What could be better than waking up early to enjoy your day in Paris and avoid big crowds? Do you want to do a lot of things in the morning but are out of ideas for your morning walk of the week? Then there is a list of things you can do even very early.
1) Strolling in a park
Parks, gardens… there are many of them in Paris, so why not take advantage of them. You will be able to saunter a few hours as well as revitalize yourself.
For that, you can go to the wonderful park Monceau where calm and serenity are the keywords. As one of the most elegant parks, it will allow you to relax while enjoying the beauty of the place made up of ponds and greenery.
Address: 35 Boulevard de Courcelles, 75008 Paris.
Hours: From 7 A.M. to 9 P.M.
Price: Free.
Access: Metro 2 station “Monceau”, metro 3 station “Malesherbes”.
2) Relaxing on the terraces
What can be better than taking a good breakfast in one of the best bakeries of Paris and sitting on a terrace to drink a coffee or a good glass of orange juice without the usual crowd.
While there are many terraces in Paris, the Hôtel de l’Abbaye has a pleasant bar with a courtyard terrace and a conservatory.
This calm and relaxing bar will be a perfect spot to revitalize before starting your day.
Where: Hôtel de l’Abbaye.
Address: 10 rue Cassette, Paris 75006.
Hours: From 7 A.M. to 11:30 P.M.
Price: Depending on what you choose.
Access: Metro 12 station “Rennes”, metro 4 station “St-Sulpice”.
3) Admiring a sunrise
Admiring the sunrise will help anxiety and negative thoughts to go away. Going to one of the highest and clearest points of Paris before sunrise is the best way to enjoy it the most.
That is why we recommend you to go to the Butte Montmartre which is a beautiful point of view to admire the sun rise in peace.
Address: 35 rue du Chevalier de La Barre, 75018 Paris.
Access: Metro 12 station “Abbesses”, metro 4 station “Château rouge”, metro 2 “Anvers”.
4) Going to the market
Going to a market is one of the things you can do in the morning in Paris. In fact, going out of your place early enables you to enjoy the market at its opening time.
There are many markets in the capital. You can either go to a covered one if it is not sunny such as the Marché des enfants rouges which is the oldest food market in Paris as well as a trendy and friendly place. You will find worldwide fresh products.
Going to a market in the morning is more enjoyable than doing so in the afternoon; you can avoid the crowd and you can walk around in the different parts of the market without any problems. Moreover, you will arrive before everything is empty, so you will have a huge choice.
Address: 39 rue de Bretagne, 75003 Paris
Hours: From 8:30 A.M. to 7:30 P.M. from Tuesday to Saturday, from 8:30 A.M. to 2 P.M. on Sunday.
Access: Metro 3 station “Arts et Métiers”, metro 5 station “République”.
Outside markets also exist such as the Saxe-Breteuil market which will offer you the best view of Paris of the Eiffel Tower.
Address: Avenue de Saxe, 75007 Paris.
Hours: From 7 A.M to 2:30 on Thursday and from 7 A.M to 3 P.M on Saturday.
Access: Metro 13 station “St-François-Xavier”, metro 8 station “Ecole Militaire”, metro 10 station “Ségur”.
5) Exercising
Exercising in the morning will give you the energy you need and will allow you to greatly start your day, without many people around bothering you.
It will provide you the serenity you need to start your day. To fully enjoy your morning, you can choose to swim in an atypical swimming pool with an original atmosphere.
The Josephine Baker pool is located on a barge on the Seine. You can swim while admiring the Seine and the boats which pass a few meters away from you.
The swimming pool has a glass ceiling which is opened in the summer and allows swimmers to enjoy the outdoors as well as sunbeds.
Name: Piscine Joséphine Baker.
Address: Quai François Mauriac, 75013 Paris
Hours: From 7 A.M to 8:30 A.M, 10 A.M to 8 P.M from Monday to Friday.
