Walk Mansions in the Marais
This walk takes you through the 3rd and 4th arrondissements
start: place des Vosges
end: place des Vosges
duration: 2.5 hours (4 km)
Walk Mansions in the Marais view on a larger map.
Description
The Place des Vosges (pronounced: vózje) is one of the oldest and most beautiful squares in Paris, built by order of Henry IV in 1612. With its red brick and white limestone houses, arcades, and symmetrical design, it is also one of the most picturesque squares in the city. The 36 houses were constructed according to strict guidelines: the height of the facades is equal to their width, and the roofs are half the height of the facades. Only the Pavillon du Roi on the south side and the Pavillon de la Reine on the north side are taller. The square itself is a perfect 108-meter square.
At the center of the square is Square Louis XIII, featuring an equestrian statue of Louis XIII. Originally called Place Royale, the area where the garden is now was once a field used for festivities and tournaments. Napoleon renamed it Place des Vosges in gratitude to the Vosges department, which was the first to pay taxes in 1800.
Many famous French figures have lived here, including Descartes, Pascal, Alphonse Daudet, Richelieu, and Georges Simenon. At No. 6, Victor Hugo lived in the Hôtel de Rohan-Guéménée from 1832 to 1848, where he wrote part of Les Misérables. Today, it houses the Victor Hugo Museum. Under the arcades, you’ll find elegant boutiques, antique shops, and a few restaurants.
Route Information
1. Go to the southwest corner of the square, where you enter Hôtel de Sully through a door at number 7.
You will enter the beautiful French courtyard of Hôtel de Béthune-Sully, a mansion from 1624 with a late Renaissance facade, a paved courtyard, and a garden. The Duke of Sully, minister of Henri IV, purchased the building in 1634 and had it beautifully decorated. The garden and courtyard are open to visitors, as is the bookstore. The building itself is not accessible. It houses the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, an organization overseeing French monuments.
2. Walk through the courtyards to the main entrance of Hôtel de Sully on Rue Saint-Antoine and turn right. Take the first left onto Rue Saint-Paul.
Just past Rue Charlemagne on the right, there is a passage leading to Village Saint-Paul, which consists of five interconnected medieval courtyards. Here, you will find antique shops, boutiques, and cafes. The absence of traffic creates a peaceful atmosphere.
3. Exit Village Saint-Paul via Rue des Jardins de Saint-Paul and turn left.
You will see remnants of two towers and a section of the old city wall of Philippe Auguste from 1190.
4. Turn right onto Rue de l’Ave Maria.
On the left is the small Square Marie Trintignant, named after the French actress who passed away in 2003.
5. Cross Rue du Fauconnier and continue straight onto Rue du Figuier.
You will approach Hôtel de Sens, one of the few remaining medieval civilian buildings in Paris. Built between 1475 and 1519 for the Archbishop of Sens, it later housed Henri IV’s ex-wife Margot, who had a fig tree cut down to make way for her carriage. Now, three other fig trees stand in front of the building. The Bibliothèque Forney, a library specializing in the arts, is located here and is open from Tuesday to Saturday. Regular exhibitions are also held. Across the street, the Jardin Figuier Fauconnier is open to the public.
6. Continue down Rue du Figuier, turn left briefly, then right onto Rue de Fourcy.
At numbers 5-7, you will find the European Museum of Photography, housed in the restored Hôtel Hénault de Cantobre from 1706, with a modern landscaped front garden.
7. Turn left onto Rue François Miron.
Numbers 11 and 13 are medieval half-timbered houses from the 15th and 16th centuries. At number 68 stands Hôtel de Beauvais, built in 1655, where a young Mozart once stayed with his family. It has a stunning interior that can be visited.
8. Turn right onto Rue Tiron, then left onto Rue de Rivoli. Cross Rue de Rivoli and take the second right onto Rue Vieille du Temple. Cross Rue des Rosiers and continue to number 47.
This building is Hôtel Amelot de Bisseuil, also known as Hôtel des Ambassadeurs de Hollande. No Dutch ambassador ever lived here, but in the 17th century, a chaplain from the Dutch embassy held Protestant services in this building. After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, Protestant services were officially banned, except in embassies of Protestant countries. In 1776, writer and composer Beaumarchais rented the building and wrote The Marriage of Figaro here.
