My Paris Guide: Le Marais

Welcome to the Marais (and if you're looking for the guide to the Bastille, click here, the general guide to Paris click here).

Let's start in the heart of the Marais, the Place des Vosges. I used to chase pigeons in this park when I was a little girl because my grandmother lived in the square. It's one of the oldest squares in all of paris and is a great place to rest after a long day or to just grab some lunch and hang out on the grass. While I was there, from one day to the next, the leaves started to change.




From here you'll find the rue des Francs Bourgois and I recommend that you walk it all the way to Beaubourg. All along are great little shops and chic Parisians strutting their stuff. turn right or left off of this street onto Rue Vieille du Temple or Rue de Temple and you'll find shops and interesting moments everywhere.

A couple of shops I love in the area:





Autour du Monde
8 rue des francs Bourgeois
12 rue des Francs Bourgeois
75003 Paris




Les Archives de la Presse
51 rue des Archives
75003 Paris




Muji (in the Marais)
47 rue des Francs Bourgeois
75004 Paris



Le Petit Atelier de Paris (not to be missed!).



A hardware store and department store. check out the basement level for the legs to those fantastic flea market tables and also lots of fun french signs and doorknobs and such. It's right across the street from the Hotel de Ville.
BHV
14 rue du Temple
75004 Paris






FR 66. All French designers, all picked by the heads of FR66, Corinne and Maryline Brustolin . A lot of the pieces are made from recycled elements and a lot of the pieces have a sense of humor. I loved how sleek but slightly silly the pieces were and how carefully chosen the showroom floor was.

25 Rue de Renard
75004 Paris



Portobello
(I forgot to write down the address and can't find them online, walk around you might find it!).


Rue des Rosiers is the Jewish area of quarter and here you can find incredible falafel and a good amount of hip shops and lots and lots of people.


And finally, the Pompidou Center, or as the French call it, Beaubourg. It's modern art museum, the building itself is incredible and was widely lauded and hated when it was first constructed. Go to the top level to eat at Georges and to get one of the best views of paris!