Paris on a Budget: Prices and Free Days
Notre-Dame and Sacre-Coeur are free. That’s the whole budget story
Two of Paris’s biggest sights cost nothing to enter, and a third, the whole Marais neighborhood on a Sunday, costs nothing to wander. The paid sights are where a Paris trip gets expensive, and not all of them earn their price the same way. Below is what actually costs money, what doesn’t, and which free days are worth timing your trip around.
| Sight | Price | Hours | Booking lead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notre-Dame nave | Free | 7:45am-7pm Mon-Fri (10pm Thu), 8:15am-7:30pm weekends | None; optional free slot opens hours ahead |
| Sacre-Coeur basilica | Free (dome EUR8) | Basilica 6am-10:30pm; dome 8:30am-8pm | None; dome is on-site only |
| The Louvre | EUR22 EEA / EUR32 non-EEA | 9am-6pm, late Wed and Fri to 9:45pm; closed Tue | Mandatory timed slot, weeks ahead |
| Eiffel Tower | EUR14.80 stairs / EUR23.50 lift / EUR36.70 summit | Varies by season | Mandatory timed slot, up to 60 days ahead |
| Sainte-Chapelle | EUR16 EEA / EUR22 non-EEA | Seasonal, check official site | Mandatory 30-minute slot |
| The Catacombs | EUR31 adult | 9:45am-8:30pm, closed Mon | Releases exactly 7 days ahead, 10am Paris time |
| Musee d’Orsay | EUR16 (EUR12 Thu evening) | 9:30am-6pm, Thu to 9:45pm; closed Mon | Recommended, not mandatory |
What’s actually free in Paris
Notre-Dame’s nave has been free since it reopened on 7 December 2024, no ticket required at all; an optional slot at resa.notredamedeparis.fr just skips a second queue. Sacre-Coeur’s basilica is the same story, free entry, only the 280-step dome climb costs anything (EUR8, on-site only). Beyond the two big church visits, Pere Lachaise Cemetery, the Jardin du Luxembourg, the Tuileries, and a walk through Le Marais on a Sunday, one of the few days central shops stay open, all cost nothing. The Louvre adds its own free window too: the first Friday evening of every month except July and August, 6pm-9pm, is free entry for everyone, though a reserved slot is still required.
What’s worth paying for (and what isn’t)
The Louvre and the Eiffel Tower earn their tickets. The Louvre runs EUR22 for EEA residents and EUR32 for everyone else, mandatory timed entry, closed Tuesdays, and the collection genuinely rewards the price if you pick two or three galleries instead of trying to see all of it. Book official tickets at louvre.fr as early as your dates allow, or skip-the-line access on GetYourGuide if the official slots for your date are gone. The Eiffel Tower’s cheapest ticket, stairs to the second floor at EUR14.80, delivers most of the view the summit ticket (EUR36.70) does, at less than half the cost. Sainte-Chapelle (EUR16-22) and the Catacombs (EUR31) both earn their price too, on a sunny morning the stained glass is one of the best interiors in the city, and the Catacombs is a genuinely different experience than any museum. The weaker value is the Eiffel Tower summit specifically, and any Champs-Elysees sit-down meal, priced for footfall rather than quality.
Is the Paris Museum Pass worth it for a budget trip?
Only if you’re hitting three or more paid sights in a single day. A 2-day pass runs roughly EUR90, a 4-day EUR109, a 6-day EUR139, covering the Louvre, Orsay, Versailles, Sainte-Chapelle and the Arc de Triomphe among 50-plus sites, but not the Eiffel Tower, and nine of its included sites still need their own separate timed-slot reservation even with the pass in hand.
What’s the cheapest way to eat well in Paris?
A boulangerie sandwich and pastry runs EUR5-8, and the menu or formule, a fixed two-course lunch or dinner, runs EUR18-28 at most bistros, with service already included in the price by French law. The couvert, a per-person cover charge common elsewhere in Europe, doesn’t exist here, so the number on the menu is the number you pay, and tipping beyond rounding up is optional rather than expected.
Compare budget stays in the Marais or Latin Quarter on Booking.com before committing to a neighborhood; both put you within walking distance of most of what’s free on this list. For the full nine-things breakdown, see the Paris on a budget guide ; plan by the day with the 2-day or 7-day itinerary; and go deeper on the two free sights at Notre-Dame Cathedral and Sacre-Coeur . For Versailles, Giverny or Disneyland Paris, all outside the city and not covered here, see the Paris, France day-trip guide .