Paris’s Marais district is perfect for exploring on foot. The Marais, a former marshland drained through the work of various religious orders (Saint-Martin, the Knights Templar, Sainte-Catherine and others), became an aristocratic quarter in the late Middle Ages. The kings of France lived at the hôtel Saint Pol (no longer standing), and then at the hôtel des Tournelles (also no longer standing), very close to the current place des Vosges. The golden age of private mansions in the Marais reached its peak during the 17th century before the district was overshadowed as other areas of the city became fashionable. During the 19th and 20th centuries, the private mansions became tailors’ and goldsmiths’ workshops, and most of the people who lived in the area were workers. A Jewish quarter formed around rue des Rosiers, and in the 1980s and 90s, a thriving gay scene grew up around rue des Archives and rue de Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie. This rich history and great diversity make the Maraisone of Paris’s most exciting districts, and a must-see for anyone visiting the city.
