Beyond Paris's free municipal museums, the city is full of activities that cost nothing: English-style parks, panoramic rooftops and places steeped in history, open to everyone with no ticket required. Here's a selection off the usual tourist trail, to mix and match depending on your mood.
The Galeries Lafayette rooftop
On the eighth floor of the historic department store on Boulevard Haussmann (9th arrondissement), a free panoramic terrace offers a 360-degree view over Paris, no ticket or booking needed, just walk in and take the lift. The Eiffel Tower, Sacré-Cœur, Notre-Dame and the Opéra Garnier reveal themselves from above, especially striking in the golden hour before sunset. On your way up, take a look at the store's famous Art Nouveau dome too, visible for free from the floors below.
Parc des Buttes-Chaumont
Laid out in 1867 on former open-pit quarries, this 19th-arrondissement park leans into the picturesque with artificial cliffs, a stalactite grotto and a lake wrapped around a central island. The suspension footbridge leading to it, engineered by Gustave Eiffel's workshops, opens onto the Temple de la Sibylle, one of the finest free viewpoints over the city.
Père-Lachaise Cemetery
Opened in 1804 and landscaped as an English-style garden, the largest cemetery in Paris (44 hectares) is also the most visited in the world, drawing more than 3.5 million visitors a year. You can wander freely to find the graves of Jim Morrison, Chopin, Oscar Wilde, Édith Piaf and Molière, along with the Mur des Fédérés and its striking Neo-Byzantine columbarium.
Tips
Another free, lesser-known habit: several major Paris churches hold free organ recitals open to all. At Saint-Sulpice (6th arrondissement), the organist plays every Sunday around noon on one of the largest organs ever built in France, with a screen showing the hand movements on the keys. Only a voluntary donation is suggested on your way out.
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