Visit to the historic Marais Activity

A few million years ago, an arm of the Seine, which has now disappeared, formed a loop from the vicinity of the Gare de Lyon, passing through the Bastille and the Grands Boulevards, and joined the southern arm towards the Alma.

A flood zone on the right bank was therefore located between the two arms, forming marshes. However, this is not what gave the district its name.

It was the installation of convents in the 12th century that marked the development of this district: by cleaning up the marshes, the monks cultivated the land to grow fruit and vegetables. The name of the Marais therefore comes from market gardening.

Later, the nobility appreciated this area outside the walls and had the most beautiful hotels in the capital built there. The golden age of the Marais was confirmed when King Henry IV built his Place Royale (later Place des Vosges), thus confirming the central position of this district of the capital.

Itinerary : you will discover the heart of the historic Marais with a beautiful Jesuit church - the Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis church, some of the oldest houses in Paris, the Pletzl with its lively and charming rue des Rosiers, the Place des Vosges, its neighbour theHôtel de Sully and its hidden garden, the village Saint-Paul and its past and anecdotes, the largest visible section of wall of the Philippe-Auguste enclosure, and the Hôtel de Sens, ephemeral residence of the untraceable Queen Margot!

A visit full of history and anecdotes!

• Guided tour