First Sunday mornings (Oct-Mar only):

• Louvre: 9am-6pm, enter via Pyramide to avoid Rue de Rivoli crowds

• Musée d'Orsay: 9:30am-6pm near Solférino Métro

• Centre Pompidou: 11am-9pm at Châtelet-Les Halles

Always free:

• Musée Carnavalet (Paris history): Never crowded, tells story from Lutèce to Haussmann renovations

• Petit Palais on Champs-Élysées: Beautiful Belle Époque building, solid collection

• Musée Cognacq-Jay in Marais: Hidden gem on Rue Elzévir

Arrive right at opening for free days — Lines stretch to Place du Carrousel by 10am. Skip the Museum Pass at €78 for 2 days unless you're hitting Orsay, Rodin, Arc de Triomphe plus Louvre.