About this experience
A walk through the Marais quarter is designed for those who wish to walk through the labyrinth of old narrow alleys with uneven, often charmingly weathered houses, whose facades have blackened from exhaust fumes and whose doors, gates, and windows have long cracked paint.
The Marais is one of the Parisian districts considered the most "unspoiled". Why? It's all due to the serious reconstruction of Paris in the 19th century. Prior to that, the city retained all the characteristics of a typical chaotically constructed medieval city, with streets lacking sidewalks. However, in the 19th century, green squares, parks, wide boulevards, and sidewalks appeared in the city. And only in the Marais quarter, which, by the way, translates as a swamp, has the charm of old Paris been preserved with its narrow winding streets and narrow facades of houses.
During the walk, I will talk about the people who once owned mansions in this quarter in the 15th, 17th, and 19th centuries. Most of the names may not mean much to you, but the lives of many of these characters could easily be the basis for an adventure novel — Marquise de Brenville, Princess Rogan, Madame de Sevigne, Madame de Maintenon...
It should also be noted that the Marais houses the 'Pletzel', which in Yiddish means 'small square' — the most famous Jewish quarter of Paris. I will tell you the story of the neighborhood, how it formed here, and its dramatic past during the tour.
We will also pass by colorful shop windows, tempting with goods from contemporary French designers, past Jewish stalls selling pickles and incredibly expensive but equally delicious spinach or sheep cheese tarts!
