Le Marais Guide

Le Marais is one of the most authentic district of Paris. As a result, le Marais is much appreciated by both locals and parisians. But it's not easy to discover what makes the Marais so unique because there are many hidden treasures to find to really enjoy fully the district. In this article we give you all the tips you need to know to fully appreciate your Marais experience. First of all we will introduce an itinerary for a perfect day trip in le Marais. Then we will give you the best infos about what to shop, what to eat and what to do in le Marais.

Where to shop in Le Marais?

Coming to Marais without shopping is like visiting France and no going to Louvre! Shopping is deeply in the district DNA. Plenty of international and local brands have opened their stores in the district since the last ten years. However, if you want a cool experience, we suggest some spots in particular. 

A L'O 1905 Paris

If you are looking for an authentic French fashion experience, make sure you don't walk past the concept store À L'O 1905 Paris. Discreetly tucked away on a Marais street corner, this understated boutique is a hidden gem for lovers of quality clothing, the kind of pieces you keep for a lifetime. Inside, you'll find a carefully curated selection of French brands rooted in exceptional artisanal craftsmanship, a world away from mainstream chains and busy shopping streets (Discover the story behind the boutique in our dedicated article).

Address : 92 Rue de Turenne, 75003 Paris
Opening hours : Wednesday - Saturday 11:30 - 19:30; Closed on Monday, Tuesday and Sunday

Merci

In le Marais, what you cannot miss is the famous select shop, called "Merci". This most representative select shop is filled with sensational inspiration. You can find designed interior goods, clothes and accessories, kitchen tools, and so on. The most popular products are Merci's original tote bags and bracelets with a medal which is often selected as a souvenir by tourists.

Address : 111 Boulevard Beaumarchais, 75003 Paris
Opening hours : 
Monday - Wednesday 10:30 - 19:30
Thursday - Friday 10:30 - 20:00
Saturday 10:00 - 20:00
Sunday 10:00 - 19:30

Kilo Shop

The second spots are the "KILO SHOPS". They are very representative of the fashion culture of Marais. There, you can find a lot of nice vintage items which can be the most fashionable. The price is also not expensive. In Kilo shops, you pay the price of your vintage clothes by their weight and not by their brands. The French fashion lovers usually come to Marais to find cool vintage clothes here. 

Address : 69 - 71 Rue de la Verrerie, 75004 Paris
Opening hours : 
Monday - Saturday 11:00-19:30
Sunday 14:00-19:30

What to eat in Le Marais?

There are so many options in the Marais that it's hard to choose the place to eat! Here are some suggestions of places we particularly like.

Legay Choc

For your breakfast, you can choose one of the famous bakeries of le Marais to grab a Croissant or a Pain au chocolat. For the experience, we advise you to have a look at "LEGAY CHOC" which is a symbol of the open-mindedness and humor of the Marais. Most of the breads and viennoiseries of this Bakery are made in a "special" shape. It is important to know that from the 1970's le Marais became a shelter for the homosexual community, and many people from the LGBT community started to open businesses and shops to create a gay-friendly area (at that time homosexuality was not well accepted in French society).

Address : 33 Rue Rambuteau, 75004 Paris
Opening hours : Monday - Sunday 6:30 - 20:00; closed on Tuesday

L'as Du Fallafel

For lunch we definitely advice you to try Jewish cuisine, especially Fallafel. Fallafel is a Jewish and middle eastern vegetarian sandwich with deep-fried chickpeas balls and vegetables. L'As du Fallafel is from far the most famous one, and it's common to queue half an hour before enjoying it. If you want to sit and have a more formal meal, there are also plenty of options such as Les Pinces (specialized on Lobsters and Rib steak) or Au Bourguignon du Marais  for traditional French food of Burgundy.

Address : 34 Rue des Rosiers, 75004 Paris
Opening hours : 
Sunday - Thursday 11:00 - 23:30
Friday 11:00 - 15:30
Closed on Saturday 

Carette

For afternoon tea time, you can go to Carette. The teahouse is perfectly located under the arcade of Place des Vosges, in a traditional building. But the place is a bit overpriced (both drinks and cakes). Last but not least, there are a lot of delicious Ice cream Shops around le Marais, such as Bachir, Pozzetto, La Glacerie… You can find more information on our dedicated article.

