- Paris
- /
- free
- (20)
-
France
The Velib 'free' bicycle system in Paris is really a great idea. I went for a five day extended weekend with my partner and checked my credit card statement the next month to discover to my delight that I had been all over the city; to the Eiffel Tower, along the Champs Elysees, a scary whirl around Place de la Concorde at rush hour (not recommended for the faint-hearted!) and all over the Grand Boulevards and along the Seine and had spent a massive total of six euros.
The system is user friendly and self-explanatory, you can do it in a range of languages. You tap in your credit card details for a small flat hire rate (no more than five euros, as far as I recall), then hoik the rather clumsy, heavy bikes out of their stand. The bikes are a little uncomfortable and it's important to examine which number bike you'll take before you select at the controls, because some have flat tyres, wonky seats that won't budge, or rattling chains. The bikes have - ostensibly - three gears. These are 'slow', 'slower' and 'snail's cycle-rate' and it can get hairy attempting to belt across a junction will a line of irate Parisian drivers attempting to turn right and cut you up.
If you dock the bike back into another station before 30 mins are up, the ride is free. Interestingly, my partner's credit card statement showed one euro more expenditure so perhaps he had docked in a second or two after me.
However, it's an excellent way to see Paris and a lot of fun.
All over Central Paris
www.velib.paris.fr
The gardens which surround the Musée du quai Branly in Paris are free to enter. They are beautifully designed with lots of nooks and terraces. They even host parts of museum exhibitions such as the current TARZAN! exhibition which has sound effects hidden in the garden - great for kids. You can also view the Eiffel Tower whilst sat eating a lovely chocolate cake in the museum cafe also in the gardens.
musée du quai Branly
37, quai Branly
75007 – Paris
tuesday, wednesday and sunday : 11am . 7pm
thursday, friday, saturday : 11am . 9pm
- metro : Iéna (line 9), Alma-Marceau (line 9), Pont de l’Alma (RER C), Bir Hakeim (line 6).
- bus : line 42 Eiffel Tower stop; lines 63, 80, 92: Bosquet-Rapp stop; line 72 Musée d’art moderne – Palais de Tokyo stop
- river shuttle : Eiffel Tower stop (Batobus, Bateaux parisiens et Vedettes de Paris
The Christmas window display in Galeries Lafayette is a must for all ages, but especially if you are travelling with children. The clever French even provide a little wooden platform with steps for the children to stand on. This year it is a pink Alice in Wonderland theme. While you are there don't forget the souvenir shop on the 6th floor which is surprisingly good value, and from there walk up the steps on to the roof to see all of Paris for free.
Galeries Lafayette, Boulevard Haussman, Paris 8
Go to Sacre Coeur for the best view of Paris. Take a walk up to it and you can visit the small shops and cafes on the way up. It is the highest point in Paris, also a visit to the church inside is absolutely beautiful. Bonus: no need to queue for hours to see Paris and it is free! You can also take your pets up as well.
Paris is perfect for those with kids, and especially the park at La Villette. On the Canal de l'Ourq there is the awesome dragon slide (almost two stories high), playgrounds designed for specific age groups, a submarine my five-year-old nephew wants to return to with his big brother and cat (!) (3€ each). Just by the park bikes can be hired that take the whole family along the traffic-free canalside to the forest of Sevran, where coffee and ice cream can be had in the old poudrerie, where Nobel of the Nobel prize worked - well worth a visit. And if it rains, back at La Villette there is always the Cite des Sciences - again with exhibits tailored to tots and to slightly older kids. Further afield, there's Paris Plage for sunbathing, sandcastles, misters, boules, rock-climbing (5 years old and upwards), the fountains and concerts at Parc Andre Citroen, the fireworks on July 14, or the swimming pool on a barge by the Francois Mitterand Bibliotheque, or the fantastic mini Paris Plage at Canal St Martin where another five-year-old loved her tot-sized pedalo and the tea dances and water fountains. Paris is perfect for families, especially in the summer, and since almost everything referred to above is free or cheap, it won't break the bank. Plus - no hours spent travelling to, or queueing at, airports.
Just get on Eurostar and you are within 15-20 minutes walk of most of the above.
The Galleries Lafayette is a stylish department store in Paris. By taking the escalator to the top floor and then walking up the single flight of stairs from the restaurant, you can walk out on to the roof terrace and get a splendid view over Paris.
The height is about the same as the first level of the Eiffel Tower - but you won't have to queue, you can stay as long as you like (so long as the shop is open!), and it's TOTALLY FREE!
Galeries Lafayette, 40 Boulevard Haussmann, Paris 75009
Nearest Metro: Chaussee d'Antin Lafayette
Who’d have thought that a graveyard could be so much fun. But one of the best free shows in Paris is to be had at the Père Lachaise cemetery. All the stars are here in this A-list of the deceased: from painters to poets, from Yves Montand to Marcel Marceau (who was interred here in 2007). It is yet to be seen whether admirers of the late mime artist will establish a tradition of holding a ‘two minutes noise’ at his graveside by way of tribute but a number of the cemetery’s more distinguished denizens already attract appropriate acts of homage from their disciples. Whether it be romantics of the Left placing their red roses on the grim Mur des Fédédés, where the heroic resistance of the Paris Commune came to its final bloody end; or the scarlet lipstick kisses, lovingly planted by gay pilgrims, that smother Epstein’s monument to Oscar Wilde. Whether it be the grungy little knots of Scandinavian teenagers, self-consciously puffing at their spliffs around the tomb of rock legend Jim Morrison; or the fans, of all ages, who make for the mighty marble slab that marks the last resting place of Edith Piaf – the Little Sparrow. I once threatened the French All-Comers record for the high jump when, standing at this spot in quiet contemplation, I was startled by a young woman behind me bursting into a full-throated rendition of ‘Je ne regrette rien’. At Marcel Proust’s grave it is customary to leave an apt votive offering: having no madeleine to hand I left a Jaffa Cake.
