Louvre Museum in Paris
Blog

Best Art Galleries in Paris

The birthplace of Impressionism, Paris is a veritable paradise for artists and art lovers. It’s a city that has inspired and produced a disproportionate number of household names over the centuries – think Matisse, Modigliani, Manet and Toulouse-Lautrec. It’s no surprise then that Paris is where you’ll find some of the world’s finest galleries and museums as well as, of course, arguably the most recognizable (and certainly the most visited) painting on the planet. Read on to be inspired by our selection of some of the best art galleries in Paris. The Big Hitters The Louvre Museum Of course, no visit to Paris would be complete without passing through the Louvre’s iconic glass pyramid and entering its multi-level labyrinth of galleries, corridors, stairways and escalators. With nearly 40,000 works of art on display at any given time, covering painting, sculpture, antiquities and much more, the Louvre is the world’s most-visited museum and contains many of its greatest and most famous artistic treasures. Come for the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo, stay for the ancient Great Sphinx of Tanis, French crown jewels and the decadent pastries and fancies served in the museum’s Café Richelieu Angelina, where the Mont Blanc – a grand confection of meringue, whipped cream and chocolate shavings – is something of a work of art in itself. Musée d’Orsay More compact, easier to navigate and significantly less crowded than the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay’s collection of 19th and 20th-century art packs a real punch. Here, in what used to be the Gare d’Orsay train station, you can view world-class pieces including Van Gogh’s mesmerizing Starry Night over the Rhône and Self Portrait, perhaps the greatest selfie of them all. French Impressionism and Post-Impressionism is particularly well represented here, with a great variety of Toulouse-Lautrec’s Moulin Rouge-inspired pieces and many Monet masterpieces, including one from his Water Lilies series. Don’t miss the original station clock, which hangs in the impressive main hall, and head to fifth-floor Café Campana by the Impressionist Gallery, where a giant clock-face window affords enchanting views across the Seine to the Louvre and Sacré-Cœur Basilica. Musée de Montmartre Montmartre’s cobbled streets, bohemian vibe and awe-inspiring views across Paris have attracted a great many artists over the years, among them – deep breath – Renoir, Manet, Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh, Picasso, Miró and Modigliani, many of whom are represented here at the Musée de Montmartre. Housed in one of the district’s oldest buildings, the Musée de Montmartre was once a mansion containing artists’ studios used by the likes of Renoir, Charles Camoin and Suzanne Valadon. The peaceful surrounding gardens are named in memory of Renoir, who painted several of his greatest masterpieces when he lived here in the 1870s, including the Bal du moulin de la Galette and Jardin de la rue Cortot, depicting this very garden. Top Paris Museums for Kids Centre Pompidou Paris has stacks of fab museums that children will love with many, including big hitters like the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay, offering free entry for under 18s. The huge Centre Pompidou has an entire floor dedicated to kids aged from 2-16, offering informative tours, exhibitions, hands-on workshops and bags of interactive fun. Better still, workshops for kids aged nine and over don’t require parental supervision, leaving you free to explore the center’s National Museum of Modern Art, which boasts a collection including Picasso, Pollock, Warhol and many more, that’s rivaled only by MoMA in NYC in terms of its variety, scope and quality. Musée du Quai Branly Kids will adore the Musée du Quai Branly’s quirky exterior: a towering green wall of foliage that looks like a giant garden flipped on its side. Inside, there’s much for bright young minds to discover among the vast collection of indigineous art from around the world. Highlights that are sure to entertain include dramatic ceremonial masks from India and Africa, Aboriginal tree-bark paintings, a brightly mosaiced Volkswagen Beetle from Mexico and a massive medieval Moai head from Easter Island. Kids here can also shrug off uncool parents and fly solo in fun arty workshops for ages 6-12. Single Artist Museums Musée Rodin Arguably France’s greatest ever sculptor, Auguste Rodin is celebrated here in a fine collection that also includes a few paintings by fellow Gallic luminaries such as Renoir and Monet. Indisputable star of the show here though is the sedate seven-acre sculpture garden, where many of Rodin’s best-loved creations – including The Thinker, Monument to the Burghers of Calais and The Gates of Hell – can be found scattered among perfectly sculpted box hedges and ornamental pools. Musée Picasso-Paris This collection of over 5,000 works by the father of Cubism is among the world’s finest. His offbeat and unsettling world is represented here by around 700 paintings and surreal sculptures, plus thousands of drawings, notebooks, photos, engravings and other ephemera. Explore the four stories of this delightful 17th-century palace to discover pieces including his Self-Portrait and La Celestina, painted during Picasso’s Blue Period, as well as later works from his Cubist phase and works depicting scenes from the Spanish Civil War from his harrowing war paintings series. Musée National Gustave Moreau Dedicated to the life and works of 19th-century Symbolist painter Gustave Moreau, this fascinating museum was the Moreau family home until the artist’s death in 1898. Among its many highlights are a quite extraordinary spiral staircase and some fairly out-there compositions featuring unicorns and other mythical creatures, hallucinatory visions, bizarre plants and more. Printed guides containing extensive and often rambling commentaries from the man himself are available to take around the museum with you, and you can even visit his old studio and top-floor apartment. Save on the best art galleries in Paris Save on admission to Paris attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram and Facebook for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak
Children looking at a map by the Eiffel Tower
Blog

