When you are young, it is not always easy to conciliate student budget and gym subscription. But why not enjoy your studies in Paris, to work both on your head and your legs? Be My Nounou lists the numerous low cost solutions and atypical good deals to animate your sports sessions in the heart of the capital.

For a cultural jog

With its parks, its long avenues, and its quays, Paris is the ideal place to workout while discovering the city. Along the banks of the Seine, you can enjoy a 7 km cycle and pedestrian path that will take you along the most beautiful monuments of Paris: The Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Pantheon, the Musée d’Orsay.

At the Buttes de Chaumont, climb the 222 steps to have access to the Sacré Coeur and the breathtaking view over Paris, will be a perfect cardio training exercise.

To practice in a more peaceful place, you can go jogging at the Jardin du Palais Royal, which is not a very touristy garden but offers wonderful sights to see.

Need a boost? You can download tourist running apps like Runnin’City, Urbirun or Paris Running Tour that offer you personalized courses to run while visiting the Parisian cultural heritage.

Good to know: Every year, the Run My City 9km race is organized to discover the most noteworthy places in Paris. To register, inquire at the Paris Tourist Office and the Paris City Hall. A sports bet for those who love challenge!

Join a fitness class

If you prefer to workout in a more formal setting, head to gyms such as the Reebok CrossFit Louvre, the Dynamo Cycling Opera, or the CMG Sport Club. For a 100 euros per month subscription, you will find tailor-made sports programs, high-end installations and very “Instagram friendly” atmospheres.

For small budget, know that you will find in Paris many low-cost gyms like Fitness Park, Neoness or KeepCool that offer subscriptions to the room around 10€-20€ per month where you will have access to a multitude of machines , group classes and services.

The fitness rooms of Paris include all traditional and innovative sports activities: boxing, crossfit, spinning, yoga and pilates, bootcamp, running, dance, aquapalming, fitballet, crosstraining … Choose a gym session that suits your personality and sports goals to try to make the subscription as profitable as possible!

Good to know: Being a student in France is also to take advantage of discounts on sports subscriptions on presentation of a student card or proof of schooling.

Practice sports at your university

Universities offer on average 30 physical and sports activities, collective or individual, within their campus: dance, climbing, football, fencing, gymnastics, bodybuilding, parachuting, boxing, squash, waterpolo … With the CROUS of Paris, you will be able to practice your sport before or after your university courses at a lower cost or for free.

If you are a challenger, you can participate in sports university competitions. In some universities, the practice of a sports activity can even bring you additional points or bonuses at the end of the semester.

Good to know: The Paris Université Club offers sports activities deals and ski holidays at very attractive rates for students.

Free workout

Parisian parks are an ideal setting sports activities for weekend athlete. On Sundays mornings from 9am to 12pm, take a tour of the Bois de Boulogne for jogging sessions or in the Jardin du Luxembourg for muscle strengthening exercises supervised by animators from the City of Paris.

Yoga lover? Free sessions are offered on the banks of the Seine (at the port of Gros Caillou) Saturdays from 10am to 11am or at the Wanderlust, (quai d’Austerlitz) Sundays from 12:30pm to 13:30pm. Want to try Chinese martial arts? The Parc des Buttes de Chaumont offers the opportunity for passersby to practice tai chi with a master all week long, from 9am to 10am.

Moreover, if you have the social spirit, you can join one of the many associations which organize hiking, biking or even roller skating session on Sundays afternoons at various meeting points in Paris. Paris Rando Bike, Roller Squad Institute, French Federation of Hiking: sports activities in group and for free!

If you are a foreign student living in Paris, you can choose among the many free sports classes on paris.fr and paris-friendly.fr

The city hall also provides sports equipment in open access. The objective? Workout without spending anything! Soccer pitches, rugby stadiums, athletics tracks, water basin and even pétanque courts if you want to try this typical French sport!

If you live near the western of Paris, the Rives de Seine Park allows you to participate in various sports workshops and events on the banks of the Seine: yoga, boxing, fitness, pilates, running. In summer, During the summer, with Paris Plage, the park is transformed into a giant gym space with swimming pools, mini-golf and dance classes.

Close to the east of Paris? The Bois de Vincennes provides self-service access to a 2.4 km fitness trail and a sports circuit with fixed bars and beams available 24/7. You will not be able to find an excuse anymore!

Alone in Paris? In the big cities of France, you can find running cams, tennis, or sports volunteers to form a team. Sign up for Wanted Sport groups in your city to workout with motivated people. A smart opportunity to meet young people “in real life” around a common center of ​​interest.

The advantage of living in Paris is also to be able to make walking a sport. If you only have two subway stations, go for walking, the easiest way to exercise without realizing it. And promised, the journey time will not be longer! The Parisian train stations also play the sport card but in a fun way by installing in the halls elliptical bikes that can recharge your phone… as long as you pedal!

Good to know: Parisians under 26 years old can benefit from a reduction rate in municipal pools.

Anglophone-friendly gym classes in Paris

A one-hour fitness session is hard enough in your native language. So in French … As a foreign student or expatriate, do not let the language barrier stop you from practicing a sporting activity.

Fortunately, whether you know how to speak French or not, you can workout in Paris by heading to fitness classes for English speakers. Animated classes in English, bilingual teachers, native English managers: you will feel at home! 

You can choose to practice fitballet at BarreShape, spiritual yoga at the Centre de Yoga du Marais, indoor spinning at Kiwill or military bootcamp at Studio Midtown without having to be fluent in French.

Good to know: The prices vary between 16€ and 25€ the training’s hour with sometimes free first session.

Still not motivated? What if you become a babysitter for children aged between 3 to 12 years old? Childcare is the perfect opportunity to get busy: running after kids, doing activities, tying them in their car seats. Children make you work your cardio. And do not forget that laughing so much at their side will make you work your abs!

If you are looking for an active job, and you are a sporty and dynamic student, join our fun community and become one of our BAE * (Babysitter Awesome and Enthusiastic)!

 Apply now for a English speaking nanny position and #JoinTheFun