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20 places to visit in the Marais

14 August 2022
Reading time: 5 min.

The Marais is a historic district of Paris and is therefore one of its cultural hearts. The diversity of its population and its architecture, blending together the medieval, the Haussmannian and the modern styles, make it a crossroads that is not to be missed. From history to photography, from painting to fashion to engineering, every interest is represented and we are sure you will find something to feed your mind.

For art lovers

The Pompidou Center

Wanted by President Georges Pompidou who was particularly fond of the subject, the Centre Pompidou houses one of the three largest collections of modern and contemporary art in the world. Kandinsky, Magritte, Duchamp, Van Gogh, Niki de Saint Phalle and Mondrian are all present in this striking industrial-style building.

Address : Place Georges Pompidou, 4th district

Access : Châtelet-Les Halles (RER A, B, D ; Metro 1, 4, 7, 11, 14)

Prices :

Adults: 14€.

Children : Free

Online ticketing

The Picasso Museum

A must-see for cubism enthusiasts… but not only! Indeed, the Picasso museum, located in the magnificent Hôtel Salé, contains not only works of the famous Spanish painter but also paintings and sculptures coming from his personal collection, among which works of Braque, Miro, Cézanne or Douanier Rousseau.

Address: 5 rue de Thorigny, 3rd district

Access : Saint-Sébastien – Froissart or Chemin Vert (Metro 8)

Prices :

Adults: 14€ (€)

Children : Free

Online ticketing

The Cognacq-Jay Museum

Located in the Hôtel de Donon, the Cognacq-Jay Museum (named after its legatees, Ernest Cognacq and Marie-Louise Jaÿ, founders of the Samaritaine) offers a collection of Renaissance paintings. Among the artists represented are Rembrandt, Fragonard and Canaletto, famous for his representations of Venice.

Address : 8 rue Elzévir, 3rd district

Access : Saint-Paul (Métro 1), Chemin Vert (Métro 8)

Prices :

Adults: Free for the permanent collection, 8€ for the temporary exhibitions

Children : Free

The Carreau du Temple

The Carreau du Temple is an original place, dedicated to contemporary artistic creation and in particular the living arts such as dance, music but also sports and in particular martial arts. The Carreau du Temple opened in 2014 and is located in an old covered market renovated to accommodate its new activity.

Address : 2 rue Perrée, 3rd district

Access: Temple (Metro 3), République (Metro 3, 5, 8, 9, 11)

Prices : Variable

Online ticketing

La Gaîté-Lyrique

Located in the west of the 3rd arrondissement, the Gaîté-Lyrique is a place dedicated to digital arts. It hosts conferences such as the Paris Podcast Festival, as well as many temporary exhibitions based on visual or auditory experiences. In the past, the Gaîté-Lyrique was a theater and used to present ballets.

Address: 3bis rue Papin, 3rd district

Access: Strasbourg – Saint-Denis (Metro 4, 8, 9), Réaumur-Sébastopol (Metro 3, 4), Arts et Métiers (Metro 3, 11)

Prices : Variable

Online ticketing

Victor Hugo’s House

Located on the Place des Vosges, the former home of Victor Hugo, which he occupied for sixteen years, is open to visitors and recounts the life of the novelist. You can see the furniture used during his writing sessions as well as some of the art works he owned.

Address : 6 place des Vosges, 4th district

Access : Bastille (Metro 1, 5, 8), Bréguet – Sabin (Metro 5), Chemin Vert (Metro 8)

Prices :

Adults: 7€ (exhibitions), free (permanent collection)

Children : Free

The Maison Européenne de la Photographie (European House of Photography)

The MEP, created in 1996, is an exhibition place dedicated, as you can imagine, to photography. Throughout the year, several exhibitions are presented, in addition to the permanent collection and the various events organized by the association that runs the museum.

Address : 5/7 rue de Fourcy, 4th district

Access : Saint-Paul (Métro 1), Pont Marie (Métro 7)

Prices :

Adults: 10€

From 8 to 18 years old : 6

Less than 8 years old : Free

Online ticketing

The Azzedine Alaïa Foundation

French-Tunisian fashion designer Azzedine Alaïa, who died in 2017, collected numerous pieces (more than 32,000!) related to the world of fashion throughout his life, including some from Chanel, Balenciaga, Cardin and Gaultier. These can be seen in this museum which also presents the life and work of Alaïa.

Address: 18 rue de la Verrerie, 4th arrondissement

Access : Hôtel de Ville (Metro 1, 11)

Prices :

Adults: 8€.

From 10 to 18 years old : 3

Less than 10 years old : Free

Online ticketing

The Atelier des Lumières

Admittedly, it’s a bit of trickery to add the Atelier des Lumières to this list, as it’s not actually in the Marais. That said, it is close enough to take the time to go and see what has become in the last few years a must-see place for visual, sound and especially immersive experiences.

