Paris is one of my favourite cities for a short summer break. Not only is it easy to get to, but there’s always loads going on. To make my holiday budget stretch further, I always search for cheap central Paris hotels – after all, I’m hardly ever in my room so don’t want to fork out too much for somewhere to sleep! It also means I can treat myself to plenty of coffee and cake, as well as a shopping trip or two.

If you’ve seen the main attractions and fancy going somewhere a little bit different, there are some fantastic exhibitions planned for the summer, and below is a roundup of the best ones.

Tim Burton, the exhibition

I’ve seen several of Tim Burton’s movies, including Edward Scissorhands, Batman Returns, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland and Sweeney Todd and I think the exhibition dedicated to him looks fantastic. It finishes on August 5th, so make sure you head to the Cinematheque, 51, rue de Bercy before then. You’ll need to take the train to Gare de Lyon, or hop off the metro at Bercy.

Come here and you can take in drawings, film clips, costumes and storyboards from his films, as well as get a glimpse into his creative work as a student and behind-the-scenes footage of his movies.

Tutankhamun – his tomb and his treasures

There’s something fascinating about the Ancient Egyptians, and the Tutankhamun – his tomb and his treasures exhibition at the Parc des Expositions de Paris ,1, place de la Porte de Versailles is a must-see for fans of the period. It runs until September, so there’s still plenty of time for you to catch it.

If you do get the chance to visit, you’ll see a reconstruction of his treasures and tomb, the original of which remain a fascinating sight some 90 years later after they were discovered by archaeologist Howard Carter.

Bob Dylan, the rock explosion

Head to Paris before July 15th and you’ll get the opportunity to visit the Bob Dylan, the rock explosion exhibition at the Cite de la Musique. Porte de Pantin is the closest metro stop to the 221 Avenue Jean-Jaures location. The event focuses on the height of his career between 1961 and 1966, when the star moved more towards rock’n’roll and away from folk.

The exhibition’s been curated by the LA Grammy Museum so you’re in for a treat, including unpublished photographs, documents, artefacts and rare audiovisual archives. You might also recognise some of his hits from the period, such as Subterranean Homesick Blues and Blowin’ in the Wind. Even if you were too young to remember Dylan’s career (or perhaps you weren’t even born!), it’s certainly an interesting way to while away a couple of hours.

Helmut Newton

If, like me, you’re interested in fashion, you’ll love the Helmut Newton retrospective exhibition. Head to the Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais on Avenue Winston Churchill (get off the metro at Champs-Elysees-Clemenceau) before June 17th and you’ll be greeted by some of the photographer’s most famous work, including shoots for some of the world’s leading fashion magazines. If you’ve a subscription to Harper’s Bazaar or Vogue, this is definitely the exhibition for you. It was conceived by Newton’s wife June, who you might also otherwise know as Alice Springs.

If you’ve booked a break to Paris, which of the exhibitions do you think you’ll try and visit?