This small museum's treasured private collection includes a vast number of works by Berthe Morisot—the extraordinary female French impressionist. It also houses a strong collection of Monet’s paintings. The stunning hôtel particulier showcasing the entire collection presents a delightful stage.

I fortunately visit this rarely-crowded museum repeatedly. I daresay, there are a few things that could enhance patrons’ visits.

First, while their website allows regular visitors access to tickets online, it does not allow early purchase of the €4 audio guide clogging up their ticket line. Similarly, while the website “strongly recommends” reservations for people with free admission, yet this option has never functioned making it cumbersome for a ticketed visitor to enter at the same time as a non-ticketed guest. Visiting with a friend who holds such credentials I routinely witness the inconsistent staff-dependent entry protocols. She is sometimes allowed in at the door with the proper ID, other times required to stand in the non-ticketed line outside, and sometimes (but not always) required to stand in the separate ticket line inside, too. Be aware of this inefficacy.

Additionally, the locker policy is also strife with inconsistencies dependent upon which staff member is present. There are more than a couple dozen nice storage lockers inside between the staircase and ticket office, but the keys are only provided to a patron by the ticketing staff (kept in a stray cardboard box on their counter!). I try not to bring additional things to museums, but sometimes a package or large coat cannot be avoided. One young professional friend left work last week to go see the Morisot expo; she later explained she did not stay the entire time because, although more than half of the lockers stood empty, the staff told her they were only for backpacks—they would not allow storage of her heavy work laptop, and it was too burdensome to continue to carry it throughout the expo. I’ve sometimes seen keys handed to someone to store a moderate back pack, then denied to the next person with a larger carrying case. Be aware that whatever you have with you, you may be hauling it through the museum, especially a concern when many visitors are present or when winter means almost every guest is porting a huge parka once inside.

Audio guides. If I see an expo several times, I utilize the audio for one of those visits. The Monet Marmottan’s devices with headphones seem to be exclusively reserved for group tours. Non-tour-group visitors receive a small device with a volume control button (wish more people would figure that out), but if you bring an old-fashioned round-hole-jack earbud set, you can leisurely listen without bothering other guests. I keep one of these for the few museums who still used this out-dated audio technology. Also, be aware that this museum (like the Musée Luxembourg) stencils rather tiny numeric audio indicators for their text accompanying paintings; they are so small that I see many guests clamoring near the painting, pulling out reading glasses to discern the number.

Don’t let these inconveniences cause you to miss this museum—the collection is stellar. I just want to suggest ideas to allow patrons to enhance their visit and to alert you to kinks in the process to avoid or take in stride. Enjoy!