Price: 4€ for reduced price and 2.20€ when living in Paris and less than 26 years old or more than 65 years old. 6.50€ during summer and 2.20€ at reduced price.
Access: Metro 6 station “Quai de la Gare”, metro 14 station “Bercy”.
Website (in French) : http://www.piscine-baker.fr/fr
6) Visiting a museum
You know that Paris is full of museums, so you can visit the museum which interests you the most to enhance your culture and education.
Apart from the most famous museums such as the Louvre, the musée d’Orsay, or the Centre Pompidou, the Musée du Grand Palais is also one of the best museums of Paris thanks to its temporary exhibitions on innovative and interesting subjects.
In addition to exhibiting attractive works, its interior architecture is particularly impressive as well.
Visiting a museum as soon as it opens is more pleasant because it will be less crowded.
Name: Musée du Grand Palais.
Address: 3 avenue du Général Eisenhower, 75008 Paris.
Hours: From 10 A.M to 8 P.M every day except on Tuesday.
Price: Around 10€ to 15€.
Access: Metros 9 and 1, station “Franklin Roosevelt”, metros 13 and 1, station “Champs-Elysées-Clemenceau”
Website: https://www.grandpalais.fr/en/individual-tickets-0
7) Strolling in covered passageways
If it is not sunny or if you just want to discover a few charming and calm places, nothing is better than the covered passageways of Paris.
Some of them will enable you to stroll while shopping or just to contemplate the Parisian charm from a different angle.
A lot of covered passageways exist but one of the most emblematic in Paris is probably the Galerie Vivienne. The glass roof allows you to enjoy the good weather and the mosaics on the ground will seduce you.
In the morning the atmosphere is calmer and you can walk around more peacefully.
Address: 5 Rue de la Banque, 75002 Paris.
Hours: From 8:30 A.M to 8:30 P.M.
Access: Metro 3 station “Bourse”, metro 4 station “Etienne Marcel”, metro 7 station “Pyramides”.
8) Going to an exhibition
When going to see an exhibition you can discover new works or rediscover others without the experience being too long.
When you go there in the morning you can avoid the crowd. You will discover this experience from a new point of view and therefore appreciate the work differently in addition to clearing your mind.
There is an innumerable amount of exhibitions available in Paris. The exhibition The World of Banksy is one of them. Banksy is an important artist in the world of street art.
The immersive experience offered by this exhibition is very interesting and will bury you in its world thanks to an ideal place set up for the occasion.
You can buy your ticket on-site or on the website.
Address: 44 Rue du Faubourg Montmartre, 75009 Paris
Hours: 10AM to 9PM on Saturdays and 10AM to 7PM on Sundays.
Price: 14€, 12€ up to 12 years old
Access: Métro 7 station “Le Peletier”
Website: https://www.espace-lafayette-drouot.com/tickets/?lang=en
9) Eating an original breakfast
It is nice to have breakfast but it is even better to do so in a place with an original concept.
Nearby the Georges Centre Pompidou, there is a cereal bar named Cerealiste. You can come and set up your own bowl of cereals.
Actually, this bar offers up to 21 kinds of industrial cereals; you can then choose one of the 11 available kinds of milk and then add the toppings and coating you want to.
Name: Céréaliste
Address: 44 rue Quincampoix, 75004 Paris.
Hours: Tuesday to Saturday 10:30AM to 7PM
Price: from 6.50€.
Access: Métro 4 station “Etienne Marcel”, métro 14 station “Châtelet”.
Website: https://ce-realiste.com/en
10) Outdoor bookstore
Reading is nice, but it is always more enjoyable to read outside than when you stay in your home. Then why not go and see the famous outdoor bookstores along the Quais de Seine?
Indeed, you will not be bothered by the regular crowd of passersby and thus, you will have all the time you need to choose the books that interest you the most.
In this way, you will fully enjoy the city as well as enjoy a beautiful walk.