Address : 38 rue Saint-Maur, 11th district

Access : Rue Saint-Maur (Metro 3), Père Lachaise (Metro 2, 3), Saint-Ambroise (Metro 9)

Prices :

More than 25 years old : 16€.

From 5 to 25 years old: 11€.

Less than 5 years old : Free

Online ticketing

For history lovers

The Carnavalet Museum

If you are interested in the history of Paris, then the Carnavalet Museum is for you. It covers the 2,000 years of existence of the capital, since the time when it was still called Lutetia. Architecture, art, trade… all fields are represented to offer you a complete vision of the evolution of Paris through the ages.

Address : 23 rue de Sévigné, 3rd district

Access : Saint-Paul (Métro 1), Chemin Vert (Métro 8)

Prices :

Adults : Variable according to the exhibitions, free for the permanent collection

Children : Free

The National Archives Museum

Located in the Hôtel de Soubise, the Musée des Archives Nationales houses a number of historical documents from France and elsewhere. Official documents, legal texts, exhibits from famous trials, art objects, the museum’s collection is of a rare richness and diversity. Also take the opportunity to visit its magnificent garden

Address : 60 rue des Francs-Bourgeois, 3rd district

Access : Rambuteau (Métro 11), Hôtel de Ville (Métro 1)

Prices :

Adults: 5€ (8€ during temporary exhibitions)

Children : Free

The Musée des Arts et Métiers

Gathering more than 80,000 objects, the Musée des Arts et Métiers presents several centuries of engineering history. It includes the plane that allowed Louis Blériot to cross the English Channel, old cars and many technical drawings.

Address: 60 rue Réaumur, 3rd arrondissement

Access : Arts et Métiers (Metro 3, 11), Réaumur – Sébastopol (Metro 3, 4)

Prices :

Adults: 8€ per person

Children : Free

Online ticketing

The Pavillon de l’Arsenal

Located near the Île Saint-Louis, the Pavillon de l’Arsenal is dedicated to the urbanism and architecture of Paris. Besides being an exciting museum, it is also a conference center welcoming prestigious architects throughout the year.

Address: 21 boulevard Morland, 4th arrondissement

Access : Sully – Morland (Métro 7)

Prices : Free

The Museum of Jewish Art and History

The Jewish quarter of the Marais houses the Museum of Jewish Art and History. It contains a large number of works of art, religious objects and elements that trace the influence of the Jews in Europe throughout history.

Address: 71 rue du Temple, 3rd arrondissement

Access : Rambuteau (Metro 11)

Prices :

Adults : 10.50€

Children: Free

Online ticketing

The Shoah Memorial

In the south of the Marais is the Shoah Memorial, dedicated to the victims of the Holocaust. Opened in 2005, it contains places of remembrance and houses the Center for Contemporary Jewish Documentation, which collects evidence of the extermination of Jews during the Second World War.

Address: 17 rue Geoffroy-l’Asnier, 4th arrondissement

Access : Hôtel de Ville (Metro 1, 11), Saint-Paul (Metro 1)

Prices : Free

Online ticketing

For relaxing

The Place des Vosges

The main square of the Marais is undoubtedly the most beautiful of all Paris. Perfectly square, it is completely surrounded by red brick townhouses. It was built in the 17th century and was called Place Royale at that time.

Access : Bastille (Metro 1, 5, 8), Bréguet – Sabin (Metro 5), Chemin Vert (Metro 8)

The Port de l’Arsenal Garden

Separating the Seine from the Saint-Martin canal, the Port de l’Arsenal is a large basin that welcomes many boats and barges throughout the year, a living place for some of Paris’ inhabitants. Its garden allows you to relax in a quiet place, right below the Place de la Bastille.

Access : Bastille (Metro 1, 5, 8)

Square du Temple – Elie Wiesel

With the Jardin des Archives, the Square du Temple – Elie Wiesel (named after an American writer and philosopher) is the main green space of the 3rd arrondissement, of which the city hall occupies the eastern side. A botanical garden can be found there.

Access : Arts et Métiers (Métro 3, 11), Temple (Métro 3)

The Jardin des Rosiers – Joseph Migneret

Hidden in a corner of the rue des Rosiers, this small garden is perfect to rest after a visit. The silence that characterizes it makes it a very pleasant place.

Access : Saint-Paul (Métro 1)

The Île Saint-Louis

To finish this tour in the Marais, let’s allow ourselves a little detour by crossing an arm of the Seine to reach the charming Île Saint-Louis. The many ice cream parlors and cafés that make up this island, which is in fact the meeting of two islands (Île Notre-Dame and Île aux Vaches) since the 17th century, provide a well-deserved break in the middle of a day’s visit.

Access: Cité (Metro 4), Pont-Marie (Metro 7), Sully – Morland (Metro 7)

Photo credits:

Unsplash: hariboisverygood, chantalgarnier

Pinterest : architonic, parisladouce, archdaily, smcroxx, pariszigzag, paris

Canva : manjik

Pixabay : beanitwoman

Others : Parisinfo