Free Art: Musée Carnavalet's Permanent Collection

There are tons of ways to enjoy Paris art for free, from galleries to free museum Sundays, but many of Paris' loveliest museums boast permanent collections that are free to visit every single day. My personal favorite is the Musée Carnavalet, dedicated to the cultural history of Paris.

Cheap Thrills: Hôtel de Ville

(Photo via Wikipedia)

When my mom first came to Paris, we were in the Marais and as we walked past the Hôtel de Ville, I pointed it out to her and she said, "Wow, I wish we were staying in THAT hotel!"

Easy mistake, but it's not, of course, a hotel at all... the "hôtel de ville" of any French town is the city center or town hall. It's where you go to sort out administrative woes and pick up brochures for what's happening around town. But Paris takes the concept much further and its Hôtel de Ville goes way beyond its definition as a city center. This magnificent structure has been around since the 1357 and is so much more than "the city's local administration" (as Wikipedia has described it).

Cheap Paris Art: Kaitlin Rebesco Photography

("Lovers at the Louvre," by Kaitlin Rebesco, $30)

Kaitlin Rebesco's photography has a distinctive kind of intimacy to it, a feeling of ephemerality and beauty that inspires a sense of lovely wistfulness. Rebesco's photos perfectly capture a feeling of fleeting happiness - whether that's youth, or love, or sunshine, or simply being in Paris while knowing you will have to leave it. The Chicago native says of her time in the City of Light, "Paris is such a picturesque city but one that at times, to me, feels almost melancholic. This sort of quiet and beautiful sadness is a feeling I tried to depict in my own work, using a lot of white space and minimalist compositions. But Paris, like everything else, is always changing, and that change is an inspiration."

Cheap Art: Paris Maps

(Paris at night from space, via Lense.fr)

I don't know about any of you other travelers out there, but I absolutely adore maps. Putting aside the fact that I'm terrible at reading them, something about seeing a city laid out in a logical, vibrant way really appeals to my aesthetic. I like to collect maps and paper my walls with them, putting a pin in each place I've been. That's why for this Paris art roundup I've found a bunch of artistically interpreted Paris maps for you to buy for cheap, hang on your wall and get your wanderlust going.

Personally, I'd download the full-sized version of the above photo of Paris from space, frame it and hang it on my wall.

I'm mad for this colorful, blocky, mod rendering of Paris for just $30 by JazzberryBlue.

(via JazzberryBlue's Etsy)

This arrondissement-ized map via Ork Posters, just $22, also comes in three other color combos and the higher-quality screen prints are only a few bucks more at $27.

(via Ork Posters)

The Paris Print Shop, for whom I've professed my adoration before, sells not only illustrations but photography as well, as displayed in this stunning color-by-arrondissement Paris map for $28.

(via Paris Print Shop's Etsy)

This typography map of Paris is just gorgeous and just $10.95, but it's not geographically accurate (locations are repeated and placed willy-nilly).

(via ParisPhotoShop's Etsy)

For you crafty types out there, you can make your own embroidered Paris Métro map like the lovely one below for just the cost of supplies. DIY instructions here.

(via College Life DIY)

Or you can have this beautiful vintage Paris map from 1924, just $16, nicely framed.

(Via CarambasVintage on Etsy)

More Cheap Paris Art: HPrints Vintage French Ads

(1923 La Vie Parisienne cover, $23)

I'm a huge fan of vintage ads. Many days when all of the advertising we're bombarded with every day get to me, I wonder if someday I'll look back on today's ads with the kind of marvelling wonder with which I see a Bernard Villemot print from the '60s. But right now I have good news for my fellow penny-pinching vintage ad lovers: I've stumbled upon a vertitable treasure trove of vintage French ads from all decades of the 20th century. From fashion prints to old Vogue and La Vie Parisienne covers to auto and lingerie ads, HPrints has everything your vintage-loving heart desires. You can find old ads for luxury brands like Givenchy, Balenciaga, YSL and Chanel, cosmetic ads from Lancôme and Guerlain, auto ads promoting the likes of Peugeot, Citroën and Rolls Royce, even booze ads for Hennessy, Cointreau and Campari. HPrints sell only original prints, mostly from periodicals and never later reprints, so you know you're getting an authentic vintage print. And what's more: they are cheap as hell.

Cheap Art: The Paris Print Shop

($24 by The Paris Print Shop)

Oh look, I've discovered a new favorite Paris art obsession: these illustrations by the husband and wife team at the Paris Print Shop. You might know Nichole Robertson from her blog Little Brown Pen, which is now called Obvious State. LBP was renowned for Robertson's photos of Paris in all its varying color collections. What a nice compliment to her work to see that her husband, Evan, is such a fantastic illustrator/designer.

Cheap Art: 59 Rivoli

(Jazz Pas Grave at 59 Rivoli)

The artists' squat 59 Rivoli is always hoppin', always creative and always open to the public. Having just passed their 13th anniversary in a building formerly abandoned by Crédit Lynonnais, the now-legal squat is full of studios where artists work (some permanently, some in residence for 3-6 months) and display their art. Passing by the space, prominently situated on rue de Rivoli with massive windows into the gallery, you might find a new exhibition being opened (which happens every two weeks) or a free concert going on (each weekend).

Free Art: Portes Ouvertes

If you love art, love discovering new artists, and dig the "gallery walk" experience, step it up a notch and take advantage of Paris' periodic "portes ouvertes," where you can wander a neighborhood checking out artists' ateliers and newest wares. Read all about it over at Girls' Guide to Paris.

PS - the artist squat 59 Rivoli have their portes ouvertes Tuesday through Sunday all year!

Pro Tip: How To Survive A Free Museum Sunday

 (1/25th of the line at Musée d'Orsay)

Paris' Free First Sundays at some of its biggest museums is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, you have to deal with shoulder-pushing crowds of people and lines so long they eventually become hilarious. On the other hand, dude, it's free. This weekend boasts one of those Sundays. Here's how to survive the former in order to enjoy the latter.