Things to do in Paris With Kids

An efficient public transport system, a relatively compact center and oodles of parks, museums and family friendly hotels and restaurants make Paris a great choice for a city break with your little adventurers. We’ve put together a selection of our favorite things to do in Paris with kids, from climbing the Eiffel Tower to magic shows beneath the streets. Park life With over 400 green spaces, you’re never very far from a park in Paris. Many are close to major attractions like the Louvre and Eiffel Tower, providing ideal opportunities to break up your sightseeing itinerary with some ultra-kid-friendly activities. The Jardin du Luxembourg’s central location is far from being its only draw. Over 56 acres kids can enjoy pony rides, puppet shows and one of the city’s biggest playgrounds. The Grand Bassin lake in front of the Palais de Luxembourg is particularly charming. Here, kids can rent old-fashioned toy wooden sailing boats and push them out into the water. On Sundays, members of the Luxembourg Nautical Club add their eclectic selection of (silent) motor boats, sailing vessels and submarines to the mix. On the banks of the Seine, the Jardin des Plantes is home to the Ménagerie – one of the oldest zoos in the world. Its 600+ inhabitants include ferociously cute red pandas and endangered species such as snow leopards and giant Aldabra tortoises. Wander the wooded pathways to spot the animals in their log-cabin homes. If the Ménagerie’s critters are feeling particularly camera-shy during your visit, there's always the Grande Galerie de l’Evolution, a natural history museum on the edge of the park, where taxidermy beasts share space with giant dinosaur fossils, meteorites and thousands of plant species. Parc des Buttes-Chaumont is a little off the beaten track in the 19th arrondissement, but well worth the pilgrimage. Less crowded than the city center parks, it contains 60+ acres of hilly terrain and woodland that’s perfect for little explorers. Kids can feed the ducks in the pond, enjoy a picnic with superb city views, run the 63-meter length of the Eiffel-designed suspension bridge and discover the secret grotto with its magical (albeit artificial) waterfall. Natural highs Kids love to climb, right? Great news! Paris is full of opportunities for natural highs that will keep them entertained. Why take the lift all the way up the Eiffel Tower when there’s a perfectly good set of stairs that goes all the way up to the second floor? That’s 674 steps in total: a dream come true for energetic kids everywhere. Footsore parents will be relieved to learn there’s a glass elevator to shoot you the rest of the way up to the observation deck on level three. And a bar when you get there. The Arc de Triomphe is a little more forgiving, with a mere 284 steps to reach the summit. Up here, kids can get snap-happy with arguably some of the finest photo opportunities in Paris, including uninterrupted views down the broad Champs-Élysées boulevard to Place de la Concorde. There are also great views of the Eiffel Tower and the Sacré-Cœur basilica, balanced like a little fondant-icing decoration atop Montmartre. To reach the basilica, take the easy way up: Montmartre’s funicular railway takes you all the way to the top in just 90 seconds and your kids will love it! Once at the top, grab a well-earned chocolate crêpe and sit on the steps watching the street entertainers and admiring the views. Kids can also pick up a unique souvenir here: a caricature of themselves by a local portrait artist. Also recommended is a short tour of Montmartre’s atmospheric streets aboard the adorable petit train: kids love it and it’s an absolute godsend for foot-weary parents. Museums and shops Paris has a number of dedicated children’s museums. Musée de la Magie is a mesmerizing treasure trove of magic and illusion in the Marais district. It's set in the cellars of the Marquis de Sade’s former home, but don’t let that put you off! Kids will love the weird and wonderful exhibits and free magic show. Entry also includes access to the adjacent Musée des Automates, with its fascinating (and occasionally creepy) collection of around 250 antique automated puppets and toys. The Cité des Sciences (CSI) is Europe’s biggest science museum and counts a planetarium, an IMAX theater, and even a submarine among its many attractions. Here, kids from as young as four or five years old can get involved in fun interactive exhibits and play areas across six thematic zones. You could easily spend a day here and in the surrounding Parc de la Villette. This sprawling playground has dozens of sculptures and themed gardens to explore, as well as open-air cinema and live music in the summer months. The higgledy-piggledy high shelves and Harry Potter-esque interiors of iconic English-language bookstore Shakespeare and Company will appeal to little bookworms everywhere. A huge and eclectic selection of books for kids, teenagers and young adults means there’s something for everyone here. Continue the, ahem, educational theme with a trip to Le Bonbon au Palais, a classroom-themed candy store in the 5th arrondissement. Here, presented in apothecary-style jars, are tempting French candies in all shapes, sizes, colors and flavors. Children will be like, well, kids in a candy shop. It’s a guaranteed hit and may just provide the sugar boost everyone requires to get back to the hotel without a toddler-style meltdown. Save on things to do in Paris with kids Save on admission to Paris attractions with Go City. Check out @GoCity on Instagram and Facebook for the latest top tips and attraction info.
Stuart Bak

Have a 5% discount, on us!

Sign up to our newsletter and receive exclusive discounts, trip inspiration and attraction updates straight to your inbox.

Thick check Icon