5 Free Sights in Paris for Book Lovers

Everyone knows to visit the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower in Paris, but what about off the beaten path Paris? For fans of literary travel, I’m here with 6 unusual things to do in Paris, and best of all, they’re all free!

I’ve been traveling all around Europe for the last year and scoping out the best literary destinations along the way. I’ve already written about the best bookstores to check out in Paris, so now it’s time to talk about Paris’s rich literary history.

Paris was the muse and the location that nurtured many famous writers throughout the years. Most famously, during the 1920s, American writers flocked to Paris to escape Prohibition. In Paris, they found the freedom to drink, yes, but they also found like-minded individuals who encouraged, challenged, and nurtured them. Authors like Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote some of their most famous books while living in Paris.

But that’s not to overlook the incredible literary history connected to Paris and French writers. In this post, we will walk in the footsteps of such French writers as Victor Hugo, Simone de Beauvoir, and Marcel Proust.

Using this post as your guide, you can easily build your own off the beaten path Paris literary tour chock full of free sights.

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Whenever possible, I recommend buying books at local bookshops or through Bookshop.org, because shopping there puts the profits right into the hands of indie bookstores all over the country.

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Victor Hugo Museum

If you’re a fan of French literature, then the Victor Hugo Museum in Paris is a must-visit literary destination in your Paris itinerary.

You’ll find the Victor Hugo house on one corner of the trendy Place des Vosges, a beautiful Paris square that’s well preserved from the 17th century. When Hugo moved in in 1832, it was not an apartment but the second floor of a hotel.

Victor Hugo lived in this Paris apartment for 16 years, the longest he stayed at any residence during a relatively nomadic life. The Victor Hugo house has been restored to resemble how it likely did at the time of Hugo’s residence, according to eyewitness accounts, letters, and memoirs.

Hugo had a very pronounced interior decorating style, and it was anything but understated. He sought out ornate, antique furniture and highly patterned wallpapers and carpets. The effect is somewhat dizzying at times. Readers who have loved his works such as Les Misérables will enjoy seeing where one of France’s most famous writers lived and worked and learning more about his personal history.

The Victor Hugo House is a great free museum in Paris and a must-visit for those interested in literary travel. Plus, visiting will definitely help you escape the heavy tourist crowds at more popular Paris sights and definitely qualifies as off the beaten path Paris.

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Related: Want to explore France beyond Paris? Why not take a two-hour train ride to Lyon, France’s third largest city. There’s lots to do in Lyon for bookworms, including some fantastic Lyon bookstores.

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Musée Carnavalet for fans of Marcel Proust and Gertrude Stein

The Musée Carnavalet is a cool and free hidden gem in Paris. It’s actually the oldest City of Paris museum, open since 1880, and housed inside the Carnavalet Mansion. True to Paris style, the architecture alone is worth seeing, but it’s especially worth a visit for those interested in literary travel.

Most first-time visitors to Paris are so focused on the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay, that most miss the Musée Carnavalet altogether, definitely qualifying it as off the beaten path Paris. You’re unlikely to encounter many crowds here, but you’ll get to discover a lot of hidden gems in this spacious and beautiful museum.

This free Paris museum is dedicated to telling the history of the City of Paris. You’ll find all kinds of exhibits in this labyrinthine museum and learn a ton about Paris history while you do. For fans of literature, there are two main literary attractions in this Paris museum:

Gertrude Stein’s desk

Gertrude Stein was one of the most famous and influential literary figures in Paris during the 1920s. She ran a series of salons, in which she guided and encouraged such writers as Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, in addition to writing herself. She also encouraged artists such as Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. Gertrude Stein was a powerful influence in Paris’s artistic scene, and it’s quite impressive to see the large, wooden desk on which she did her important and enduring work.

Marcel Proust’s bed

One of the highlights of the Musée Carnavalet, and a well-kept Paris secret, is Marcel Proust’s bed, from which he wrote In Search of Lost Time. You’ll find it in a recreation of Prousts’s bedroom with his original furniture and his own handwriting projected onto a screen above the room.

Proust suffered from several chronic illnesses and famously preferred to write in bed. In fact, he lived most of his life in bed. Along with Prousts’s bedroom, you’ll see his famous fur-trimmed coat and other small items he owned on display. No Paris literary tour is complete without a visit to this exhibit.

