{"id":112,"date":"2026-08-28T20:26:14","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T20:26:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/index.php\/free-things-to-do-in-paris\/"},"modified":"2026-08-28T20:26:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T20:26:14","slug":"free-things-to-do-in-paris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/free-things-to-do-in-paris\/","title":{"rendered":"Free Things to Do in Paris: 10 Plans That Cost Nothing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Knowing the <strong>free things to do in Paris<\/strong> is what separates an expensive trip from a perfectly affordable one. Paris has a reputation for being prohibitive and partly deserves it, but a great deal of what makes the city unique costs nothing. Here are ten free plans, plus the accommodation logic that changes the budget of the whole trip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_87 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">In this article<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/free-things-to-do-in-paris\/#The_10_free_plans_worth_doing\" >The 10 free plans worth doing<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/free-things-to-do-in-paris\/#The_part_that_is_not_free\" >The part that is not free<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/free-things-to-do-in-paris\/#How_to_solve_the_accommodation\" >How to solve the accommodation<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/free-things-to-do-in-paris\/#Which_districts_to_stay_in\" >Which districts to stay in<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/free-things-to-do-in-paris\/#Getting_around_without_overspending\" >Getting around without overspending<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/free-things-to-do-in-paris\/#Frequently_asked_questions\" >Frequently asked questions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/free-things-to-do-in-paris\/#The_complete_plan\" >The complete plan<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-10-free-plans-worth-doing\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_10_free_plans_worth_doing\"><\/span>The 10 free plans worth doing<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Notre-Dame and the Ile de la Cite.<\/strong> The cathedral and its surroundings, with the flower market two steps away.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sacre-Coeur and Montmartre.<\/strong> The basilica is free to enter and the view from the steps is among the best in the city.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pere-Lachaise.<\/strong> The most visited cemetery in the world, free and surprisingly peaceful.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Luxembourg Gardens.<\/strong> Green chairs, a pond and the best possible way to spend a Sunday afternoon.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Marais on foot.<\/strong> Place des Vosges, medieval streets and shop windows you need not enter.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The banks of the Seine.<\/strong> A World Heritage Site, walkable end to end.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Municipal museums.<\/strong> The permanent collections of the city&#8217;s own museums are free all year.<\/li>\n<li><strong>First Sunday of the month.<\/strong> Many national museums open free; check which on the official <a href=\"https:\/\/parisjetaime.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Paris tourism site<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Canal Saint-Martin.<\/strong> The locks, the iron footbridges and the least touristy district in central Paris.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Neighbourhood markets.<\/strong> Bastille on Sundays, Aligre daily. Entertainment and cheap food at once.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-part-that-is-not-free\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_part_that_is_not_free\"><\/span>The part that is not free<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here is the real problem. You can do all ten of the above without spending a euro and still come home feeling Paris cost you a fortune, because accommodation absorbs most of the budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A family room in a reasonably central area runs around a hundred and sixty euros a night. Five nights is eight hundred euros before you have done anything at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-to-solve-the-accommodation\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_solve_the_accommodation\"><\/span>How to solve the accommodation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paris is one of the cities with the greatest exchange supply in Europe, for a structural reason: a great many Parisians want to come to Britain, Spain and Italy, particularly in summer and at Easter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That makes a home in those countries genuinely valuable currency. And staying in a Parisian flat in a real neighbourhood, besides eliminating those eight hundred euros, solves the second largest expense of the trip: being able to have breakfast and dinner in, in a city where eating out is expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The timescales and logistics are in the guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/index.php\/international-home-exchange\/\">international home exchange<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"which-districts-to-stay-in\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Which_districts_to_stay_in\"><\/span>Which districts to stay in<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>11th and 12th:<\/strong> Bastille, Nation, Aligre. Real neighbourhood, good food prices, direct metro everywhere.<\/li>\n<li><strong>10th:<\/strong> Canal Saint-Martin and Republique, very well connected.<\/li>\n<li><strong>5th and 13th:<\/strong> the Latin Quarter and around, quiet and well placed.<\/li>\n<li><strong>18th and 19th:<\/strong> upper Montmartre and Buttes-Chaumont, more affordable and full of life.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"getting-around-without-overspending\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Getting_around_without_overspending\"><\/span>Getting around without overspending<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paris walks far better than the map suggests: it is fifteen minutes on foot from the Louvre to Notre-Dame. For everything else, multi journey carnets work out considerably cheaper than single tickets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And if you stay in a district with several metro lines, you halve your long journeys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"frequently-asked-questions\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Frequently_asked_questions\"><\/span>Frequently asked questions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What are the best free things to do in Paris with children?<\/strong> Luxembourg, Buttes-Chaumont, the banks of the Seine and the Jardin des Plantes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Are the national museums always free?<\/strong> No. The municipal ones are, for their permanent collections; the national ones only on certain days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How many days do we need?<\/strong> Four or five for the essentials without rushing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>When is the best time to go?<\/strong> May, June and September. July and August are hotter and more expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"the-complete-plan\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_complete_plan\"><\/span>The complete plan<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ten free plans plus accommodation at zero cost make Paris a perfectly affordable destination. To arrange the accommodation, start with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/index.php\/home-exchange\/\">complete home exchange guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ten free plans in Paris and the way to solve accommodation, which is where the budget really goes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":111,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-destinations"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=112"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homeforswap.com\/blog_eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}