• Attending a free concert: Every summer, the Parc Floral (in the Bois de Vincennes) hosts a bevy of free concerts: first the Paris Jazz Festival in June and July, and then Classique au Vert in August.

  • Picnicking in the Luxembourg Gardens: You couldn’t get richer surroundings if you were at a three-star restaurant, and yet you only pay a few euros for a sandwich. Sometimes being cheap is the best revenge. 

  • Seeing Paris from a city bus: Take your own tour of Paris by bus—for the price of a Métro ticket. Some of the municipal bus lines’ routes would put a professional tour bus to shame, like route nos. 63 and 87, which hit many of the city’s major sites. Visit www.ratp.fr for route maps.

  • Dawdling over a coffee in a cafe: Okay, you might pay €2.50 for a cup of coffee, but that means you can sit for hours watching the world go by in an atmospheric cafe and have an authentically Parisian experience to boot.

  • Discovering artworks for zip: Hit one of the City of Paris museums, most of which offer free entry to their permanent collections all year round. This means you can see monumental sculpture at the Musée Bourdelle, visit a stately mansion filled with 18th-century art at the Musée Cognacq-Jay, and trace the history of Paris in the palatial Musée Carnavalet without ever having to open your wallet. 

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.