But a personal favourite is a memorial to a now, largely forgotten figure. Félix Faure was President of the Republic in the 1890s. Of course politicians back then suffered much less scrutiny of their private lives and Faure was very much a man of his time. Indeed he could be seen as an embodiment of fin de siècle hedonism making the most of what Paris had to offer the wealthy and the powerful (think can-can, think Toulouse-Lautrec).
But a dark shadow was cast over the latter days of his presidency by the bitterly divisive Dreyfus Affair. In an effort, perhaps, to take his mind off matters of state at this tense time Faure was wont to ‘entertain’ young women in the presidential chambers. Tragedy struck when, in the midst of one of these amorous encounters, the statesman’s heart, weakened by years of self-indulgence, gave way. Officials were alerted by the horrified screams of his companion and rushed in to find the stricken President stark naked on the carpet, the suddenness of his demise reflected in the rictus grin that illuminated his features and in – well – certain other physiological phenomena.
It was, so they say, three weeks before they could nail the coffin lid down.
In May, they hold Nuit des Musées - where the museums are open late into the evening and are free. So whilst everyone is eating you can go and see your favourites and with the entrance fees you have saved have a delicious meal.
If you are under 26, you can visit the Louvre for free on Friday evenings. In an expensive city, this is more than just helpful euro-pinching.
You can arrive as the setting sun catches the top of the glass pyramid (making for the perfect ‘I heart Paris’ portrait) then dash to all the best bits while everyone is making their way out.
As you stand tête-à-tête with the Mona Lisa, you might finally realise what all the fuss is about.
A good place to ferret into the history of Paris is at the Bibliothèque historique de la Ville de Paris, set in the heart of the Marais in the stately Hôtel de Lamoignon. A quiet spot to sample the delights of the library of Apollinaire and the papers of Cocteau - and free.
When in Paris pick up a copy of Les Yeux et les Oreilles, a small free pocket guide to entertainment in Paris. Lists most events including free ones, it's what the Parisians use. Ask for it in any bar in Bastille, region of rue de lappe.
The Buttes Chaumont park is slightly different to other parks in Paris, in that it was built on a former quarry and, as such, has some interesting hilly views across Paris, alongside an artificial cave complete with stalactites and waterfall.
It is bigger, quieter and in my opinion the most beautiful park you will find in Paris. Parisians will actually leave central Paris to go to this park in summer- that's saying something!
You cannot help but be impressed by its scale. It has the 'grand canal', fountains, a chateau and huge expanses of immaculately kept lawns. But what is also nice is that you can take smaller plane tree lined paths that guide you through a series of more secluded areas. Both elements work seamlessly together.
Undoubtedly the best place to have a picnic in summer!
Parc de seaux is approx. 15/20 minutes from zone 1 on RER line B
nearest RER stations: parc du seaux & la croix de berny
www.ratp.com
Now there is a guide that lets you quickly spot on a map the location of the nearest sanisette (free public toilet). So you don't need, to rush in a cafe and spend your money!
Fantastic views over Paris from the roof. Take the lift to the 6th floor and stairs up to the roof. The cafe on the 6th floor is very good value too.
Galeries Lafayette
l40 Boulevard Haussmann
A stunning modern building with Arab influences. Built in two sections, the roof garden can be accessed by a high-speed glass lift and metal walkway on the ninth floor. Not for the faint hearted but the views are fantastic and it's free. There is a cafe/restaurant at the top, but I didn't feel up to it after using the lift and seeing the prices.
1, rue des Fossés Saint-Bernard
Place Mohammed-V
75236
This walk crosses the east of Paris from the Bastille to the Bois de Vincennes. You are transported to a space in total contradiction to the urbanity surrounding you. This walk provides a breath of fresh air, but unlike a park, this is a narrow-ish walk-way surrounded by trees and plants that takes you up on viaducts and above buildings (only one storey up) and sometimes in tunnels, for a distance of 4.5 km.
In addition to providing you with some greenery, it allows you to journey among the trees, instead of among cars (as there are numerous access points along the way), and to see houses and apartment blocks in a way that is impossible from street level.
From the Avenue Daumesnil to the Bois de Vincennes (access by staircases and lifts along the way)
Métro : Bastille (Lignes 1,5, and 8)
The famous cemetery where many artists rest is worth the visit, and not just for the mandatory pilgrimage to Jim Morrison's grave. The bloated monuments, the peaceful atmosphere and the shade of the trees will appeal to art lovers as well as romantic souls in search of a serene place in the middle of busy Paris.
Nearests stations: Père-Lachaise, Gambetta, Philippe-Auguste www.pere-lachaise.com/ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A8re_Lachaise
The Eiffel Tower might be the iconic choice, but my favourite view of Paris is from here. Take a leisurely stroll through the shops of the young designers in Abbesses and up through touristy (but still enchanting) Montmartre, and there it is - the whole of Paris laid out beneath you in quite the most spectacular fashion.
The closest metro stations are Anvers, Abbesses, Château-Rouge and Lamarck-Caulaincourt, but I always think half the fun is walking there.
This stretch along the Seine may not be to everyone's taste but I love visiting the petshops, which stock everything from (remarkably expensive) cats and dogs to geese, squirrels, toucans and ferrets.
Quai de la Megisserie (between Samaritaine department store and Chatelet on the Right Bank)
Is this your business?Search Been there
