Housed in what were once seventeenth and eighteenth century hôtel particuliers (urban mansions) of the French nobility, the Musée Carnavalet pays homage the beautiful and bloody history of Paris. A patchwork of shop signs, custom furniture, paintings, and numerous other types of objets d’art, the Carnavalet is especially good for discovering la vie quotidienne of Paris throughout its long history. Short visits must include a walk through the revolutionary rooms. Brimming with bits of paraphernalia, the collection boasts guillotine printed teapots and souvenir stones from the Bastille. Return and browse at your leisure, this Marais gem is owned by the city of Paris, which means of course it’s gratuit!