Marais neighbourhood guided Tour
A guided tour of the Marais is a journey through time! The Marais is one of the most emblematic areas of Paris. It holds several of the most beautiful sites of the capital. Constructed on old marshland, only developed from the IVth century AD, the Marais became during the medieval and modern age a royal neighbourhood during the reign of Charles V.
Following on from the royal establishment, the neighbourhood became aristocratic and conducive to the establishment of religious orders such as the Jesuits, who had the magnificent Saint-Paul-Louis church built in the XVIIth century. Partly preserved during the Second Empire renovations (supervised by Eugene Haussmann), the Marais still today holds several hundred private mansions, whose pretty courtyards punctuate the winding roads of the neighbourhood, set around the Royal square (current place des Vosges).
After the Revolution, the private mansions, emptied of their furnishings and transformed into apartments, were the home of numerous craftsman’s workshops and the immigration of Jews from Eastern Europe. The Marais is still today the heart of the Paris jewish quarter and several emblematic buildings can still be seen there, such as synagogues or hammams.
The Marais was the home of a number of famous people such as Madame de Sévigné or Mesdames de Montespan and Maintenon.
What does a guided tour of the Marais with With’art include?
I suggest starting at the place Saint-Paul to then join the Place de Vosges area, via the Jewish quarter and the National Archives.
Today it is one of the preferred neighbourhoods of Parisians for a walk on the weekends in order to visit the private mansions, wander the winding roads and discover its gourmet boutiques! A visit you won’t want to miss out on during your stay in Paris!