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Number 11 of 20 in Paris

Le Marais: the Paris that was never rebuilt

Most of central Paris was rebuilt in the nineteenth century. Le Marais was left alone, and it is the one quarter where the streets, the mansions and the squares of the seventeenth century are still standing.

The Place des Vosges in Le Marais, houses of red brick and stone over arcades around a garden.
Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0
What it is
Walk
Time to allow
2 to 3 hours
Cost
Free
Best time
Sunday afternoon

Paris this week

    Why Le Marais is worth it

    Le Marais lies on the Right Bank, across the 3rd and 4th arrondissements. When Henry IV built the Place Royale here, between 1605 and 1612, it became the smartest address in France, and the nobility filled the streets around it with town houses. Then the court moved to Versailles, the quarter went out of fashion, and nobody thought it worth knocking down.

    The result is a neighbourhood made for wandering. Carriage gates open onto courtyards and gardens. Several of the mansions are now museums, the Musée Picasso and the Musée Carnavalet, the museum of the history of Paris, among them. The rue des Rosiers has been the heart of Jewish Paris for centuries, and its bakeries and falafel counters are busy on the one day the rest of the city is shut.

    It is also where Parisians shop, eat and go out. Come for the square and the history, and stay for the afternoon.

    What to see

    1. Place des Vosges

      A perfect square, 140 metres a side, of thirty-six houses of red brick and stone over arcades. It was inaugurated in 1612 as the Place Royale and is one of the first planned squares in Europe. Sit on the grass in the middle.

    2. Victor Hugo's house

      The writer lived at number 6, in a corner of the square, from 1832 to 1848. The apartment is now a museum.

    3. Rue des Rosiers

      The main street of the old Jewish quarter, narrow and crowded, lined with bakeries, delicatessens and the falafel shops people queue for.

    4. The mansions

      Walk the rue des Francs-Bourgeois and look through every open gate. The grand houses of the seventeenth century are behind them, around paved courtyards.

    How to do it well

    • Go on a Sunday. Most of Paris closes, and the Marais does the opposite: the shops are open and several streets are closed to cars.
    • Start at the Saint-Paul metro, walk up to the Place des Vosges, then west along the rue des Francs-Bourgeois and down the rue des Rosiers.
    • Eat standing up. A falafel from the rue des Rosiers, taken to the Place des Vosges, is one of the best cheap lunches in Paris.
    • Push open any gate that is not locked. Many courtyards and small gardens are public and unsigned.
    • The Saturday is the Jewish sabbath, and many shops on the rue des Rosiers are closed.

    Where it is

    Address

    Around the Place des Vosges, 3rd and 4th arrondissements

    Nearest station

    Saint-Paul, on line 1

    Museums and sights nearby

    Distances are in a straight line.

    Tickets and tours: Le Marais

    Le Marais: common questions

    What is Le Marais known for?
    For being the best preserved old quarter of Paris: the Place des Vosges of 1612, mansions of the seventeenth century, several of them now museums, the old Jewish quarter around the rue des Rosiers, and some of the best small shops and restaurants in the city.
    What is the oldest square in Paris?
    The Place des Vosges, in Le Marais. Henry IV had it built between 1605 and 1612, and it was first called the Place Royale. It took its present name in 1800.
    Is Le Marais open on Sunday?
    Yes, and it is the best day to go. Shops in the Marais open on Sunday when most of Paris is closed, and several of its streets are closed to traffic.
    How much time do you need for Le Marais?
    Allow 2 to 3 hours. That is this site's estimate for an unhurried visit.

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