Things to Do

• The glass pyramid of the Louvre marks one of the most famous and historically interesting sites for art in the western world. 
• Do not miss the “Mona Lisa” and “Venus di Milo.”
• Take advantage of the fact that you are there for 4 months and go several times.
• On Friday night, there is free admission for all youth under 26.Address: 75001 Metro: Palais Royale-Musee du Louvre Admissions: €9; free with art/art history pass

• Built in an old train station, this museum is beautiful inside and out. It houses an impressive collection of impressionist paintings.
• Address:
  62, rue de Lille 75007
  Metro: Solferino or RER: Musee d’Orsay
• Admission: €7 (youth), free with art/art history pass

• If you enjoy your Picasso, this is a collection you cannot miss. Beyond the impressive works by Picasso, the museum itself is unbelievably cool.
• Address:
  5, rue de Thorigny 75003
  Metro: Saint-Paul (M1); Saint- Sebastien-Froissart; Chemin Vert (M8)
•  Admission: €6,50, tarif reduit with Student I.D.

• The Pompidou Centre is something you cannot walk past. The outside is incredibly modern and different. It houses an incredible collection of modern art.
• Address:
  Place Georges Pompidou 75004
• Metro: Rambuteau
• Admissions: €10; free with art/arthistory pass

• The Rodin museum is home to an amazing collection of sculptures. Do not miss “The Thinker,” “The Kiss,” and “The Gates of Hell.” 
• Address:
  79, rue de Varenne 75007
• Metro: Varenne (M13)
• Admission: €6 (youth); free with art/art history pass

• This French history museum will give you an insight into the development of the people of France, their struggles for freedom, their great thinkers and their unique culture.
• Address: 23, rue de Sevigne 75003
• Metro: Saint Paul (M1)
• Admission: Free

• This houses an extensive collection of both French and Dutch Art.
• Address: 158, Boulevard Haussmann 75008
• Metro: Miromesnil (M9)
• Admission: €7,30, tarif reduit with Student I.D.

• This museum is the place to go for some truly excellent Impressionist art, mostly Monet.
• Address: 2, rue Louis-Boilly 75116
• Metro: La Muette (M9)
• Admission: €5, tarif reduit with Student I.D.

• The Beaux Arts is another site which is worth visiting for its historical significance alone, but doubles its value with a great collection of important art.
• Address: Le Petit Palais, Avenue Winston Churchill 75008
• Metro: Champs-Elysees-Clemenceau (M1, M13); Concorde (M1, M8, M12)
• Admission: Free (for permanent collections)

• Musee de l'Orangerie is famous among other things as the home of Monet’s Les Nympheas (Waterlilies) and other impressionist & post-impressionist works.
• Address: Jardin des Tuileries 75001
• Metro: Concorde (M1, M8, M12)
• Admission: €5,5 euros (youth); free with art/art history pass

• Showcases calligraphy, decorative arts, architecture and historical artefacts from the Arab/Islamic world.
• Address: 1, rue de Fosses Saint Bernard 75005
• Metro: Jussieu; Cardinal Lemoine
• Admissions: €3 for youth

• Houses a large collection of medieval art.
• Address: 6, place Paul Painlev 75005
• Metro: Cluny-La Sorbonne
• Admission: €4 (youth); free with art/art history pass

One of the most engaging places to fing hidden treasures in Paris is at the flea market, of which the city has three major ones - Saint Ouen, Porte de Vanves, and Porte de Montreuil. They’re a great source of bargain treasures, and give you a great insight into the immigrant experience of New Parisians. Be aware that they get very crowded, so unless you enjoy elbowing your way through a see of people, go early enough to beat the massive influx of shoppers and tourists.

