France · On a budget · 2 days · 12 stops
Paris on a budget: 2 days with free museums
The best of Paris often costs nothing: cathedrals, parks, the Seine and the city-run museums with free permanent collections. Day one goes from Notre-Dame through the Marais to the green walkway above the streets; day two from Montmartre via a free rooftop to the Petit Palais and a view of the Eiffel Tower.
In short
- Length
- 2 days, 12 stops
- Highlights
- Notre-Dame de Paris, Sacré-Cœur, Musée Carnavalet, Place des Vosges, Victor Hugo's House
- Where to stay
- Le Marais, Saint-Germain-des-Prés
- Getting around
- Paris is good to explore on foot, and the metro gets you quickly between neighbourhoods.
- Best time to go
- April to June and September to October: pleasant temperatures, long days and fewer crowds than in high summer.
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Plan created with AI support – please check opening hours, prices and routes before you go. YesTrip editorial team · Updated: .
Day 1
Notre-Dame, the Marais and the Coulée verte
Notre-Dame de Paris
The cathedral is free to enter. A free online reservation gets you in faster.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): Notre-Dame de Parisabout 15 min on foot
Musée Carnavalet
Paris in paintings, shop signs and furnished rooms from four centuries. The permanent collection is free, like all city museums.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): Musée Carnavaletabout 5 min on foot
Falafel on Rue des Rosiers
Falafel in pitta from one of the takeaways – filling and cheap, and easy to carry to the next bench in the park.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): Falafel on Rue des Rosiersabout 5 min on foot
Place des Vosges
Sit down on a bench in the square with your falafel. Buskers often play under the arcades.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): Place des Vosgesright next door
Victor Hugo's House
The writer's apartment on a corner of the square. The rooms are free to visit; temporary exhibitions are not.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): Victor Hugo's Houseabout 10 min on foot
Coulée verte René-Dumont
Behind the Bastille an old railway line becomes a path, running east over gardens and viaducts.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): Coulée verte René-Dumont
Day 2
Montmartre, a rooftop and the Petit Palais
Sacré-Cœur
The basilica is free to enter, and so is the view from the steps. Only the climb up the dome costs money.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): Sacré-Cœurabout 15 min on foot
Museum of Romantic Life
A studio house with a garden at the foot of Montmartre, with mementos of George Sand. The collection is free.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): Museum of Romantic Lifeabout 10 min on foot
Rue des Martyrs
Bakery after bakery: a sandwich, quiche or slice of cake to go is the cheapest lunch break here.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): Rue des Martyrsabout 10 min on foot
Galeries Lafayette rooftop
Take the escalators to the top: the terrace is free, with views of the Opéra and the Eiffel Tower. Sometimes closed in rain.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): Galeries Lafayette rooftopAbout 25 min on foot via the Madeleine and Place de la Concorde.
Petit Palais
The city's art museum with a garden courtyard and café. The collection is free, from Rembrandt to Art Nouveau.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): Petit PalaisAbout 30 min on foot along the Right Bank of the Seine to the Trocadéro.
Trocadéro
Seeing the Eiffel Tower from across the river costs nothing. Stay until dark: it sparkles on the hour.
On the map (OpenStreetMap): Trocadéro
Good to know
Free city museums
The permanent collections of the Paris city museums are free, including the Carnavalet, Petit Palais, Victor Hugo's House and the Vie Romantique. Temporary shows cost extra.
Day ticket for transport
If you ride a lot, get a day ticket for metro, bus and RER instead of single fares. Most legs of this plan are walkable anyway.
Picnic, not bistro
Baguette, cheese and fruit from a bakery and supermarket, plus a park bench – perfectly normal in Paris and much cheaper than a bistro.
What's worth paying for
If you spend on just one ticket, make it the Louvre or the Orsay. Book a time slot ahead.
For the best time to go, public transport and where to stay, see the 3-day plan for Paris.
Your plan
Start with this plan.
Copy it into YesTrip, pick your dates and make it yours: move stops, drop them or let the AI add more. On the road the app shows you the next stop and how to get there.
Paris on a budget: frequently asked questions
Can you do Paris on a budget?
Yes. Churches, parks, the Seine and the city museums are free, and bakeries feed you well for little money.
Which museums in Paris are free?
The permanent collections of the city museums, such as the Carnavalet, Petit Palais, Victor Hugo's House and the Museum of Romantic Life. Their own websites say so.
More plans for Paris
- One dayOne day in Paris – walking route with mapFrom the Île de la Cité along the Seine to the Eiffel Tower – with the Orsay in the afternoon and dinner on Rue Cler.
- WeekendA weekend in Paris: Marais, Louvre, MontmartreFriday in the Marais, Saturday from the Louvre to a Seine cruise, Sunday in Montmartre – back in time for the train.
- 3 days3 days in Paris – a ready-made itineraryThe islands and the Marais, the Louvre to the Eiffel Tower, Montmartre and the Opéra Garnier.
- 5 days5 days in Paris with a trip to VersaillesFive days, each with its own theme: islands and Latin Quarter, art, the Left Bank, Versailles and the east of the city.
- With kidsParis with kids: 2 easy daysPushing boats in the Luxembourg, animals at the Jardin des Plantes, then the Eiffel Tower, an aquarium and fountains.
Plan created with AI support – please check opening hours, prices and routes before you go. Coordinates checked with Wikipedia and OpenStreetMap (Photon). Photo: Jebulon, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. More in Sources & licences. YesTrip is a trip planner, not a travel agency – nothing is booked.
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