The Marais quarter of Paris is one of the most charming, unique and historical of all the capitals beautiful neighbourhoods and you could not pick a better location for your stay than a Marais hotel.
The word ‘Marais’ means ‘marsh’, as 2,000 years ago this area was indeed just that. The river Seine used to flow to the north of where it now flows, the residue left a damp marshy area unfit for building. It seems hard to imagine today when you walking through the Marais’ hotels, grand residences, bustling jewish quarter, magnificent Place des Vosges and who could ignore the fantastic shopping.
So what happened in between? Come the 5th century the Marais was drained and suddenly a huge part of ever-expanding Paris was made available to build on. What better spot for the King (Phillipe Auguste) to choose when he was looking for somewhere to build a new Royal Palace in the 12th century: large area, close to the city centre – and empty! He was followed by his entourage and the Marais saw a massive building program of ‘mansions'.
You can still visit many of the superbly restored mansions (the Picasso museum is housed in one as is the Jewish Museum) not to mention some of the most enchanting squares in all Paris (Place des Vosges being the favorite of most Parisians). The shopping is unequaled for variety, character and individual charm. Not to mention that most of the shops are open on Sunday (when the rest of Paris takes a day off).
Your Marais hotel won’t just have you ideally situated for museums and shopping however. Take a wander down the unspoiled medieval streets and your senses will soon be seduced by the smell of fantastic food on rue des Rosiers, the heart of the Jewish quarter. So if fine French cuisine no longer takes your fancy you can grab a falafel (chicpea sandwhich) from Lenny Kravitz’ favorite take away ‘L’As du Falafel’.
Your Marais Hotel gives you it all!
