The Marais, on Foot, a Self-Guided Paris Walk
2h30. 1.7 miles. From Place des Vosges to Village Saint-Paul.
The Marais is the best walking neighborhood in Paris: grand squares, free museums, the old Jewish quarter, and the city's oldest covered market, all in a few compact blocks. This is a half-day at an easy pace, built to end with lunch.
The local move
Do it on a Sunday. The Marais is one of the only parts of Paris where the shops open, so the streets are alive when the rest of the city is shut.
Best time to go
Late morning start, so you reach the market for lunch. Sunday for the buzz, Wednesday to Saturday for the museums.
When to avoid it
Monday: the covered market and several museums are closed.
The stops
Merci Concept Store
A three-floor concept store in an old fabric factory, with the little red Fiat parked out front. Design, homeware, clothes.
Tip: You don't have to buy a thing. The used-book cafe downstairs is a lovely quiet coffee stop mid-walk.
Marche des Enfants Rouges
The oldest covered market in Paris, from 1615. Now a warren of small food stalls, Moroccan to Italian to Japanese.
Tip: This is your lunch stop. Grab a plate from one stall, sit at the shared tables. Closed Mondays, busiest 1pm, so come a touch early.
Musee Picasso
The world's largest Picasso collection, in the beautiful Hotel Sale. Worth it even if Picasso isn't your thing, for the building alone.
Tip: Book the timed ticket online the night before. Walk-ups wait; booked visitors skip the line.
Rue des Francs-Bourgeois
The Marais shopping spine. Independent boutiques, a few chains, and beautiful old facades above the shop windows.
Tip: Look up. The best details are on the first floor and roofline, not in the windows. This is one of the rare Paris streets where shops open on Sunday.
Rue des Rosiers
The heart of the historic Jewish quarter, narrow and lively, half old bakeries and half fashion now.
Tip: Come hungry even after the market. The falafel here is the reason half of Paris walks over on a Sunday.
L'As du Fallafel
The falafel everyone argues about and most agree on. Green door, always a line.
Tip: Order the 'special' to go from the street window, not the sit-down side. The line moves fast and it's half the wait.
Musee Carnavalet
The museum of the history of Paris, set in two Marais mansions. Free, and one of the most underrated stops in the city.
Tip: It's free, so dip in for even twenty minutes. The Proust bedroom and the old shop signs are the parts people remember.
Place des Vosges
The oldest planned square in Paris, from 1612. Thirty-six matching pink-brick pavilions around a quiet garden of lime trees.
Tip: Walk the vaulted arcades all the way around before you sit. Victor Hugo's house is at No. 6, corner right, and it's free to visit.
Hotel de Sully
A grand private mansion from the reign of Henri IV. Most people miss that it connects straight through to Place des Vosges.
Tip: Cut through the two courtyards and the little door in the far corner. It pops you onto rue Saint-Antoine without backtracking.
Village Saint-Paul
A cluster of hidden courtyards linked by passages, full of antique and vintage dealers. Most tourists walk right past the doorways.
Tip: Enter from rue Saint-Paul and just wander the linked courtyards. It's calm, and it's the perfect slow end before the metro at Saint-Paul.
About these walks
This is one of the free self-guided Paris walks written by the Chic Trip team, locals who plan and book full Paris trips for American travelers. Get our free insider Paris guide at chic-trip.com/free-paris-guide, or have us plan your whole trip at chic-trip.com/paris-travel-planner.
