Free Things to Do in Paris: What Is Still Free in 2026
Last updated: October 2026
Intro
Notre-Dame, Sacré-Cœur, the permanent collections of several city-run museums and every big park cost nothing in 2026. The Louvre is free only on the first Friday evening of the month, the Centre Pompidou is shut until 2030, and the Eiffel Tower, the Sainte-Chapelle and the Arc de Triomphe all charge. Older lists often miss those changes. Here is what really costs nothing, checked in October 2026.
Ciceru's free self-guided walk starts at Notre-Dame and runs 3 km in about 2 hours, with a story and a quiz question at each of its 9 stops and a free 500 MB global eSIM. It is in the Ciceru app.
⚡ Quick answer
- Best free sight: Notre-Dame, open freely, with an optional free online time slot
- Best free museums: Petit Palais, Carnavalet and the Musée d'Art Moderne, all free for their permanent collections, all closed Mondays
- Louvre: free only after 18:00 on the first Friday of the month (not July or August), for under-18s, and for under-26s from the EEA
- Biggest catch: the Centre Pompidou has been closed since 22 September 2025, with reopening planned for 2030
🚫 What is not free or not open
Centre Pompidou. 📍 Beaubourg. Closed to the public since 22 September 2025, reopening planned for 2030. Do not plan a free evening there.
Louvre. 💶 €22 for EEA residents and €32 for everyone else, the higher rate applying since 14 January 2026. Free entry is limited to the first Friday evening of the month, under-18s with ID and under-26s from the EEA with photo ID. It is closed on Tuesdays.
Sainte-Chapelle. 💶 €22 for non-EEA visitors, €16 for EEA residents, free for EU residents under 26. Entry is by timed slot, so book ahead on the official ticketing page.
Eiffel Tower. 💶 From €14.80 for the stairs to the second floor, €23.50 by lift, €36.70 to the summit. Arc de Triomphe. 💶 €16 from October to March, €22 from April to September, and its lift is out of order, so the terrace is stairs only.
Buttes-Chaumont. Free, but the island, the Temple de la Sibylle and both waterfalls are fenced off. More below.
⛪ Free churches and music
Notre-Dame 📍 Parvis Notre-Dame, Île de la Cité. The cathedral says it is "open to everyone, freely and for free". You can book a free time slot online a few hours or days ahead, which saves queueing, but it is optional. The towers are a separate ticket, €16, free for under-26s, booked on the towers' own site, and 424 steps. A €5 entrance fee was floated by the culture minister in 2024. The cathedral's own site still describes entry as free. Check the booking page for current opening hours.
Sacré-Cœur 📍 Montmartre 🕐 06:30 to 22:30 daily, per the basilica's own site. The basilica itself is free. The dome and the crypt are separate visits that cost extra, so check the price on the day.
Organ recitals at Saint-Eustache 📍 146 rue Rambuteau, near Les Halles. The Paris diocese listing has shown free recitals there, "entrée libre sans réservation". Check the listing for a date when you are in town.
🖼️ Museums that are always free
Paris Musées runs 14 city museums, and not every one is free. The four below each say on their own site that the permanent collection costs nothing and needs no booking. Temporary exhibitions are ticketed.
- Petit Palais 📍 Avenue Winston-Churchill, 8th 🕐 Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00, last entry to the permanent collection 17:15. Closed Mondays and on 1 January, 1 May, 14 July, 11 November and 25 December. Painting and sculpture, with a permanent collection that costs nothing. The "Visionnaires" show (20 October 2026 to 24 January 2027) is listed as free too.
- Musée Carnavalet 📍 23 rue de Sévigné, Marais 🕐 Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00. The history of Paris, free without a reservation. Closed 1 January, 1 May and 25 December.
- Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris 📍 11 avenue du Président-Wilson, 16th 🕐 Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00. The whole permanent collection is free, with no booking. Some galleries can be shut, so do not plan around one painting.
- Musée de la Vie romantique 📍 16 rue Chaptal, 9th 🕐 Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00. Free collections in a quiet house with a garden. The tea room in the greenhouse is the part that costs.
🗓️ Museums that are free on certain days
Louvre first Friday. 🕐 after 18:00, first Friday of the month, not July or August. The museum recommends booking a time slot even if you pay nothing. The rest of the year, the only free route in is as an under-18 or an EEA under-26.
