LE MARAIS

Le Marais (literally “the marsh” in French) is a district in Paris today containing some of Paris’ most charming and trendy boutiques and restaurants. (Like most of Paris, it also has its share of museums and churches.) Read this article to learn more!

A very fashionable district, various nightclubs and “hotspots” can be found in the Marais for those who wish to dine or dance in style. (It also has its share of spiritual, artistic and historic fun, as you will see below.) Spreading across parts of the 3rd and 4th arrondissements in Paris (on Right Bank of the Seine), it’s a great place for beautiful daytime walks and cool evening strolls.

Le Marais has it all. For the traveler who likes to quickly view the highlights of a major city and then sit and soak up some of the real atmosphere and life, Le Marais satisfies, with seemingly endless cafes, clubs, pubs, bars, and restaurants featuring every type of cusine imaginable. You may never enjoy a meal among more relaxed and stunningly beautiful surroundings.

There are still a few buildings here from the medieval period, half-timbered as one might encounter in Alsace, very near various vacation rentals central Paris. For fire protection reasons, most of the timbered facades have been plastered over. These are among the few that remain and are found along rue Francois Miron, with the oldest half-timbered house in the Marais (from the 1300s) found at 3 rue Volta, near rue des Vertus.

Paris is a town filled with museums and churches. For an interesting adventure from one of our furnished apartments in central Paris, look for the Musee de la Curiosite et de la Magie. Although the entrance is quite small and hidden and can be easily missed, it may just be worth your time. Restaurant Chez Marianne is also often considered to be one of the principle fixtures of the Marais. One of the most interesting streets here is the famous rue des Francs-Bourgeois. The street is also rare in that it is completely open on Sunday.

Another interesting aspect of the area is its diversity. The rue des Rosiers is still a major center of the Jewish community, where walls feature announcements of Jewish events, bookstores specializing in Jewish books, and numerous restaurants and other outlets selling kosher food. The neighborhood has also experienced a growing gay presence since the 1980s, as evidenced by the existence of many gay cafés, nightclubs, cabarets and shops. But perhaps the overriding theme here is the many young urban professionals, who fill the bistros and cafes near many available apartments in Paris with laughter and life.

The Marais gets its from 12th century history, when the Knights Templar cleared the marshlands to the north of Philippe Auguste's enclosure. From the 1500s on, royalty built large residences in the area, a trend sped up by the creation of the Place Royale (which would become the Place des Vosges) by Henri IV in 1605.

When the royal court moved residence to Versailles, the district fell into decline. Through new alignment rules and constructions, Haussmann's urban redevelopment only marginally affected the Marais, lending irregular width to many of the neighborhood’s streets.

In 1969, André Malraux made the Marais the first secteur sauvegardé (protected sector), as the area was home to many museums, art galleries and historic sites. As with other parts of Paris, this protection measure has lead to certain comical results, such as a "bakery" fronted shop that sells shoes.

An elegant symmetrical square in the Marais, Place des Vosges, which you can easily find from your Paris apartment rental Le Marais, was commissioned by Henry IV in 1605, and completed in 1612. This square was highly fashionable during the literary days of the 17th century, when it gained a reputation for lover's trysts, as some houses were famously occupied by the mistresses of members of the court, built to adjoin their own. The center of the square was frequently the site of duels. Today, the square is home to many restaurants and shops, but makes for an atmospheric place to sip a coffee and watch children play.

Victor Hugo lived in the Place des Vosges square while writing Les Miserables, and you can even take a tour of his house, the Maison de Victor Hugo in the southeast corner.