Outdoor bookstores in Paris make it possible for you to read your book near the Seine, for example.
Address: Rive droite, from pont Marie to pont des Arts (from quai de l’Hôtel de Ville to quai du Louvre).
Rive Gauche, from pont Sully to pont Royal (from quai de la Tournelle to quai Voltaire).
Hours: From the morning to the sunset.
Access: Metro 1 and metro 11 station “Hotêl de ville”, metro 1 station “Louvre-Rivoli”.
Metro 10 station “Maubert-Mutualité”, metro 12 station “Rue du Bac”.
11) Painting and drawing
If you’re skilled in painting or drawing -and even if you don’t, in fact- you can buy all you need and draw in the beautiful city that Paris is.
You can go in a park, paint what is around you, or even in the streets, and draw the passersby. In the morning, no matter where you choose to go, the atmosphere will be better and calmer so you can be more focused.
If you are not confident in yourself and you want to be talented enough before doing it on your own, you can sign up for drawing or painting lessons. Thanks to this, you can become a professional and impress your friends in the future.
A lot of painting and drawing lessons are available in Paris, so you will surely find the one that fits you the most. We still recommend you one located in the 15th arrondissement.
Name: Claire Castagnet
Address: 22 place Dupleix, 75015
Hours: Monday and Tuesday from 10AM to 1PM
Price: 45€ for 3 hours.
Access: Métro ligne 6 station “Dupleix”
Website (in French): https://hautlescours.fr/cours-arts-plastiques/dessin-peinture/claire-castagnet/
12) Discovering the contemporary art outdoors
If you want to further educate yourself and learn more about contemporary art but you do not want to be stuck indoors for a few hours, here is the solution.
Many contemporary artworks are present in the streets of Paris. When discovering contemporary art outside you will be able to admire those splendid creations while walking around the city.
For that, we have created an itinerary that will allow you to discover 3 different art pieces.
To begin your visit, you will have to go to the 1 Esplanade Pierre Vidal-Naquet, 75013 Paris to admire the sculpture Nancy Rubins “Monochrome for Paris” located on the central glass of the Vidal-Naquet esplanade.
Then, you will have to walk for 20 minutes or take the bus 89 to the station “Vincent Auriol”. You will have to stop to the station “Bibliothèque Rue Mann” and you will arrive in 15 minutes to the Place Augusta Holmes where you can find the work of Chen Zhen, “La danse de la fontaine émergente”; it is a stylized dragon whose body springs out from the ground.
In 25 minutes with the RER C from this place, there is the Jeff Koon’s “Bouquet de tulipes”, at 1 Avenue Dutuit, 75008 Paris. You will just have to take the RER at Paris Austerlitz and stop at the station “Invalides”.
It is a sculpture that has been created in support of French people bereaved by the attacks of 2015. The artist creates a metaphor because his work is a sign of optimism and recovery.
13) Work as a volunteer
If you do not have any ideas of things to do in the morning, here is an activity that will be useful and good for you as much as it is for the others.
If you want to give your time but you are not available regularly, you can help the city of Paris from time to time.
In fact, you can decide to act alone and to take several trash bags or used bottles and go out and clean the streets for example.
Doing this activity will make you begin your day in the best way because you will have done a good deed. Moreover, it will be easier for you to pick papers, cigarette butts etc. if the streets are less crowded.
Picking up the trash protects the oceans, reduces air pollution, global warming as well as the contamination of the ground and water.
So if you want to contribute to improving the environment, this is it.
14) Visiting the Great Mosque of Paris
The Great Mosque of Paris will bring you into another world thanks to its beautiful architecture.
It is a peaceful and splendid place with a garden that will make you dream thanks to its fountains and beautiful settings.
It is also possible to eat and drink tea if you want.
Address: 2 bis Place du Puits de l’Ermite, 75005 Paris
Hours: From 9 A.M to 4 P.M
Price: 3€
Access: Metro 7 station “Place Monge”, metro 10 station “Jussieu”.