Musée d'Orsay first Sunday. 🕐 first Sunday of the month. Free for all, but online booking is mandatory. It is closed on Mondays and open late on Thursdays.
🌳 Free outdoors
- Père-Lachaise 📍 16 rue du Repos, 20th 🕐 16 March to 5 November 2026: Monday to Friday 08:00 to 18:00, Saturday 08:30 to 18:00, Sunday 09:00 to 18:00. Free every day. Alcohol and picnics are banned, and visitors are cleared 15 minutes before closing. The tomb of Héloïse and Abélard is under restoration until August 2027.
- Parc des Buttes-Chaumont 📍 Place Armand-Carrel, 19th 🕐 07:00 to 20:00 in October. The city calls the repairs its largest renovation since the park was built. The island, the Temple de la Sibylle, both waterfalls and part of the path around the lake are closed because the ground is unstable. About 95% of the park stays open. Works from 5 October 2026 to 31 March 2027 may reroute the paths.
- Coulée verte René-Dumont 📍 from Bastille to rue Édouard-Lartet, 12th 🕐 weekdays 08:00 to 19:30, weekends 09:00 to 19:30. A 4.5 km elevated garden walk, free. Hours may shift with the season, so check the posted times at the entrance.
- Jardin du Luxembourg 📍 6th 🕐 opens and closes with sunrise and sunset, about 07:45 to 18:30 in October. Free entry.
🌉 Free by the river and above the roofs
The Seine banks and the Pont des Arts. 📍 quai des Tuileries to the Port de l'Arsenal on the right bank, plus 2.5 km on the left. The city has pedestrianised these riverbanks, with walkers given priority. The Pont des Arts is a pedestrian-only bridge between the Louvre and the Institut de France, free to cross. The Seine swimming sites (Bercy, Bras Marie, Grenelle) were free from 4 July to 30 August in 2026. They are shut now, so check paris.fr before you plan a swim in 2027.
Galeries Lafayette terrace. 📍 40 boulevard Haussmann, 8th floor 🕐 Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 20:00, Sunday and holidays 11:00 to 20:00. Free, no ticket, no booking. It can close in rain or strong wind. The bistro up there is where the money goes.
📅 Free days calendar
- Every day: Notre-Dame, Sacré-Cœur, Père-Lachaise, the parks, the Seine banks, the Pont des Arts and the Galeries Lafayette terrace
- Tuesday to Sunday: the permanent collections at Petit Palais, Carnavalet, Musée d'Art Moderne and Vie romantique
- First Friday, after 18:00: Louvre (not July or August)
- First Sunday: Orsay, with online booking
- Summer only: Seine swimming, early July to the end of August in 2026
💶 Worth paying for
If you pay for one thing, the Sainte-Chapelle (€22, or €16 for EEA residents) is a short walk from Notre-Dame. For prices side by side, see Paris on a budget.
❓ FAQ
Is Notre-Dame free to enter?
Yes. The cathedral says it is open to everyone, freely and for free. A free online time slot is optional and helps in busy months. Only the towers (€16) and other special visits are ticketed.
Is the Louvre free on the first Friday?
Yes, after 18:00 on the first Friday of the month, except in July and August. The museum recommends booking a time slot anyway. Under-18s and under-26s from the EEA can also get in free on any open day with photo ID.
Which Paris museums are free all the time?
The permanent collections at Petit Palais, Carnavalet, the Musée d'Art Moderne and the Musée de la Vie romantique, all city-run. Not every city museum is free, so check each one. The Centre Pompidou is closed until 2030.
✅ Before you go
Check each venue's own page the week you travel. The Louvre recommends a booked slot on its free evening, Orsay requires one on its free Sunday, and Buttes-Chaumont is partly fenced off. Mind the closing days: city museums and Orsay close on Mondays, the Louvre on Tuesdays. For the wider picture, start with Paris Explained, and for getting between these places, see Getting Around Paris. Ciceru's free walk from Notre-Dame, Paris self-guided walk, passes Notre-Dame, the Sainte-Chapelle, the Pont Neuf and the Louvre, with a story and a quiz question at each stop.