St-Ouen (8, rue Jules Valles, Saint-Ouen
Metro: Porte de Clignancourt)

Porte de Vanves (avenue Georges Lafenestre & avenue Marc Sangnier 750014; Metro: Porte de Vanves)

Porte de Montreuil (avenue de la Porte de Montreuil, 75020; Metro: Porte de Montreuil)

Passages are glass-roofed commercial shopping corridors where you can do some of the best specialist shopping. They not only provide an excellent treasure hunt, but also a charming and delightful shopping experience. Inside you will find restaurants and cafés, antiques, bric-a-brac, jewelry, secondhand goods, postcards, etc.

Here are some passages you can visit:

Galerie Vivienne (6 rue Vivienne, 75002; Metro: Brouse)

Galerie Véro Dodat (19 rue Jean-Jacques, 75001; Metro: Palais-Royal-Musee du Louvre; Louvre-Rivoli)

Passage des Panoramas (off rue Vivienne, 75002; Metro: Brouse)

As everyone knows, Paris offers a wealth of gifts and souvenirs, from postcards to perfumes to delicious delicacies to mini Eiffel Tower statuettes. You will find some of the cheapest and most interesting souvenir shops on the rue de Rivoli (by the Louvre) and around some of the major tourist attractions such as the Notre Dame and Sacré Coeur. You can also try the museum shops at Musée du Louvre, Musée d’Orsay or le Centre Pompidou. However, these shops tend to be a fair bit more expensive.

Paris is the home of haute couture. No more need be said of this blend of high art culture and fashion. The highest concentration of couture houses is on the Right Bank. Most can be found on Rue du Faubourg Saint- Honoré and Avenue Montaigne in the 8th arr. For more trend-setting fashions, Rue Étienne Marcel and Place des Victoires, bordering the 1st and 2nd arr., is best.

• Agnès b (rue du Jour, 1st arr.)
• Barbara Bui (50 av Montaigne, 8th arr.)
• Chanel (40-42 av Montaigne, 8th arr.)
• Christian Dior (30 av Montaigne, 8th arr.)
• Givenchy (8 av Georges V, 8th arr.)
• Hermès (24 rue du Faubourg St-Honoré)
• Issey Miyake (3 place des Vosges, 4th arr.)
• Jean-Paul Gaultier (6 rue Vivienne, 2nd arr.)
• Louis Vuitton (101 av des Champs Élyssés, 8th)
• Sonia rykiel (175 blvd St-Germain, 6th arr.)
• Thierry Mugler (49 av Montaigne, 8th arr.)
• Yves Saint Laurent (38 rue du Faubourg St-Honoré, 8th arr.)

Vintage shopping is certainly very popular in Paris. There are lots of great shops to hit up whether you’re going for a retro look or more recent one. A cheap option is to go to one of the many consignment stores located throughout the city. Chic Parisians discard their clothes with the seasons so it is fairly easy to pick up great quality items from places such as Alternatives in the Marais (18 rue du Roi-de- Sicile, 4th arr.). You can also find sample pieces, sale stock items and last season’s pieces at Le Mouton à CInq Pattes (19 rue Grégoire-de-Tours, 6th arr.).

For a more mainstream shopping experience, check out Paris’ department stores, or grands magasins. Two of the city’s most famous, Au Printemps and Galeries Lafayette, can be found on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arr., carrying merchandise at all price levels. La Samaritaine, located in the 1st arr. between Les Halles and the Pont Neuf offers the same items as Galeries Lafayette at lower prices. Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville, or BHV, located in the 4th, is better known for practical commodities, notably home furnishings, while FNAC specializes in records, books and electronic equipment. Le Bon Marché, located on the Left Bank (7th arr.), was Paris’s first department store and today is one of its chicest. It has a great food section, restaurant quality food and a great roof garden.

• Au Printemps (64 Blvd Haussman, 9th arr.)
• BHV (52-64 Rue de Rivoli, 4th arr.)
• Le Bon Marché (24 Rue de Sèvres, 7th arr.)
• FNAC (Forum des Halles, 1 rue Pierre Lescot, 1st arr.)
• Galeries Lafayette (40 Blvd. Haussman, 9th arr.)
• La Samaritaine (19 Rue de la Monnaie, 1st arr.)