Whether you're a couple, a family or on a solo getaway, there's nothing like a stroll through the Marais district!
How do I get there?
30 minutes by metro from the hotel, take line 6 towards Charles de Gaulle Etoile to the terminus, then line 1 towards Château de Vincennes to exit at Saint-Paul station.
Leaving Place Saint-Paul opposite the church, you enter a lively district via Rue Pavée. You enter via the Jewish quarter - or Pletzl in Yiddish - where the Jewish community first settled in the 13th century, then in the 19th century thanks to the Revolution and Napoleon. A plaque with the Hebrew name Pletzl can be found here. It was created in 2019 by artist Sebestyen Fiumei, and has been affixed to the corner of rue des Rosiers and rue des Hospitalières Saint-Gervais. Have you noticed it?
Rue des Rosiers: we turn here to pass Fallafel restaurants and get ideas for lunch 😋. Time already? Here we go. Still a bit of a wait, but it's quick. Take your sandwich from L'As du Fallafel, for example, and eat it in one of the neighborhood's bucolic squares (Square George Cain or Square Leopold Achille). Alternatively, you can walk past the Halle des Blancs-Manteaux, down the busy Rue des Francs Bourgeois to the Place des Vosges.
On your way back, don't forget to stop by the Pitzman patisserie! It's an institution, and the cakes are to die for.
Place des Vosges: take the tour! This square, where the writer Victor Hugo made his home, is lined with modern art stores, each as original as the next. You can also visit his house (visit the museum website).
Rue des Francs Bourgeois: in the mood for shopping? Rue des Francs Bourgeois is the place for you. Small, chic boutiques, perfumers, clothing brands, eyewear manufacturers, there's something for everyone. And don't forget to peek into the courtyard of the Musée Carnavalet. "Fun fact for your next dinner party: this street separates the3rd and4th arrondissements, with odd numbers belonging to the4th and even numbers to the3rd.
La Halle des Blancs-Manteaux: This former market was commissioned by NapoleonI in 1813 from architect Eloi Barre, who had just completed the Palais Brongniart. The market and the street owe their name to a former mendicant religious order that had settled here. Today, the Halle is a lively venue for dance classes, painting classes and temporary exhibitions.
But have you noticed the mosaics by Invader, who have been watching you all along?
From one street corner to another, from the Marais to Saint-Germain des Près, they take different forms. From the mythical Space Invader to Mario and Alice in Wonderland, the artist's colored squares are omnipresent and protean. Are you a collector? Then download the FlashInvader app and collect as many points as you can as you wander around the world!
Alternative walk: Do you like museums, or is the weather not always conducive to spending the day outdoors? The Marais district is packed with museums, including the Centre Pompidou, Musée Carnavalet and Musée Picasso.
