Wendy,
All these suggestions -- from the rather-spendy to the free -- sound wonderful! We had planned to visit the Branly, but hadn't realized it had a restaurant worth stopping for. I can?t wait to check out the food market and wander through the Marais. Actually, I?ll be following up on most if not all of these suggestions! Thank you, Howard Lewis, and your readers for the great suggestions. (And how did Mr. Lewis know I love falafel?!)

Great ideas! There really are endless ways to enjoy yourself in Paris for free or on little.

Just walking around the many unique neighborhoods in Paris can be fun. Heck, riding the subway and listening to the talented musicians play in the subway stations can be a treat. ;)

Walking to the top of the Arc de Triumph or just sitting on the benches nearby eating a lunch and watching the mesmerizing traffic circle and people watching.

We spent hours in Shakespeare and Company, which is an enchanting bookstore with a rich history. Great for kids and adults on a tour of the Left Bank.

One of the best kept secrets is the lovely Bois de Bologne, a huge park that use to be the hunting ground for kings.

We travel as a family on a tight budget and spent two weeks in Paris on very little not long ago and had a fantastic time. Perhaps some of our ideas might be helpful for others:

http://www.soultravelers3.com

I wrote out this low-cost itinerary last month for a friend visiting Paris for the first time...I hope it doesn't take up too much space:

-The first thing to do after dropping off your luggage at your hotel is to head for the Ile de la Cite (the urban island which is sort of shaped like a ship on the map and is where Paris as a small village started and grew outward and where Notre Dame Cathedral is located. At the prow of this "ship" on the Western end of the island you will find the Square du Vert Galant (see a city map...I don't know why they call it a square since it's triangular shaped). On the right side of this park you will find a sightseeing tour boat concession. Take this cruise. It will take you up and down the Seine past the Eiffel Tower in one direction and Notre Dame Cathedral in the other direction, lasts just over an hour, and will cost about $15. It's well worth it.

-My favorite place for brunch (no one gets up early in Paris except the dogwalkers (watch your step!) or lunch is Cosi at 54 Rue de Seine (http://www.pattylurie.com/html/cosi.html) just north of Blvd. St. Germain (Paris Metro station: Mabillon). They have the best sandwiches in the city (note: the inexpensive baguette sandwiches for takeout at any of the zillion shops scattered around the city aren?t bad either). Don't mistake this Cosi for an expensive restaurant also in Paris called Le Cosi.
Across the street from Cosi is a great seafood restaurant by the same owner called Fish.

-See St Chapelle and the Conciergerie (they're right next to each other) on the Ile de la Cite off Blvd. St. Michel (not far from the Sq.de Vert Galant mentioned in item #1). St. Chapelle has the most incredible stained glass windows. The Conciergerie was the prison where all the condemned glitterati of the French Revolution (Marie Antoinette, Danton, Robespierre. etc.) were housed before being carted off to La Guillotine at the Place de la Concorde (some interesting asides: the guillotine apparatus was invented by one Dr. Guillotine as a more humane method of execution than having an executioner chop off your head with an axe (often the first blow wasn?t successful)?the wealthy residents living in the vicinity of the Place de la Concorde frequently complained about the stench of death wafting over the neighborhood...the condemned prisoners were carted from the Conciergerie to the Place de la Concorde in oxen-pulled carts called tumbrils; residents would crowd the streets to watch the procession.

-While you're in the area get a takeout lunch at the Marche St. Germain (a large indoor food hall and produce mart) a block away from the Mabillon Metro Station. There's also a great corner pizza place (don't remember the name but you can't miss it) on Rue le Clement across the street from the Marche St. Germain. Also nearby is St. Sulpice, the cathedral that figured prominently in the Da Vinci Code.

-See the St. Germain des Pres Cathedral (if I recall correctly it?s the oldest cathedral in Paris). It?s located on Blvd. St. Germain at Rue Bonaparte. Have an aperitif with the ghosts of Jean Paul Sartre and Pablo Picasso at nearby Brasserie Lipp. Also at this same intersection see the curious ?erupting sidewalk? sculpture.

-See the Musee D'Orsay (located next to the river Seine across from the Tuileries Gardens between the Eiffel Tower and the St Germain areas. Metro Station: Gare D'Orsay). It's located in an old railroad station and was designed by Gae Aulenti the architect of the Asian Art Museum in S.F. See also the ultramodern Beauborg Museum (also more formally known as the Centre Pompidou on the Right Bank in the Marais area.

-My favorite English speaking hangout is the Shakespeare & Co. Bookstore on the Rue la Bucherie right across the river (Left Bank) from Notre Dame Cathedral.

-Wander thru the narrow streets of the Latin Quarter north of the Sorbonne to get a feeling of the old Paris and follow Rue Descartes and Rue Mouffetard down to Place de la Contrescarpe (another Hemingway hangout near his old residence at 74 Rue Cardinal Le Moin).

-Pere Lachaise is the most famous cemetery in Paris and has most of the famous historical characters (Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf, even Jim Morrison of The Doors) but I find the Montparnasse Cemetery equally interesting (many of the French New Wave film stars and writers such as Jean Seberg, Jean Paul Belmondo, Delphine Seyrig, Marguerite Duras, etc. as well as Jean Paul Sartre and Simone de Beavoir live there).

-Montparnasse is my favorite neighborhood in Paris. It's less touristy and was a hangout for the artists and writers of Hemingway's era. Have a coffee or an aperitif at the Closerie des Lilas.

-Wander the streets of Monmartre around Sacre Coeur (the white cathedral on the hill in the northern part of Paris, and the neat stairs that lead up to it).

-If you get a chance, see the 18th century catacombs under the city (entrance near Place Denfert Rochereau; Metro Station Denfert Rochereau) which were created to relocate the smelly remains overcrowding Paris? ground level cemeteries.

Have a good trip!!

Some of my favorite free Paris things are:

1. Picnics on the Champs du Mars in front of the Eiffel Tower,Luxembourg or Tuileries Gardens

2. Stroll the banks of the Seine, both day and night. Each gives a very different feel to the city and the monuments. Cross and linger on the bridges. It doesn't get any better than this.

4. Watch a sunset from the tip of the Vert Galant.

3. Make your way to the March? Aligre. It is a wonderful market.

4. And though not free, spring for a Seine cruise on the Les Vedettes du Pont Neuf. Go to http://www.vedettesdupontneuf.com/for an on-line coupon

These are awesome!

I've been wondering how to handle that first day when we arrive early in the morning on an international flight. Some low-key touring via foot and boat sounds just right.

I'd like to spend a day at Versailles (I'm into gardens, so would visit more than just the palace). Any recommendations for how to best get around out there and where to take a lunch break?

Great website, Soultravelers3!