Things to avoid doing when you are in Paris

Do not miss the visit to smaller museums.

Paris is a treasure trove for small, gem-like museums, many of them at one-time private mansions that remain exactly as they were when the inhabitants, famous or not, lived there. The list is long: Jacquemart André, Gustave Moreau, Nissim de Camondo, Cernuschi, Musée de la Vie Romantique, Cognacq-Jay, Dapper, the Palais Galliera for fashion, and many more. Don’t forget the mid-size museums, like the Musée Carnavalet (the museum of the city of Paris), where you’ll find Marcel Proust’s actual bedroom; and the excellent Musée Guimet and its little-known offshoot, exquisite Musée d’Ennery. Many of these museums are run by the City of Paris and therefore free to the public. And on the first Sunday of the month, admission is free at every museum.