9. Walk back slightly on Rue Vieille du Temple and turn left onto Rue des Rosiers.
This street is the heart of the Jewish quarter, featuring Jewish bookstores, delis, and kosher restaurants. However, many Jewish businesses have been replaced by trendy fashion stores. The famous Jo Goldenberg restaurant has closed. The street is lively, especially on Sundays, and offers excellent Jewish cuisine such as falafel and pickled lemons. The name “Rosiers” comes from an old rose garden along the city wall of Philippe Auguste.
10. Turn left onto Rue Pavée.
This was the first street in Paris to be paved in the 15th century. At number 10 stands the synagogue designed by Art Nouveau architect Guimard in 1913 for Eastern European Jewish immigrants.
At number 24 is Hôtel de Lamoignon, built in 1584 for Diane de France, the illegitimate daughter of Henri II. Later, it was named after the first president of the French Parliament. Diane was fond of hunting, as seen in the decorative elements on the facade. On the corner with Rue des Francs-Bourgeois is a beautiful square turret. Today, the building houses the Historical Library of Paris.
11. Turn right onto Rue des Francs-Bourgeois, then left onto Rue de Sévigné.
At numbers 23-29 stands the Musée Carnavalet, the historical museum of Paris. The museum occupies two buildings: Hôtel Carnavalet (1560), a fine example of Renaissance architecture, and Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau. The two buildings are connected by a passage on the first floor. The garden is a classic French courtyard.
12. Turn left onto Rue du Parc-Royal.
This street is lined with beautiful, well-restored mansions. Two small parks remain from the vast Parc Royal of the 15th century: Square Léopold Achille (at number 5) and Square Georges Cain (behind it, entrance on Rue Payenne). At number 11 on Rue Payenne is the Swedish Cultural Center, which has a cafe serving Swedish food and drinks.
13. Continue on Rue du Parc-Royal and turn right at Place de Thorigny onto Rue de Thorigny.
At number 5 is the Musée Picasso, housed in Hôtel Salé (1656). Originally home to a tax collector for salt, the museum’s garden is partially accessible via Rue des Coutures.
14. Return to Place de Thorigny, turn right onto Rue de la Perle.
At the corner of Rue Vieille du Temple, you will find the complex that housed the French National Archives until 2013. It includes Hôtel de Soubise, Hôtel de Rohan, and four other mansions.
15. Continue on Rue de la Perle, which becomes Rue des Quatre Fils.
At number 60 on Rue des Archives is the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, housed in the beautiful Hôtel Guénégaud des Brosses (1655), designed by François Mansart.
16. Turn left onto Rue des Archives, then left onto Rue des Francs-Bourgeois.
This street features several stunning mansions, including Hôtel de Soubise, Hôtel de Jaucourt, and Hôtel de Coulanges, among others.
17. Continue on Rue des Francs-Bourgeois and turn right onto Rue de Sévigné until you reach Place du Marché Sainte-Catherine on your left.
This charming pedestrian square is a peaceful retreat with benches and cafes. It was once the site of the Sainte-Catherine Church, demolished in 1783.
18. Walk past the square, turn left onto Rue d’Ormesson, then left onto Rue de Turenne, and right onto Rue des Francs-Bourgeois, leading back to Place des Vosges.
Nature Walk in the Marais
Start: Metro St-Sébastien-Froissart
End: Metro St-Sébastien-Froissart
Distance: 2.3 km
Duration: 1.5 hours
Last update: November 3, 2022
Nature Walk in the Marais view on a larger map.
Route Information
1. Head south on Boulevard Filles du Calvaire and turn right onto Rue St-Claude.
The boulevards were built on the old wall of Charles V. In 1665, the city of Paris leased the inner moat to gardeners under the condition that they could only grow flowers and herbs there. The moat, which could be flooded, had previously been used as a sewer. It was located on the site of an old, dried-up branch of the Seine, which was still affected by high water levels for a long time.
2. Turn left onto Rue des Arquebusiers, then right onto Rue du Grand-Veneur.
At the end of the passage, you’ll find the small classical garden St-Gilles-Grand-Veneur, featuring climbing and shrub roses surrounded by boxwood, field maples, and hornbeams. From the benches, you have a view of the Hôtel du Grand-Veneur.
