THE GRATIS GUIDE TO PARIS
Also visiting Paris on a shoestring? Never fear, there are plenty of free things to do in the City of Light – just hop on the metro and start exploring (Nutella optional):
SUNBATHE ON PARIS PLAGES
If you are visiting the city in the summer months head to Paris Plages, the popular “beaches” (with deck chairs and ice cream sellers) which pop up on the banks of the Seine and Bassin de la Villette from mid-July to August. The attraction, now in its 18th summer, offers more each year – most recently overheated city-dwellers had the opportunity to actually swim for the first time in the Bassin de la Villette. Without spending a penny you can soak in the atmosphere of lazy pétanque games and cool off under the giant cold air showers.
Nearest metro: Hôtel de Ville (lines 1 and 11); Riquet (line 7)
BROWSE THE RIVERSIDE BOOK STALLS
The distinctive green metal boxes of the riverside “bouquinistes”, or booksellers, are veritable Paris icons (they have been recognised as a Unesco World Heritage site). The placement of the stands was set by the state in the 19th century and today there are still only 240 designated sellers. Peruse the curious selections of yellow-paged novels, retro fashion magazines and back issues of The Adventures of Tintin, which in recent years are also accompanied by tourist trinkets and postcards. Wandering the length of these stalls, a picturesque route that takes in NotreDame, is a wonderful way to spend a sunny afternoon
HAVE A PICNIC BY THE CANAL
Mix in with young, trendy types and drink in the lovely view with a picnic on Canal Saint-Martin. As soon as the sun arrives in spring, you’ll find locals lining the sides of the pretty bridge-bedecked canal (immortalised in Amélie), sipping beer and eating picnic food bought in a nearby supermarket. This is a great way to start a balmy spring-summer evening and you can always move on to the lively bars of the area after. The canal is car-free on Sundays, so this is a great time to go.
Nearest metro: République (lines 3, 5, 8, 9, 11); Goncourt (line 11); Jacques Bonsergent (line 5)
SOAK IN THE ATMOSPHERE ON THE STEPS OF THE SACRÉ-COEUR
On a summer’s evening, splash out on a £5 bottle of wine from the supermarket (that will buy you a decent bottle) and head to the steps of the Sacré-Coeur on the hill of Montmartre. There is always some kind of street entertainment here, ranging from fire jugglers, buskers strumming guitar covers and footballers performing amazing keepy-uppies. If you head here in the evening, the atmosphere is generally lively but friendly – but as with any densely packed city spot, you should be vigilant with your belongings and keep your valuables close. Nearest metro: Anvers (line 2), then take the funicular or climb the stairs; Abbesses (line 12)
EXPLORE A HIDDEN PARISIAN ‘COUNTRY VILLAGE’
La Campagne à Paris (the Countryside in Paris) may be one of the French capital’s best-kept secrets. The mini-village, which sits atop a small mound in the un-touristy 20th arrondissement, comprises 92 impossibly quaint houses. The area, which is just a few minutes from Paris’s “Périphérique” ring road, is a bucolic enclave of window boxes, wisteria and pastel colours. The village was founded as a cooperative intended for working families – today the houses are rather more expensive. Finish with a wander to nearby cultural hotspots La Bellevilloise or La Maroquinerie.
Nearest metro: Porte de Bagnolet (line 3)