What to do in Paris this weekend (13–15 November 2026)

On Friday, Fragonard opens its centenary exhibition on the quai de Conti. A few streets away, a photography show has taken over nine rooms at Hôtel La Louisiane. If you’re deciding what to do in Paris this weekend, start with those two in Saint-Germain, or save Saturday for the Pont Neuf brocante and a walk after dark in the Bois de Vincennes.

What to do in Paris this weekend on the Left Bank

See Fragonard’s perfume bottles and costumes at the Monnaie de Paris

Fragonard was founded in Grasse in 1926. For its hundredth anniversary, the perfume house has brought together eighteenth-century paintings, clothes and decorative objects from its collections. I’d start with the flacons and the nécessaires, the fitted cases that held personal accessories. Seeing them alongside the clothes gives you a sense of how scent fitted into getting dressed. Monnaie de Paris exhibition details

Go · Friday 13 to Sunday 15 November, 11 am–6 pm. Last admission at 5:30 pm. Monnaie de Paris, 11 quai de Conti or 2 rue Guénégaud, 6th. €12 full price, €8 reduced, free for under-26s. Pick a time through the museum’s ticket office. Book the Fragonard exhibition

There’s also a 45-minute perfume-making workshop in French for ages eight and up. The €30 full-price workshop ticket includes the exhibition and museum, and you take home a 12 ml bottle of the eau de toilette you blend. Book the perfume workshop

If the exhibition leaves you wanting to smell a few things yourself, my guide has perfume shops in Paris where you can take your time at the counter.

See Chantal Akerman in a hotel on rue de Seine

The Silent Watchers is a temporary PhotoSaintGermain exhibition staged in nine rooms at Hôtel La Louisiane. Chantal Akerman’s Hotel Monterey turns its attention to the corridors, lifts and rooms of a New York hotel. There’s a particular pleasure in seeing a film about looking closely at a hotel while you’re walking from room to room in one yourself. PhotoSaintGermain exhibition programme · Fondation Chantal Akerman

Go · Friday 13 to Sunday 15 November, 2–7 pm. Hôtel La Louisiane, 60 rue de Seine, 6th. Free entry. The festival lists public opening hours and gives no reservation link for the exhibition. Ask at reception for the exhibition floor. Festival programme · Bicentennial programme listing

What to do in Paris this weekend if you like to browse

Cross the Seine for the Pont Neuf brocante

Professional secondhand dealers will set up around rue de la Monnaie and Pont Neuf on Saturday and Sunday. It’s the easiest stop to add to the Fragonard exhibition. Start on the Right Bank, give yourself time to look through the stalls, then cross the bridge to the quai de Conti for your museum slot. OHVL’s November agenda

Go · Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November, 7 am–7 pm. Rue de la Monnaie and Pont Neuf, 1st, by Pont Neuf métro. Free to browse, with walk-up access for visitors. Organizer’s listing with visitor hours and map

Meet French manufacturers at MIF Expo

MIF Expo is a public fair for products made in France, with stands for clothing, homewares, food and more. The reason to go in person is to ask the people at the stand where a garment was cut and sewn, or whether the parts on a piece of furniture can be replaced. The hall is large enough that it’s worth looking through the exhibitors in advance and picking a few you actually want to talk to. MIF Expo exhibitor directory

Go · Friday 13 and Saturday 14 November, 10 am–7 pm. Sunday 15 November, 10 am–6 pm. Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, 1 place de la Porte de Versailles, 15th. Use gate A2 for Hall 7.2. Free with advance registration, or €10 at the door, refunded with your first purchase. Get a free invitation · Organizer’s visitor information

Where to go after dark on Saturday or Sunday

Walk the lights at the Parc Floral

L’Odyssée Lumineuse opens on Saturday 14 November. It’s an outdoor route through the Parc Floral, with light sculptures and a new illuminated fountain show on the lake. The Black Fingers’ hand-shadow performance is also included, with shows scheduled for 6:40, 7:35 and 8:30 pm. Allow about an hour and a half if you want time for both the walk and a show. Organizer’s Parc Floral programme

Go · Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November, 5:30–10 pm. Last entry at 9:30 pm. Parc Floral de Paris, route de la Pyramide, 12th. Enter on the Château de Vincennes side. Dated tickets are €13 for adults and €11 for ages 3–12. Under-threes go free. The organizer strongly recommends booking ahead. Book a dated ticket

Paris weekend FAQ

Can I see Fragonard and PhotoSaintGermain in the same afternoon?

Yes. Both are in the 6th arrondissement, and the hotel exhibition opens at 2 pm. An early-afternoon Fragonard slot leaves time to walk from quai de Conti to rue de Seine and see the hotel show before it closes at 7 pm. Monnaie de Paris · PhotoSaintGermain

Is there a free market in central Paris this weekend?

The Pont Neuf brocante is free to browse on 14 and 15 November. The dealers set up in the 1st arrondissement near Pont Neuf métro. Brocante visitor information

Do I have to pay to get into MIF Expo?

MIF Expo is free if you register online first. Walk-up admission is €10, which the organizer refunds with your first purchase at the fair. MIF Expo visitor information

Is the Parc Floral light trail suitable for young children?

The organizer lists the route as pushchair-accessible and offers free admission for children under three. The 5:30 pm opening makes an early visit possible, and the first shadow show is scheduled for 6:40 pm. L’Odyssée Lumineuse visitor information

Leave a little room in the afternoon

I’d build the afternoon around one booked slot and leave the rest open. If you’re on rue de Seine when the light starts to go, make time for a coffee before heading home. There are several places within a few streets in my guide to cafés in Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

Featured photograph: Pont Neuf at night by Omarukai, licensed under CC BY 2.0.