Moving to Paris can be a daunting and scary experience for anyone – above all if you’re a cash-strapped, English-speaking student. But although the capital can appear outrageously expensive at times, ‘student budget’ and ‘Paris’ don’t have to be mutually exclusive terms. So as to prove living in Paris on a budget can be both feasible and enjoyable, Time Out Paris has rounded up the best budget shopping locations, cheap bars, free nights out and cheap things to do in the city.
We’ve also included guides to three of the most studenty quartiers on the Left Bank and a list of handy apps, to help you navigate your way around the swarms of tourists and fish out the area’s trendiest hangouts. And, so you can get your work done (because it has to be done at some point), you can also check out our pick of the best English-language bookshops, co-working spaces and Wi-Fi cafés at the bottom.
Enjoy Paris on a budget
Museums
Free museums and galleries
Things to do
Cheap festivals in Paris
Bars and pubs
The best cheap bars in Paris
Restaurants
The best budget restaurants
Museums
Paris Museum Pass
Museums
Free museums on the first Sunday of the month
Shopping
Second-hand shops in Paris
Restaurants
The best brunches under €20
Attractions
Paris’s best parks and gardens
Shopping
The best Paris markets
Things to do
Paris in the rain
Get to know the Left Bank
Things to do
Montparnasse
Things to do
Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Odéon and the Latin Quarter
Things to do
Quartier Chinois (Chinatown)
Things to do
10 useful Paris apps
Studying in Paris
Restaurants
The best Wi-Fi cafés in Paris
Shopping
English language bookshops in Paris
Things to do
Paris’s best co-working spaces
Restaurants
Dining alone in Paris
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