Paris: Free Summer Events and Activities
Paris has a reputation as being a particularly expensive place to visit. You’ll find plenty of shops, cafes and boutiques that are more than happy to take those few Euros you got for your dollars. But there are plenty of places in Paris where the entertainment is trés fantastique and the admission is anything but trés cher.
• Thru August 19: If you can’t go to the beach the Paris Plage will bring the beach to you. Three thousand tons of sand is deposited along the banks of the Seine, along with an array of beach chairs, picnic tables, beach volleyball courts, live music and even a lending library.
• Thru August 26: Open-air cinema in the Parc de la Villette. This is one of the first venues in Paris to show the stars…under the stars. This season’s offering of 36 films shown in their original language version includes My Fair Lady, Million Dollar Baby and Volver. Bring your own blanket or chair, or rent a folding seat for €6.50.
• September 15–16: Journée du Patrimoine welcomes visitors into buildings and monuments that are normally closed to the public. The residences of the president and prime minister and also open to the public.
• There are a variety of museums that allow visitors in free of charge. The Musée Carnavalet houses an outstanding collection of Parisian artifacts. ...The Centre Georges Pompidou has free exhibits on the ground floor and in the basement. ...Enter the writerly world of two famed authors: the Maison de Victor Hugo and the Maison de Balzac. Most national museums and monuments allow children under 17 in free of charge. And the first Sunday of every month, nearly every museum in Paris is free to all, including the Louvre. Expect to wait in line as a free day at the museum is enough to entice Parisians to popular tourist sites.
• Talk a walk through a Parisian “village” in the quaint neighborhood of Butte aux Cailles in the 13th arrondisement. Though walking through the heart of an international city, you’ll feel as if you’re out in the country as you stroll the cobblestone streets past charming houses and local restaurants.
© Cheapflights Ltd Laura Winger