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James Baldwin’s Paris stomping grounds

Among the many American writers who flocked to Paris in the roaring 20s was African-American author James Baldwin. At the age of 24, he famously arrived in Paris with only $40 in his pocket, wanting to escape the rampant racism he faced in America. In Paris, he found the freedom to write, as well as to explore his sexuality as a gay man.

“It wasn’t so much a matter of choosing France — it was a matter of getting out of America.”

James Baldwin

James Baldwin’s Paris years consisted of a series of stays in various cheap hotels, mostly located in St.-Germain on the left bank. During his time in Paris, Baldwin wrote many books, including Go Tell It On a Mountain, Giovanni’s Room, and Another Country.

While living in Paris, James Baldwin rented an apartment in the artsy St. Germain neighborhood. To get a feel for James Baldwin’s Paris, walk the Rue de Verneuil, a street where Baldwin stayed frequently.

St. Germain is still a popular touristy neighborhood, but these side streets are not usually excessively crowded, making it borderline off the beaten path Paris.

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Paris literary cafes

Les Deux Magots and Café de Flore have been rival cafes on Paris’s left bank for more than 100 years. Both were founded in the 1890s and can boast impressive lists of literary patrons. If you’re looking for a free activity to do in Paris that’s steeped in Paris history, you can walk by and check out these cafes, or you can swallow the high price tags and stay for a meal.

Because of their notoriety, both of these cafes are popular and expensive; visitors should expect to wait in line for a table and to pay close to double the normal Paris cafe price for food. Still, Paris cafe culture is such an important part of any real Parisian experience, so why not spend a couple of hours here, where some of Paris’s literary greats have sat and worked? It’s a great addition to your literary tour of Paris.

Les Deux Magots

Les Deux Magots can boast of such literary patrons as Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus, and Simone de Beauvoir. I had the privilege of eating lunch here on a sunny August afternoon, and while the prices are undeniably higher than in less famous places, I will say the food was delicious.

Café de Flore

Café de Flore is hard to miss, located prominently on the corner of the Blvd St.-Germain and the Rue St.-Benoît.

Rival of Les Deux Magots, Café de Flore has also attracted its fair share of writers over the years. James Baldwin wrote his first novel, Go Tell It On the Mountain, on the second floor of Café de Flore. Other famous patrons include Pablo Picasso, André Breton, and Simone de Beauvoir.

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Shakespeare & Company, Paris bookstore

Paris’s Shakespeare and Company bookstore is without question the most famous bookstore in Paris, and it likely ranks among the most famous bookstores in the world. Admittedly, this site is not quite “off the beaten path Paris”… this bookstore sees swarms of visitors every day, and you’d be hard-pressed to find an opportunity to visit that doesn’t require you to wait in a lengthy line of people.

While the crowds hardly make for ideal book browsing conditions, Shakespeare and Company bookstore does have some significant literary history that still makes it a worthwhile literary site in Paris.

The original Shakespeare and Company was opened by Sylvia Beach (at a different location) and became a literary meeting place for writers like Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, Gertrude Stein, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Its history, rather than the experience of shopping there, is what earns it a place on this list of free Paris literary sites and on my list of the best Paris bookstores.

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Bonus: Paris bookstores & bouquinistes

If you’re looking for non-touristy Paris things to do, browsing for books in the many, English-language Paris bookshops is a great respite from the crowds. Shakespeare and Company is an undeniably touristy option, but there are so many more Paris bookshops worth checking out where you won’t be waiting in line or fighting crowds to get in.

Plus, the Paris bouquinistes have a long and storied history in Paris. You can read more about it on my post dedicated to Paris bookstores.

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Finding Accommodations in Paris

There are a lot of great arrondissements where you can stay in Paris, and they each have benefits and trade-offs. If you’re dreaming of waking up to Eiffel Tower views from your window, you’ll have to stay in arrondissements 15, 7, 16, or 8. However, you should know that that will put you a decent metro ride away from the other tourist sites, like the Louvre, Notre-Dame, and the Pantheon. My favorite arrondissement for lodging is 2, because it’s most central to my favorite Paris sights.

If you’re looking for privately owned vacation rentals, I recommend checking VRBO. I’ve personally had much better experiences with their owners and rentals than I have with their primary competitor.

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Paris has no shortage of literary sights, if you know how to navigate your way around Paris. Although I’ve been many times, I know there’s always more to explore. I love finding and exploring off the beaten path Paris sights.

What other literary locations should I put on my list for my next visit? Drop them in the comments!

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