See Paris for free with your family

In Paris, you can find several places to visit without spending money: places where you can enjoy time together as a family, soaking up the sun amidst the greenery of the city’s parks as well as enjoying its animals. So don’t wait to book a train for a weekend in Paris that won’t break the bank, one full of a variety of new discoveries and adventures, with something for everyone!

• The Farm of Paris
• The Ornithological Reserve of the Bois de Boulogne
• The Studio 13/16 at the Centre Pompidou
• Tips for visiting museums for free
• A 1,000 m² space entirely dedicated to families: Little Villette
• One of the many Parisian green spaces

Why not explore the Farm of Paris together as a family? Just across from the Hippodrome, in the heart of the Bois de Vincennes, this farm and its surrounding meadows are home to rabbits, sheep, cows, horses, goats and pigs. Kids love it!  As a working farm with an educational mission, it is operated according to the principles of organic farming. Many different activities are held there depending on the seasons. Sheep shearing, crop harvests, feeding the animals and more. Come enjoy a lively tour of what life is like on a farm!

If you love birdwatching, head to the Bois de Boulogne to explore its ornithological reserve! Throughout the woods, observation shelters allow visitors to watch the resident and migratory birds living in the trees along the forest’s brooks. You and your children will develop keen eyes thanks to the educational panels that help identify robins, tits, and other birds.

And every Sunday, at 9:00, the Bird Protection League leads the oldest birding outing in France. It meets in front of the Brasserie Auteuil, located at 78 rue d’Auteuil. 

The Centre Pompidou has a unique space for teenagers. Why is it called 13/16? Because the Studio 13/16 is designed for that age group. It allows teens to discover everything about the art world. Programming is centred on hands-on artistic experiences, with a range of workshops dedicated to music, graphic arts and digital technology.

The studio also organises meetings with artists, dedicated exhibitions and creative workshops of all sorts led by professionals in the field. It’s a spot where teens will find it impossible to be bored!

The museums in the city of Paris museum network are free, except for temporary exhibitions. As a family, visit the House of Balzac or Victor Hugo, for example, two great writers for you to encounter anew, or try the Museum of Romantic Life, a charming spot that explores the life of George Sand.

Several other museums are free the last Sunday of each month, including:

• the Centre Pompidou, for its permanent collections of modern and contemporary art.
• the Musée d’Orsay, to see Degas’s dancers or the Parisian evenings depicted by Toulouse-Lautrec.
• the Arts and Métiers Museum (60 rue Réaumur, Paris 3e - Metro station Arts et Métiers), a museum devoted to the development of technology since the 16th century. 
• the National Museum of The Middle Ages, with its remains of Gallo-Roman baths.

Paris Museum Night in May and the European Heritage Days also open up museum and monuments to the public for free.

Little Villette is a 1,000 m² space at La Villette entirely for children and families, and without an entry fee, that boasts: an array of games (tea sets, puzzles, model trains, doll houses, building sets and more), a reading room (pop-up books, game books, children’s books, etc.), an activity room (balancing balls and tightropes, landing mats, obstacle course), a LEGO® wall and table in the Little Studio (over 60,000 Lego bricks).

And to introduce them to the world of movies, there is the Little Ciné, which has themed showings on the weekend. A variety of workshops are also held throughout the year, aimed at all ages and interests: circus, street arts, theatre, world cultures, street culture, dance, installations, festivals and more. 

Did you know that Paris has 450 green areas, including 2 forests, 17 parks and 150 gardens? Special mention is due to the Parc de la Villette, a mixed-use space spread over 35 hectares, host to many spectacular and unique events all year round.

Located on the site of a former Citroën factory, the Parc André-Citroën is an unspoilt spot, mostly known only to Parisians. The only green space in Paris that opens directly onto the Seine, it is lined with exotic trees and rare plans, as well as two monumental greenhouses.
Want to see Paris from up above? Climb aboard its famous balloon, which rises 150 metres into the sky, sure to delight young and old alike.