Le Marais
Le Marais meaning ‘marsh’ in old French is Paris's trendiest neighborhood located in the 3rd and 4rth district. Prized for its antique charm and narrow roads, it is Paris's most eclectic district. Le Marais is seen as the place to be for creatives in Paris, with numerous independent designers, art galleries, concept stores, artisanal coffee shops, local restaurants, vintage shops, and little courtyards. Some luxury mansions and palaces once owned by Paris most nobles’ families from the 17th century are to be seen in the quiet and ungentrified neighborhood of Le Marais.
Attractions
The Marais area is quite active during the day like the night, amongst its different touristic sites, can be cited : Place Des Vosges also known as Square Louis XIII and formerly called Place Royale, which is the oldest square in France holding a great historical value. Many famous people have lived in the red brick houses surrounding the square such as Cardinal Richelieu, Madame de Sévigné and the famous author of Les Miserables, Victor Hugo. In fact, the writer once lived at Number 6 of Place des Vosges, where he resided until his exile. The house turned into a free hidden museum dedicated to Victor Hugo, exhibiting his love letters and other antique art pieces. To add, the place holds more museums such as le Musée National de Picasso, la Maison Européenne de la photographie et L’atelier des lumières.
Restaurants, Bakeries & Bars
Le Marais neighborhood is packed with cuisines of every imaginable type, it is one of Paris's premier dining neighborhoods. This multi-ethnic and multi-cultural area of Paris shows the city’s cosmopolitanism. L’as du falafel on Rue des Rosiers is THE best spot for authentic falafel in Paris. Victim of its success, the small restaurant usually welcomes you with a queue and crowd in front of the premises. Worth the wait, l’As du falafel has attracted many celebrities such as Vanessa Paradis, Chris Hemsworth, or Lenny Kravitz. With fresh products, you will be delighted to discover Jewish food at this iconic Parisian spot. The area holds many more restaurants such as Saucette (a sausage bar) on Rue Beaubourg, Le tagine on rue de Curssol offering delicious Moroccan wines and tagines, or ISTR on Rue Notre Dame de Nazareth proposing seafood and Breton cuisine.
Facilities
Concerning the facilities in Le Marais area, The Centre Pompidou has a public information library inside its building. Located at the heart of Paris, on three floors, the library has a collection of over 430 000 documents in different formats (books, journals, movies, CDs, etc.). The library also offers meditation sessions and various events to promote the importance of knowledge and culture. The neighborhood also holds many gyms such as L’Usine Beaubourg on Rue Quincampois or Studio de Coaching TchiloLab on Rue Charles-Francois Dupuis offering great coaching sessions and training material in a calm and peaceful atmosphere. For supermarkets in the area, turn to Monoprix on Rue Saint Antoine or Rue du Temple. To finish, you can find a pharmacy on Rue des Archives for little emergencies.
