Le Marais: my favorite place to wander

I highly recommend the Marais as a neighborhood to stay in because it not only gives you a nice glimpse into everyday city life, but it's also a great neighborhood to walk around. You'll shop, you'll eat, you'll see art, history, people, cobbled streets and mansard rooftops.  One of my favorite things to do is get up early, go get a croissant from a bakery like a local, get Starbucks to go (it flags me as a tourist, which is why I immediately hustle it back to my hotel room), and sit on my hotel's tiny balcony to watch the neighborhood wake up.

The Marais is one of the few and certainly most central Parisian neighborhood that did not get the Hausmann street makeover, which means the streets remain narrow, cobbled and a little jumbled.  Some "sights" in the neighborhood:

• The Picasso Museum (closed until 2013)
• The National Archives is now housed in what was the palace Louis XIV built for his married mistress (how her husband didn't notice his wife's new digs, I don't know) - I've never gone in so I can't vouch for the contents, but at least poke your head in while walking by.
• Rue des Rosiers - heart of Jewish life, tasty foods, interesting shops
• Place des Vosges - very pretty park, good for picnicking
• Centre Pompidou - Say what you will about the exterior, but inside is a great modern art museum and outside it is ringed by cafes, which makes for lovely people watching. 

There are so many hidden gems throughout the Marias, it's best to let yourself get lost for a few hours.  But, here's a suggested tour and map of the neighborhood sights:

• From the Hotel de Ville metro at the intersection of Rue de Rivoli and Rue de Renard, walk 2 blocks west on Rue de Rivoli.  
• Turn right on Rue Saint Martin.
• In 3 blocks, turn right on Rue du Cloitre Saint Martin - halfway down this block, it opens up onto La Place Igor Stravinsky and behind it, the Pompidou. But stop and enjoy the water fountains/statues and murals in La Place first.
• The Pompidou - go in if you like (I do), or just discuss the architecture. If you haven't visited the cafe mentioned above, it's on the NW corner of the Pompidou plaza.
• If it's too early to consider wine and cheese, it's probably the perfect time for a croissant. So, the north boundary of the Pompidou plaza is Rue Rambuteau - turn right (east) on Rambuteau and, after crossing Beauborg, look for the patisserie on the left and buy the most delicious croissants/pain au chocolates. If you need coffee, there is a Starbucks coming up in 2 blocks of this tour. Regardless, eat your warm croissant while walking down Rambuteau. 
• On the northeast corner of Rambuteau and Rue des Archives, peek your head into the National Archives grounds (see story above), then cut kitty corner across the intersection so you are heading south (toward the Seine) on Rue des Archives. 
• On the first block, on the right, is Jadis et Gourmande, a lovely chocolate shop with good gifty chocolates. 
• If you like beads (or know someone who does), there is an amazing bead shop across the street from Jadis et Gourmande. 
• If you need Starbucks, it's on Rue des Archives, just a half block past Rue Sainte-Croix-de-Bretonnerie. If you want your coffee to go, ask for “le café a emporter.”  Just know it immediately flags you as a tourist to walk around with it, so ditch it as soon as possible (there are loads of garbage cans around - don't litter!).
• Back at Rue Sainte-Croix-de-Bretonerie, head east. If you are returning from Starbucks, that means turning RIGHT on SCB. If you didn't go to Starbucks, then turn LEFT here. There are lots of interesting shops:
• Photography fan? Stop in at the Lomography store. 
• If you want an authentic chapeau, duck into Les Canotiers du Marais. 
• If you like tea, duck down Rue de Bourg Tibourg to the world-famous tea shop, Marriage des Freres. There is a tea salon in the back if you'd like to have a cup of tea, or you can just peruse the shop in front and smell. Excellent gifts for tea lovers.

Hôtel des Ambassadeurs, #47 Rue Vieille-du-Temple, © 2012, Joan Klau

• Back to SCB, continue east until you dead-end onto Rue du Vielle Temple - make note of the Au Petit Fer du Cheval - return later for dinner or at least a snack of tarte tatin.
• Turn left on Vielle du Temple and cruise up to Rue des Francs Bourgeouis - it's just a pretty little intersection, that's all. On your way to Rue des FB, on the left side of the street, look for the wooden doors with carved Medusa heads - take your picture in front of them. 
• Now, reverse direction on VdT and take your third left onto Rue des Rosiers - heart of the Jewish quarter, and home to many tasty treats (every guidebook has tons of suggestions - if you like fallafel, L'As du Fallafel is famous). When you get to the end of Rue des Rosiers, you have two choices: 

• Continue on to Place des Vosges, pretty parc-like plaza with cafes/shops, and end up at Place de Bastille, where we can recommend dinner at the Brasserie Bofinger. To get to Place des Vosges, turn left on Rue Pavee near the end of Rue des Rosier, then right on Rue des Francs Bourgeois, and walk 2.5 blocks. To get to Bofinger/Bastille Metro, exit Place des Vosges at the south end of the park onto Rue de Birague, and turn left on Rue St Antoine. St Antoine dead ends at Place de la Bastille where you'll find the Metro - but if you want Bofinger, take the 2nd left off St Antoine onto Rue des Tournelles, and then your first right onto Rue de la Bastille - the Brasserie is on the left. 
• Or you can turn back to wander closer to the Seine for sunset - there are tons of cute little streets to get lost or shop on. One of my favorites is the cobblestone Rue des Barres: if you're walking down VdT, turn right at Rue Francois Miron, and it will be the first alley on your left. It's a little hilly, so it's easier to walk down it - just make sure you stop often to admire the view in ALL directions. 

If you need a snack to tide you over until dinner, stop at Au Petit Fer du Cheval for tarte tatin and a beverage, or head back to the Cavalier Bleu at the Pompidou plaza for wine and cheese:

• From Au Petit Fer, go south (left) down Vielle du Temple, across Pont Louis Phillipe which puts you on Ile St Louis looking at the back of Notre Dame.
• From Pompidou, you can catch the Rambuteau Metro to the Latin Quarter if you're tired, or just walk straight down Beauborg, which turns into Renard and drops you in front of Notre Dame plaza. 

Definitely walk along the Seine to see the back of the church. Depending on how your legs are holding up, it's worth crossing the bridge connecting Notre Dame to the Ile St Louis, a tiny (4 block) island. If you are feeling weary, you can either rest up in Notre Dame plaza, or fortify yourself for the 15 minute walk around the island at any one of the cafes right at the bridge. If you want some cute/modern souvenirs, there's a nice shop on Rue Jean du Bellay - practically next door to Brasserie de L'Ile St Louis.