Free things to do in Paris

Free sights

• 

  Notre-Dame de Paris · Islands & Latin Quarter · Mon–Fri 07:50–19:00, Sat–Sun 08:15–19:30; towers by online booking only
  The restored Gothic cathedral, reopened in 2024; free entry, book a time slot online.

• 

  Jardin des Tuileries · Louvre & Opéra · Daily 07:30–19:30 in winter time (07:00–21:00 until late October); hours change with the season
  Formal garden between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde, with ponds, statues and chairs.

• 

  Place de la Concorde · Louvre & Opéra · Always open
  Paris’s largest square, with the Luxor obelisk, two fountains and a view up the Champs-Élysées.

• 

  Galeries Lafayette Haussmann · Louvre & Opéra · Mon–Sat 10:00–19:30, Sun 11:00–19:30 (free rooftop terrace)
  Belle Époque department store with a stained-glass dome and a free rooftop terrace.

• 

  Saint-Germain-des-Prés · Saint-Germain · Daily about 08:00–19:45
  Paris’s oldest church and the heart of the literary café quarter, with Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots.

• 

  Jardin du Luxembourg · Saint-Germain · Daily from about 08:00 until sunset (closing 16:30–21:30 depending on season)
  Parisians’ favourite garden: Medici fountain, green chairs, pond with toy sailboats and the Senate palace.

• 

  Place des Vosges · Le Marais · Daily in daylight (garden closes at dusk, about 19:30 in autumn)
  Paris’s oldest planned square: red-brick arcades around a quiet garden, once home to Victor Hugo.

• 

  Musée Carnavalet · Le Marais · Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00 (last entry 17:15); closed Monday
  The history of Paris from prehistory to today, in two Renaissance mansions in the Marais.

• 

  Trocadéro · Eiffel Tower · Always open
  Terrace and gardens facing the Eiffel Tower, the classic photo spot, with the Palais de Chaillot.

• 

  Avenue des Champs-Élysées · Champs-Élysées · Always open (shops about 10:00–20:00, many open Sunday)
  The 2 km tree-lined avenue from the Arc de Triomphe down to Place de la Concorde.

• 

  Sacré-Cœur · Montmartre · Basilica daily 06:30–22:30; dome daily 09:30–17:00 (Oct–Apr)
  The white basilica on the hill of Montmartre, with the best free view over Paris from its steps.

• 

  Place du Tertre · Montmartre · Always open (artists work about 10:00–19:00)
  Montmartre’s small village square, full of portrait painters and café terraces.

• 

  Petit Palais · Champs-Élysées · Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00; permanent collection free
  Fine-arts museum of the City of Paris in a Belle Époque palace with a lovely garden café.

• 

  Covered passages (Panoramas, Vivienne) · Louvre & Opéra · Passage des Panoramas daily 06:00–24:00; Galerie Vivienne daily 08:30–20:00
  Glass-roofed 19th-century arcades with antique shops, old bookshops, tea rooms and mosaic floors.

• 

  Rue Montorgueil · Louvre & Opéra · Street always open; shops mostly until 19:00, many closed on Monday
  Pedestrian market street lined with cheesemongers, bakeries, oyster stalls and terraces, near Les Halles.

• 

  Marché des Enfants Rouges · Le Marais · Tue–Wed 08:30–20:30; Thu 08:30–21:30; Fri–Sat 08:30–20:30; Sun 08:30–17:00 (closed Mon)
  Paris's oldest covered food market (1628): fresh produce plus Moroccan, Japanese, Italian and French lunch stalls.

• 

  Père Lachaise Cemetery · Le Marais · 16 Mar–5 Nov Mon–Fri 08:00–18:00, Sat 08:30–18:00, Sun 09:00–18:00; from 6 Nov until 17:30
  Leafy hillside cemetery with the graves of Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Édith Piaf and Chopin.

• 

  Île Saint-Louis · Islands & Latin Quarter · Always accessible; shops mostly Tue–Sun
  Quiet 17th-century island with stone quays, a village feel and the famous Berthillon ice cream.

• 

  Canal Saint-Martin · Le Marais · Always accessible
  Tree-lined canal with iron footbridges, locks and cafés: a local-feeling stroll from République to Jaurès.

• 

  Pont Alexandre III · Champs-Élysées · Always accessible
  Paris's most ornate bridge: gilded statues, lamps and Seine views towards Invalides and the Eiffel Tower.

• 

  Palais-Royal Gardens · Louvre & Opéra · Daily, about 07:30–20:30 (seasonal)
  Calm arcaded garden behind the Louvre with Buren's striped columns, boutiques and old cafés.

Markets to browse

Free to wander around; see the full guide for days and times.

• Marché d'Aligre
• Marché Bastille (boulevard Richard-Lenoir)
• Marché des Enfants Rouges
• Marché biologique Raspail
• Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen
• Les Bouquinistes (riverside book stalls)
• Marché aux Fleurs Reine Elizabeth II (flower market)

All markets, days and times →

More ways to save

Sundays and Mondays

• Many shops and small restaurants close on Sunday outside the tourist areas
• Tourist zones (Marais, Champs-Élysées, Haussmann department stores, Montmartre) stay open on Sunday
• A lot of bakeries, markets and small food shops close on Monday
• On public holidays (1 May, 14 July, 15 August, 1 November …) expect closures and extra crowds