Address : 25 Place des Vosges, 75003 Paris
Opening hours : Daily 7:30 - 23:30

Boot Café

If you want to try a Parisian hottest cafe, Boot Café might be a great choice. It is a small hidden cafe which situates near Merci, but very known on Instagram. You can find the cafe with the bleu sign "CORDONNERIE" means shoe repair shop in French. They serve good quality hot or iced coffee, hot tea, and some pastry. There are a few seats inside and outside of the shop, so you can both enjoy to stay or to take out. Their kind staffs and outstanding interior design make you feel the fashionable and artistic vibes of Parisians.

Address : 19 Rue du Pont aux Choux, 75003 Paris
Opening hours : 
Monday - Wednesday 9:00 - 16:30
Thursday - Saturday 10:00 - 17:30
Sunday 10:00 - 17:00 

What to see in Le Marais?

Almost every corner is interesting in le Marais. And this is a consequence of the district History. To begin with, you need to know how the district identity and spirit were forged to enjoy fully your walk in the Marais.

"Marais" in French means swamp. Indeed, until the 12th century this area was a huge swamp. Paris was ending right before the Marais, an nowadays you can still see a remaining of the 12th century Wall (rue Charlemagne), which is well preserved. It's one of the very few parts of the wall that haven't been destroyed. It helps figuring out how small Paris was at that time! Paris population was just around 60 000 people.

The Marais was urbanized mostly during the 16th and the 17th century. The king Henri IV transformed this district into the political and economic center of the city. He built the amazing Place des Vosges which was the center of the royal administration. Nowadays Place des Vosges garden is a popular spot in summer for chilling out. Most of the buildings in the Marais dates back to that period: it is one of the few district that was not completely renew by Hausmann in the mid 19th century, which explains why the architecture there is so unique when comparing to other Parisian districts. 

By the way, if you visit place des Vosges, try to find the oldest (identified) graffiti in town! (1764, by "Nicolas") A small hint: it is on the pillar of the number 11 of Place des Vosges. Making graffitis at that time was much longer than nowadays! 

During this Golden Age, Marais was the place to be for the Aristocrats and the Elite. All the Rich Parisian families had their "Hôtel Particulier" (Mansion) in the district. Some of them are still there nowadays, such as Hôtel de Sens (on the above photo) or Hôtel de Sully.

During the 18th and the 19th century, the Aristocrats moved to newer part of the town, and Marais became a poorer district. A lot of migrants from Eastern Europe, especially Jewish, started to move to Marais in the late 19th century until the mid-20th century. Even if many Jewish of the Marais were deported and killed by the Nazis during the second world war, Marais is still one of the heart of the Jewish community in Paris, especially around the "Rue des Rosiers" where there are a lot of Jewish shops and restaurants. You can also admire the beautiful Agoudas Hakehilos Synagogue, 10 rue Pavée.

More recently, since the 1970's, Marais has become one of the best Parisian spot for fashion and Arts, since many artists, designers and concept shops started to flourish in the district. So if you love culture and arts, you will find plenty of Art galleries in the district, especially around Place des Vosges. But there are also a lot of Museums to discover such as Musée Carnavalet (dedicated to the history of Paris) and Musée Picasso. Musée Picasso is located in an Hôtel Particulier of the 17th century (Hôtel Salé) and displays thousands of works of the artist and several temporary exhibitions every year. For more information, you can look at our Musée Picasso article. 

We also want to mention about an "hidden place" that is seen by everyone: Tour Saint Jacques. Indeed, even if it is impossible to miss this high tower, most of the people, including Parisians, know nothing about the building. It's actually the remaining clock tower of a 16th century gothic Church that was destroyed during French revolution. From this 54 meters high tower, you can enjoy and incredible view of le Marais and the whole Paris. Unfortunately, the Tour Saint-Jacques is currently closed for renovation works, and no reopening date has been announced yet. 

.

Last but not least, you can find pretty much everywhere Street art in le Marais! Indeed the street artists love the district, and their performances are much appreciated by the locals. Among all the famous French street artist, we are going to introduce one to you: "Invader". We chose him because you literally can't come to Paris without ending up finding one of his art pieces... This 50 years old artist (his real name is Franck Slama) created the past 20 years more than 3000 ceramic tile mosaics all over the world, mostly in Paris. His mosaics represent usually pixelized Aliens and Animals. He also created an APP called Flashinvaders, which is a game whe you can scan and "capture" his mosaic artworks in the street of Paris, and accumulate points, like in video games!

Words and Photographs by O'bon Paris Team