Want to find free concerts in Paris? Want to see if your favorite Alfred Hitchcock movie is showing? You have to go to your nearest newsstand and ask for a “Pariscope, s’il vous plait.” It will cost you 40 “cents” and it should be your go-to source for finding out what’s happening. It comes out every week on Wednesday. There is a theater section, a movie section, an arts/exhibitions section, a music section, and a restaurant section. Last Saturday, at 4:00 PM, I went to a free concert at a church in the 3rd arrondisement, featuring music of the 18th century. It was a group called “Les Muses Galantes” and they perform each month, once in a church on the Left Bank and once in a church on the Right Bank. Though the concert was free, they did ask 5 euros if you wanted a copy of the program, to support the musicians, and, of course, for donations if you enjoy the music. It was a small group of musicians and singers and they were absolutely wonderful. And I found out about it in Pariscope. There were a huge variety of other concerts listed, some free, and some for a fee.

Or how about a movie? Instead of choosing the concert, I could have gone to see North by Northwest- a Hitchcock classic. It was playing in the 5th arrondisement. When was the last time you got to see a Hitchcock movie in a theater?

Pariscope will let you know all the great things to do during your Paris visit. Too bad it can’t help you figure out how to get it all done before it’s time to head back home….