My wife and I will be in Paris in May of this spring. From the rue des Rosiers we are heading towards Pompidou. My question may seem trivial, but which of the following 3 streets do you suggest we take?
rue des Francs Bourgeois
rue Ste. Croix de la Bretonnerie
or rue du roi de Sicile/rue de la Verrerie
Which street has the most to offer (most commercial, most scenic, most shops to browse, most cafes, etc.)?
Thank you; much appreciated!
They're such tiny streets, are you sure you can't do all three? BHV men's store on rue de la Verrerie has a beautiful hanging garden.
I, too, think you should consider walking all three! If you just can't, consider that the (free! and wonderful! and quirky!) Carnavalet Museum is on rue des Francs Bourgeois.
The Carnavalet museum would be a super suggestion, but it is now closed for a redo and will be closed for a considerable time.
I've walked all of these streets many times, and though I can't remember exactly what is on them, you cannot go wrong with any street in the Marais, in my opinion. All have great shops, cafes, etc.
The Pompidou is closed? The website does not show that. In fact, it lists many exhibits currently and into the near future.
Karen
Sharp eye you have. I corrected my post to add the name Carnavalet. I was referring to the post just above mine that mentioned the Carnavalet.
Ah, that makes more sense, and I should have known. On my most recent trip I'd decided that I would finally get to the Carnavalet, but of course, it was closed for renovation.
Just got back and stayed right in this area. My recommendation is Rue de Francs Bourgeois as it is chock full of very nice shops and cafes. The stretch you mention is quite short, only a few blocks do you may wish to extend your walk toward Place des Vosges in the other direction.
Be sure to peek into courtyards - Rue de Francs Bourgeois has many old "hotels" (aka mansions) that are now government buildings. The Hotel Soubise has lovely public gardens that are worth a stroll
Just got back and stayed right in this area. My recommendation is Rue de Francs Bourgeois as it is chock full of very nice shops and cafes. The stretch you mention is quite short, only a few blocks do you may wish to extend your walk toward Place des Vosges in the other direction.
Be sure to peek into courtyards - Rue de Francs Bourgeois has many old "hotels" (aka mansions) that are now government buildings. The Hotel Soubise has lovely public gardens that are worth a stroll
Can any recommend a time of day for a Marais stroll? We are staying near the Marais and the Pompidou and plan to stroll the Marais, visit the Pompidou and the Musee de arts et metiers (probably just short visits to both...taking our boys 9 and 6). We will not really be worried about shopping but will probably want a crepe and macaron. We were thinking of going a little later in the day and enjoying the failing sun on the beautiful buildings and the pompidou is open later.
This will be on the last Sunday of April.
That sounds like a lovely plan. The Marais is hopping on Sundays because more shops are open in that area. Any time after 10-11am will ensure that businesses are open.
If you like crepes, Drougerie du Marais is on Rue de Rosiers and Le Ciderie du Marais is on Rue De Sevigny (cross street at the Carnavelet Museum) about 1 block south of Rue de Francs Bourgeois.
Also since you have kids with, Place de Vosges has a small play area available but the square in front of Pompidou is great for running around too.
Walk everywhere. It's very nice.
I echo the sentiment that the neighborhood is packed on Sunday - that's when we were there - still very enjoyable though.
Place de Vosges was very nice.
Rick recommends a specific falafel place in Marais. I forget the name - closed Friday evenings and Saturday all day (I believe the owners are Jewish). I'm not even that much of a falafel fan but it was delicious - definitely not to be missed.
Since it's a Sunday, think about going to the street market at Bastille. It's not too far away. It will be winding down in the afternoon, so go in the morning. Maybe it doesn't sound like something boys that age would enjoy, but there's fun souvenir stuff, lots of street food and music, and plenty of exotic things for sale. Whole roasted chickens, freshly pressed juice, pastries. We bought a roasted suckling pig head. If they get bored quickly you can leave. My kids at that age would have loved it.
Awesome info. Thanks!
The falafel place mentioned above is L'As du Falafel. You absolutely won't be able to miss it as there is usually a line (moves fast). It's cheap, quite delicious and a nice change of pace from more traditional food.
If the line is too long there, Chez Hanna is right down the block and also serves really good Israeli food.
The Bastille market is only open from around 9:30 to 1:30 PM.
After that, the City starts hosing everything down - which takes 2 hours and is extremely messy and wet. Get there early if you want to take photos, and get there around noon if you want to eat.
The streets in the Marais are very narrow, so you probably will not see much in the way of sunlight. Place des Vosges will be nice, though, if it's a sunny day.
Centre Pompidou is a wide open space, with jugglers and skateboarders on the weekends.
I would just say Sunday on the rue des Francs Bourgeois can be quite a zoo. Things are changing a bit, since more things are open on Sunday now due to a new law, but basically since most other commercial districts were closed on Sunday, and the Marais was the only one really open, that's where EVERYONE went. (For me, Sunday would be the day I would go out of my way to avoid rue des Francs-Bourgeois. But of course, everyone has different interests/tolerance.)
And Chexbres' point about the narrow streets is well taken.
