Le Marais District & Jewish Quarter - Exclusive Guided Walking Tour

Start by understanding the historic importance of the Marais, which once laid beyond the center of Paris. Today, it is at the heart of the city. Discover the Church of Saint Paul and Saint Louis before walking through the courtyard of the majestic Hotel de Sully. Continue experiencing the royal history of the Marais by exploring the pristine Place des Vosges, a public square with unparalleled beauty in Paris. Afterwards, move forward in time to learn all about the bustling Jewish community that put the Marais on the map through the 18th and 19th centuries. Wander the bakeries and boutiques of the Pletzl before strolling the shop-laden rue des Francs Bourgeois. All the while you’ll discover mansion after mansion, former homes to the nobility that once called the Marais home. Some are now museums, like the highly worthwhile Musée Carnavalet. The tour may also introduce you to both the Hotel de Ville, or City Hall, and the Pompidou Center, both architectural masterpieces from very different periods.

We will start our tour by visiting the 17th century St-Paul-St-Louis church, which was built by the Jesuits after a design inspired by that of the Gesù church in Rome.

We will then pass by the Hotel de Sully, a building built between 1624 and 1630. Designed by architects Jean 1er Androuet du Cerceau and Yves Boiret in the Renaissance style with Baroque elements, the construction of the hotel fits in a larger movement of monumental building in this part of Paris.

Next we will make our way to Place de Vosges, the oldest planned square in Paris. A stroll in the Marais without admiring Place des Vosges is like a walk on the Champs Elysees without seeing the Arc de Triomphe!

We will then walk along Rue des Francs Bourgeois, one of the longer and more interesting streets in the Marais district, known for being trendy with its numerous fashion boutiques.

Following on, you will see the Hôtel Carnavalet, one of the rare examples of Renaissance architecture in Paris, along with the Louvre’s square courtyard. Along with the Hotel Carnavalet, you will discover the Musée Carnavalet, a museum which highlights the Paris’ past and reveals the city’s diverse personality.

We will then walk along Rue des Rosières, a little street which lies at the center of the Jewish quarter.

Next you will see the Jardin des Rosiers, a little garden tucked between hotels and hidden behind boutiques. This hidden place is named to honor Jospeh Migneret, a school principal who helped dozens of students by hiding them in his home during WW2 and who was eventually arrested and killed.

Coming close to the end of your tour, you will make your way to the Centre Pompidou, the infamous contemporary museum known for its exterior that was designed in the style of high-tech architecture. The idea for this multicultural complex was to bring together different forms of art and literature in one place, as part of the ideas from France’s first Minister of Cultural Affairs.

We will end our tour at Hôtel de Ville, the building housing the city’s local administration. It has been the headquarters of the municipality of Paris since 1357.

Just next to Hôtel de Ville, you will catch a glimpse of the Église Saint-Gervais Saint-Protais, the first example of the French baroque style in Paris. A parish church until 1975, it is now the headquarters of the Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem.