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[Cemendur]

I'll be turning 18 and i believe i'll be going with my 20 year old sister, and this will be my first trip to France and I would love to hear some suggestions on the best things to do in Paris. If it's economical, it's a plus!

[Almarian]

You can walk across the Seine for about 2 kilometers and probably no more than that. It is free.

Avoid the Moulin Rouge at all costs. The cover charge is very exorbitant. You can take pictures of the facade of it, still.

You can also walk across parts of the Champs-Elysees, the famous boulevard in that city. Also, you can approach the Arc de Triomphe at the boulevard's end.

Take a stroll across the Place de la Bastille. Marie Antoinette and other enemies of the French Republic were guillotined there around 1790 or so during the storming of the Bastille.

The Tour de France bike race has its final stage in Paris around late July. You can see the bike racers go across the Champs-Elysees for free....if you can get a good vantage point.

Bastille Day of course is the day for firecrackers...if you like noise on that day. On Bastille Day eve, you can ask some Parisian to borrow firecrackers that you can shoot off. Be careful. Firecrackers are dangerous! And of course, the day is known for public fireworks. They will be fired around the Eiffel Tower or at the Trocadero or at the Invalides on Bastille Day night. Even if you 10 blocks away from the fireworks show, you will hear the shells and see them. The day is also known for gay balls at midnight (the first minutes of the holiday)....but you better try to find gay balls you can dance in for free.

[Araglas]

i went last year and i was 18 at the time also. The funnest thing by far is just walking round the main areas of paris, like the ones in the centre, you run into all the attractions as you go aswell as the many awsome gardens and parks and its FREE

As for big attractions - The louvre is great from the outside but definatly daunting in the inside, museums like the musee rodin or musee d'orsay are better if you like that stuff. I was very skeptical of the eiffel tower as a must see but i gave in and i did enjoy the view of everything. The other big site, Versailles is overpriced and rated, you can walk around all the gardens 4 for free but its like 15e basically to see the hall of mirrors.
If you want act like a parisien have a drink or something cheap at a bistro, perhaps a little away from the centre, maybe near the canal st martin? its lovely there. if youre like you can play some pentaque with the locals or even ping pong at the tables along side the canal.
As for tours sandemans does free walking tours aimed specifically at young backpackers that are a good overall source of info. Most hostels have brochures about them. They also have a cheap pub crawl where they give you free drinks which is good if you want to meet some other people who speak english.

One last tip, buy a carte orange or whatever its called now its way cheaper than the ripoff Paris visite pass

hope i've helped

[Hurin-Thalion]

I highly recommend any of Rick Steves' books that has Paris/France in it. I've been to Paris quite a few times, and the first few times I went, I carried this book with me and discovered many easy-to-understand walking tours that he laid out in his book, along with many cool tips about lodging, eating, and sight-seeing. It's also full of money and time-saving tips. Book will run you about 15-20 bucks, but it's definitely a great investment and will make a good read for planning your trip schedule while on the plane.

Bon voyage!!
My personal favorites: P.S. If you're going to be in Paris for 3 days or more and plan to see at least three of the museums, invest in the museum pass. I think you can buy these at the airport and the metro, and definitely at one of the museums.
The Louvre
Notre Dame and Ile de la Cite in general
Montmartre
Eiffel Tower
--definitely have to do a Bateau-Mouche ride on the Seine!
Les Invalides (Napoleon's tomb and army museum)
St. Chapelle