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Free Paris
Paris has a reputation for being expensive and partly deserves it, but much of what makes it memorable is free: the city reveals itself on foot, and the best moments tend to happen in the street.
Monuments that need no ticket
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, under the vault of the Arc de Triomphe, is free to visit: it is at street level and the flame is rekindled every evening at 18:30 in a short ceremony anyone can watch. What you pay for is going up to the terrace. The interiors of the great churches cost nothing either, and Notre-Dame from the left bank is one of the finest views in the city.
And if you are under 26, the Arc is free too
Under 18s enter free whatever their nationality, and from 18 to 25 EU nationals and legal residents in France pay nothing either. It is the most commonly missed exemption, almost always because people do not carry proof: without an ID card or passport you pay the full rate however young you look.
Viewpoints that cost nothing
The Sacré-Cœur esplanade, at the top of Montmartre, gives a panorama of all Paris without paying a cent, and at dusk it fills with people sitting on the steps. The Trocadéro gives the head-on view of the Eiffel Tower, the photo everyone is after. And the Seine embankments, a World Heritage site, can be walked end to end.
Museums free on the first Sunday
Several national museums open free on the first Sunday of each month, though it is worth checking beforehand as not all apply it in the same way or in the same season. Queues that day are considerably longer: on a short trip, paying to walk straight in may be worth it.