Things to do in Paris for students

Paris is a city like no other. Its visitors and residents walk the same Haussmannian streets that beguiled literary titans like Joyce, Beckett and Hemmingway, and lent themselves as a canvas on which endless artistic movements have flourished – what better place as a backdrop for study? 

If you’re a student living at CANVAS LA DÉFENSE Paris, you have a direct line to a wealth of opportunities and experiences crammed into a city that, pound for pound, has had more cultural influence than any other in the Western world.

La Défense Student Accommodation

La Défense is situated on the edges of the Périphérique, a short walk from the river Seine, and a 20 minute train ride from the Arc de Triomphe. Although it’s one of the city’s more modern districts, La Défense holds an abundance of terraced bars, bistros, and boulangeries that serve as a constant reminder you’re in planet earth’s most romantic city. 

On your doorstep, you also have Bois de Boulogne – a former royal hunting grounds-turned-public-park filled with lakes, botanical gardens, museums, historical buildings, and a theatre.

When venturing across the wider city becomes inevitably tempting, you’ll be pleased to know that Paris is extremely well-connected, and travel couldn’t be simpler. Wherever you are in the city, you’re never more than a ten minute walk from a metro station and Citymapper offers easy journey navigation. Weather permitting, a Vélib’ is also a great way to get around whilst acquainting yourself with your new home. The rental bikes, which offer discounts for people under 27, can be used for one-off trips, 24-72 hour passes, or with a monthly subscription.

A Students’ Day Off In Paris

If you’re new to Paris or are looking for inspiration for your days off, look no further, we have collated some of the best things to do in Paris on a student budget.

Breakfast from the Local Patisserie

Wake up, get ready, head out for breakfast. Local La Défense patisserie and boulangerie, La Gourmandise, serves freshly baked bread, pastries, and sweet treats from 6:30am Monday-Friday and from 7:30am on Sundays. We’d recommend being first in the queue. We know it’s your day off, and you might not be an early riser, but if the prospect of a so-fresh-it’s-still-warm pain au chocolate doesn’t get you out of bed then absolutely nothing will.

Coffee & Book Shopping

With breakfast done and dusted, catch a train or jump on a Velib’ to Saint-Michel Notre-Dame, right in the city centre. Then, walk along the Seine to Shakespeare and Company for a coffee and a sit down. This independent, English language bookshop perches right on the river, opposite the Notre-Dame. Shakespeare & Co. has served as a library and vendor of new and used books since 1951, and you can pose yourself in its café with a good book or catch up on your assignments.

Exploring Paris Neighbourhoods

There’s also the option of going for a wander in a random direction – like a true Baudelairean flâneur – and just seeing where you end up. 

Paris is perfect for it, and you won’t be disappointed. But, if you’re wanting a little more direction, you could try Le Marais or Montmartre. Le Marais brims with specialist macaron shops and quirky boutiques and, if you’re on a budget, the area’s architecture and window shopping alone are enough to keep you well occupied. Montmartre has been called home by Van Gogh, Edith Piaf, and Pablo Picasso, to name just a few, and it’s easy to get happily lost in its winding cobbled streets. 

Make your way to the summit of the hill and you’ll discover the Sacré-Cœur: a great white basilica that looks over the entire city. It’s the highest point in Paris and the view is astonishing in the day or at night.

Lunching in Paris

Central Paris is famous for, well, a lot, actually. But we’re going to focus on its crêpes. Any street you turn down will have multiple crêperies and, trust us, you really can’t go wrong – this becomes exponentially veracious the closer you get to the city’s centre. 

Students looking for low-cost lunches can get a full meal (starter, main, desert) for under five euros at one of Paris’ many university restaurants. These cheap eateries are dotted around the city and are in the form of cafés, self-service cafeterias, and restaurants. You can find a list of them here.

Stroll Through Parc Monceau

Walk off your lunch by visiting one of the many green spaces. Parc Monceau is a beautifully peaceful 17th century park, providing an overgrown home to statues, a variety of wildlife, and a large pond. Free to all, Parc Monceau opens from 7am-10pm in the summer and until 8pm in the winter. 

Alternatively, you could stroll down the Coulée verte René-Dumont, a 4.5 kilometre repurposed railway that starts behind the Bastille opera house and ends in at the Bois de Vincennes. Renovated in 1988, the route is a luscious mixture of wild vegetation and landscaped areas.

Parisian Culture

 If like most students, you’re living frugally, you don’t have to miss out on arts and culture. There are plenty of free things to do in Paris for students, as well as generous discounts on the city’s most popular events and attractions. 

Many of the city’s museums are free for students under 27, this includes the more famous ones like the Louvre, Musée Rodin, and Musée d'Orsay. If you’re over 27, fret not! You are still eligible for discounted tickets with your student card, as well as free entry to most museums on the first Sunday of each month. 

With so much on offer, choosing what to do can be difficult. Luckily, L’Officiel des spectacles – a weekly Parisian culture magazine – bestows its readers with a full lowdown on the best cinema, shows, exhibitions, concerts, and events. 

Dinner & Drinks in Paris

Café Oz is an English-speaking chain of Australian bar-restaurants that has multiple venues in the city’s most popular areas. Café Oz’s bars are a great way to meet other expats, especially when a major game is on. They have plenty of non-alcoholic options, classic pub food, and a generous happy hour (4pm-8pm) from Monday to Friday.  

La Bellevilloise in Belleville – the bohemian district – is a bar, restaurant, club, exhibition space, theatre and market where you can drink a variety of beers, wines by the glass, spirits and non-alcoholic options, and listen to live jazz and DJs all night long. 

Eiffel Tower

We’ve done well avoiding the touristy stuff, but we’re falling at the last hurdle, and here’s why… Every hour, on the hour, from dusk until 1am, the Eiffel Tower lights up and sparkles across the entire city – it happens every night and it will always be beautiful. As the tower is visible from almost anywhere in Paris, you’re never far from being able to see it.

Paris Student Living

Living with Canvas during your time as a student enables you to stay in high quality, perfectly located student accommodation, complete with all of your home comforts. A short walk from many of Paris’ best sights, there’s no wonder students choose La Défense as their home during their studies.