Free Things to Do in Paris

The Louvre isn't free, but a first Sunday in Paris comes surprisingly close. Here's what actually costs nothing.

Free museum days

From November through March, the first Sunday of each month waives admission to the permanent collections at the Louvre, Musée d'Orsay, Centre Pompidou, Musée Rodin, Musée Picasso, Musée de l'Orangerie, and Musée du Quai Branly. On July 14th (Bastille Day), every national museum is free with no booking required.

Free every day of the year

Skip the calendar-watching entirely: 11 Paris municipal museums are free year-round for their permanent collections, including Musée Carnavalet (the city's own history museum), Petit Palais, Musée de la Vie Romantique, and the Musée d'Art moderne de la Ville de Paris. These get a fraction of the Louvre's crowds and cost nothing on any day of the week.

Parks and walking

• Jardin du Luxembourg — the classic Left Bank garden, free to enter, good for people-watching and a quiet read.
• Tuileries Garden — runs between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde; free and unmissable if you're already walking that stretch.
• Free walking tours — several outfits run tip-based walking tours through the historic districts; you pay what you think it was worth at the end, not before.

Practical notes

Free-Sunday crowds are real — arrive at opening if you want to actually see the art rather than the backs of other visitors' heads. Outside the free days, the municipal museums above are the better bet: free, uncrowded, every day.