Paris has a reputation for being expensive, and it gives away more than almost any European capital — the municipal museums are free and the city itself is the attraction.
Free museums, permanently
Musée Carnavalet — the history of Paris, in two Marais mansions, and genuinely good.
The Petit Palais — a fine collection in a Beaux-Arts building opposite the Grand Palais.
Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris, with Matisse's La Danse.
Maison de Balzac, Musée de la Vie Romantique, Musée Bourdelle.
All permanent collections free, year round, and almost none appear on standard itineraries.
Free on schedule
Several national museums are free on the first Sunday of the month, though the scheme has narrowed and applies differently by museum and season. Check current policy against your dates.
Under-18s of any nationality enter national museums free.
EU residents under 26 enter national museum permanent collections free with ID — including the Louvre and Orsay.
The eating rules
Lunch, not dinner. The formule midi — two courses at a fixed price — costs roughly half the evening equivalent from the same kitchen.
Coffee standing at the bar. French cafés post three prices by law: comptoir at the counter, salle at a table, terrasse outside. Standing is €1.20–2 where a terrace seat is €4–6 for the identical coffee.
Bakeries and markets. A baguette sandwich, cheese and fruit from a market is a €7 lunch, eaten in a park.
Eat away from the sights — the 11th, Canal Saint-Martin, Belleville and the Marais side streets.
Free Paris
Père Lachaise — 44 hectares of tombs and trees, free, holding Wilde, Morrison, Chopin and Piaf. Take a map at the entrance.
Sacré-Cœur's interior, and Montmartre's streets.
The covered passages — glass-roofed nineteenth-century arcades, mostly in the 2nd and 9th.
The parks — Luxembourg, Buttes-Chaumont, Monceau, Tuileries.
Notre-Dame's exterior, the Louvre courtyard at night, the Seine quays.
The Rodin Museum garden ticket, which costs a fraction of full admission and includes the Thinker, the Gates of Hell and the Burghers of Calais, all outdoors.
What is worth paying for
The Musée d'Orsay — the Impressionists, in a converted railway station, and the museum most people prefer to the Louvre.
Sainte-Chapelle — walls of thirteenth-century glass. Go on a bright day, early.
The Arc de Triomphe rooftop, which has the best view because it contains the Eiffel Tower.
Where to skip the money
Going up the Eiffel Tower. See it from the Trocadéro at dusk, free, which is where the photograph is anyway.
The museum pass on a 48-hour trip — the break-even is three to four major sites and one full day rarely reaches it.
Seine dinner cruises. The Batobus or an ordinary boat gives the same view for a fraction.
Practical
The Louvre requires a timed reservation even when entry is free for you.
A carnet of metro tickets or a Navigo pass beats singles.
Winter cuts accommodation costs substantially and empties the museums.