3. Take Rue de Hesse (where a young honey locust tree stands) and turn right onto Rue Villehardouin. At the end, turn left onto Rue de Turenne and follow it to No. 41.
Behind a green gate stands the Fontaine de Joyeuse or Fontaine de Turenne, dating from 1847. The grotto is decorated with aquatic plants (cattails and broadleaf arrowhead) and animals (swans, herons, pigeons, frogs, and snakes).
4. Turn right onto Rue du Parc-Royal, where Square Léopold-Achille is on the left.
In this aristocratic district, Parc Royal was once the garden of the royal residence Hôtel des Tournelles, home to many French kings. From the 14th century onward, wealthy Parisians began building country homes and ornamental gardens in the Marais, shaping its distinguished character that still remains today.
The square contains several rare tree species. Besides an impressive Caucasian wingnut tree, you’ll find mahonia shrubs near the right-hand fence by the sandbox. The name Mahonia means “fragrant plant” in Greek, referring to its scented flowers. Its leaves resemble holly or evergreen oak. Next to it stands a Judas tree, an uncommon variety with white flowers that bloom in spring before the leaves appear. On the other side of the square, there’s a uniquely shaped Prunus persica, whose twisting trunk produces branches at the top. In April, it is covered in double pink blossoms but bears no fruit. Along the wall, there are two balsam poplars, whose buds are coated in fragrant resin loved by ants.
5. Exit the garden and turn onto Rue de Sévigné.
You’ll arrive at the Musée Carnavalet, one of the oldest monuments in Paris, dating back to 1545. In summer, its courtyard at 23 Rue de Sévigné is adorned with potted laurel trees pruned into spheres and cones. The formal French garden features beautifully trimmed boxwood hedges and standard roses.
6. Turn right onto Rue des Francs-Bourgeois.
At No. 16, the museum’s garden is designed with boxwood shrubs. Its layout is inspired by the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
7. Turn right onto Rue Payenne until you reach Square Georges-Cain.
Georges Cain was the curator of the Musée Carnavalet until 1914. The garden serves as a storage area for the museum, with remnants of vanished monuments covered in ivy and Virginia creeper. Among these old stones, you’ll find column bases from the Église des Bernardins (5th arrondissement), made from limestone quarried in Paris. At the far left, the old orangery is recognizable by its arched windows. To the right of the building, a 20-foot-tall fig tree stands. The square also features a weeping birch, a honey locust, a maple tree, and several common lindens.
8. At the end of Rue Payenne, turn left onto Rue du Parc-Royal, continue straight via Rue de la Perle and Rue des 4 Fils, then turn right onto Rue Charlot.
Behind the gate on the left at No. 3, you can see the entrance to the now-closed Ruelle Sourdis, dating from 1626. The original cobblestone pavement remains, with a central drainage channel and raised pedestrian paths protecting walkers from carriage traffic. Also visible is an Ailanthus altissima (Tree of Heaven), originally from China, introduced to Europe in the 17th century. It thrives even in the smallest crevices, tolerates poor soil, and grows rapidly.
9. Take the first right onto Rue du Perche.
The courtyard on the corner is planted with plane trees. At No. 9, a magnolia with large flowers grows. This plant, discovered in Louisiana, belongs to a group of Tertiary-era plants whose flowers were among the first on Earth. Across Rue Perche, you can glimpse the garden of the Hôtel Salé, now the Musée Picasso. Only the lower section is publicly accessible, enclosed by yew hedges. A water feature decorates the garden’s center.
10. Cross Rue Vieille du Temple to Rue des Coutures-Saint-Gervais.
The name of this street is a corruption of Cultures-Saint-Gervais, referencing the area’s historical agricultural use. By the late 9th century, the marshes of the Seine’s former branch became pastures and later farmland. The term Marais refers to land cultivated with vegetables and aromatic plants. By the late Middle Ages, some of these fields were converted into orchards.
11. Cross Rue de Thorigny onto Rue Sainte-Anastase, then turn left onto Rue de Turenne. Take the second right onto Rue du Pont aux Choux. At the end, you’ll find Saint-Sébastien-Froissart metro station.