15) Visiting the catacombs
Each year, more than 250.000 people come to visit the Catacombs of Paris.
Therefore, as you can imagine, if you decide to have your visit in the morning, as soon as the place opens, you will have a much greater chance to avoid standing in line.
You will be able to combine a touristic visit and sport. Indeed, to arrive at the galleries which are 20 meters underground, you have to go down almost 140 stairs.
This original activity will help you discover an original world that you will not be disappointed with.
Thanks to the 45 minutes visit you will learn the story of the Catacombs.
Address: 1 avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy, 75014 Paris.
Hours: From Tuesday to Sunday, from 10 A.M to 8:30 P.M.
Price: 12€, free for less than 18 years old.
Access : Metro 4 station “Denfert-Rochereau”.
16) Creating your own perfume
Walking in Paris in the morning is a good occasion to do some new original activities.
You can create your own perfume. As we all wish to have our very own scent, this activity is the chance.
Creating your own perfume at the Museum of Perfumery will distinguish you from others. Moreover, if you do not know how perfumes are created or if you are just curious, it is the perfect activity to discover it.
Where: Museum of Perfumery
Address: 9 rue Scribe, 75009 Paris
Hours: From 10 A.M to 7 P.M;
Price: 69€
Access: Metros Opéra (line 3, 7, 8), Madeleine (12, 14), Havre-Caumartin (9) Saint-Lazare (13)
Website: https://musee-parfum-paris.fragonard.com/en/perfumer-apprentice-workshop/
17) Admiring street art in a Segway
In just a few years street art has taken a huge place in the capital.
There s much urban art in Paris and this art allows you to discover artists’ works in an innovative way.
It is possible to create an itinerary on foot to see a few works which are visible in Paris, but why not do this differently and see the city from a different angle.
This artistic movement is captivating and a Segway ride is a fun and innovative way to discover it.
It is attractive and enjoyable; those 8 km and 2h30 Segway rides will entertain you and help you discover the best street art in the world as well as the 13th arrondissement.
Going on this ride just at the opening time will allow you to appreciate it as much as possible; there will be less people in the streets of Paris. Moreover, if you do this activity in the heat, doing it early in the morning will keep you from being too hot.
Address: Porte de Vitry, 75013 Paris.
Hours: From 10 A.M. (Sundays and Mondays)
Price: 59€.
Access: Metro 14 station “Bibliothèque François Mitterrand”, metro 7 station “Porte d’Ivry”.
Information and Bookings (website in French)
18) Taking off above Paris
The Ballon Generali is the opportunity to discover an original Parisian activity located near the Eiffel Tower. It is an activity that will allow you to see Paris from a different point of view.
Actually, it consists of getting in a balloon that flies up to 150m high which will allow you to have a breathtaking view of the whole city and the Eiffel Tower. You will see the capital as you have never seen it before.
The flight lasts 10 minutes and when you are up in the air the temperature is cooler so do not forget to take something to cover yourself. The balloon flies according to the weather conditions so do not worry, there is no risk of rain.
Doing this activity in the morning is nicer because you will see Paris with its morning colors. Furthermore, you will not have to stand in line.
You can buy your ticket on-site or on the website.
Address: Parc André Citroën, 75015 Paris.
Hours: From 9 A.M to 8:50 P.M.
Price: 14 euros for adults, 7 euros for kids from 3 to 11.
Access: Metro 10 station “Javel-André Citroën”, metro 8 stations “Balard” and “Lourmel”, RER C station Javel.
Website (in French): https://www.placeminute.com/autres/survol_de_paris_en_ballon,1,11718.html
I aim to share my tips and recommendations for the beautiful country of France. My goal is to help you plan your next adventure, whether it’s a weekend getaway or a once-in-a-lifetime trip. From finding the best hotels and restaurants, to discovering unique activities and sights, I’ve got you covered!
