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Paris Student Guide

Make the most of student life in Paris with the best budget venues and cheap things to do, work-friendly cafés, handy apps and area guides to the Left Bank

Huw Oliver
Written by
Huw Oliver
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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

Free museums and galleries

Free museums and galleries

If you don’t fancy shelling out for the Paris Museum Pass, there are also plenty of museums offering free entry all the time, including these.

Cheap festivals in Paris

Cheap festivals in Paris

The Paris events calendar is packed with festivals that charge either zilch or very little for entry. These are some of the most notable.

The best cheap bars in Paris

The best cheap bars in Paris

It can be annoying having to keep to strict happy hour windows, so here’s our pick of the best bars and pubs selling cheap pints and cocktails ALL the...

The best budget restaurants

The best budget restaurants

A good restaurant isn’t necessarily a classy one, and there's no reason dining out in Paris should mean shelling out.

Paris Museum Pass

Paris Museum Pass

Planning a museum bender? The Paris Museum Pass is a good way to save both money and time. It includes access to over 50 iconic sights.

Second-hand shops in Paris

Second-hand shops in Paris

There’s oodles of vintage to be found in Paris, but the really savvy will plan their shopping sprees around these dépôts-vente and...

The best brunches under €20

The best brunches under €20

These venues all feature in our city round-up of the best brunches in Paris, and they all serve fantastic slap-up meals for €20 or less.

The best Paris markets

The best Paris markets

Browse for books, rummage for riches, bargain for bric-a-brac or be a flea market flâneur: Paris's many markets are fantastic resources.

Paris in the rain

Paris in the rain

Stuck for what to do when the weather ain't playing? We suggest board game bars, a walk along the ‘passages couverts’, quirky museums and shopping.

Get to know the Left Bank

Montparnasse

Montparnasse

Bars, restaurants, cinemas, shopping and nightlife: everything you need to know about the area.

Quartier Chinois (Chinatown)

Quartier Chinois (Chinatown)

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This is where you’ll find exotic groceries, Vietnamese Pho noodle bars, hairdressers and Chinese patisseries.

10 useful Paris apps

10 useful Paris apps

Apps have transformed the way people explore their cities, and Paris is no exception.

Studying in Paris

The best Wi-Fi cafés in Paris

The best Wi-Fi cafés in Paris

For the benefit of all those with a deadline on the horizon, we’ve rounded up the best cafés in Paris with free Wi-Fi and proper table space.

Paris’s best co-working spaces

Paris’s best co-working spaces

Time Out’s pick of best ephemeral office spaces and creative hubs. Home to startup entrepreneurs, freelancers, grad students and more.

Dining alone in Paris

Dining alone in Paris

Why not bring your latest assignment along with you to one of these tranquil hangouts? No one will judge.