The Top Things To Do In The Marais – Walking, Eating, Biking

Ask any visitor to name their favorite neighborhood in Paris and they're likely to say the Marais. It's the oldest intact quartier in the city, filled with medieval buildings and narrow streets; its charm is contagious. Start your time in Paris with one or two of these recommended activities to get to know the Marais and to see a lot in a short time.

1. Cheese & Wine Tasting in a Marais Cheese Cellar

Master the art of fromage in a hidden cheese cave in the Marais with the cheesemonger at your side. Seven classic French cheeses will be presented along with wines (this is France, after all) to learn about the amazing history of how cheese became one of the most important food groups, along with baguettes and chocolate.

There's something special about being in the climate-controlled cellars where the cheeses undergo their final aging while you learn the history, traditions, and techniques of French cheese production.The small size of the group makes it seem like a private tour, and ensures you get plenty of samples to eat and drink!

2. Taste of the Marais Food Tour

This food safari through historic Marais is one of the top-rated walking tours in Paris, and for good reason. Starting at the oldest food market in Paris, you spend three-and-a-half hours going deep into the culinary culture of this quartier. You get to visit (and sample at) a fromagerie, charcuterie, boulangerie, and other specialized food shops.

Knowledgeable and friendly guides enhance the experience while the small group size ensures that everyone receives personal attention. We only wish that the tour sign-up page had better photos of this popular activity!

3. Walk & Shop the Historic Streets

During the massive renovation of Paris by Baron Haussmann in the mid-19th century, the Marais was one of the few quartiers that escaped the massive demolition and rebuilding that created the wide, straight boulevards and the uniform (but pleasing) 5-story buildings lining the streets of the rest of the city. For various reasons, the Marais was left largely intact, with its medieval buildings, grands hôtels, and narrow streets.

The best way get a feeling for the Marais when it was the favored strict of the nobility 400 years ago is by walking its streets and poking into the interesting boutiques that now populate the ancient buildings. Explore the shops along Rue des Francs Bourgeois and stop for a Jewish pastry on Rue des Rosiers. Stop for a glass of wine once in a while, and have lunch at one of the district's enduring bistros.

4. Guided Tour of the Historic Marais

A 2.5-hour walking tour of the Marais gets you deep into this fascinating neighborhood. You get a real sense of the history of medieval Paris as your guide leads you to the tiny streets, courtyards, and mansions of this iconic district. Perhaps what's most fascinating is discovering the many historic hôtels particuliers (mansions) that were once home to the aristocracy back when the Marais was the place to live. This activity is available as either a small-group or private tour.

5. Explore the Neighborhoods of Paris on Two Wheels

Other than walking, the best way to see Paris is from two wheels. This bike tour (created by a Parisian-born guide) takes you through the best parts of two of the most-loved neighborhoods in Paris — the Marais and the Latin Quarter. The operators call this activity the "Hidden Paris Secrets Bike Tour" and it lives up to the name, concentrating on the hidden charms of these quartiers that are so loved by locals.

You get to see some of the last vestiges of Roman Paris, the best street art, the church that inspired the Da Vinci Code, parts of the ancient city walls of Paris, and much more. In 4 hours on 2 wheels you can see a lot of Paris, and this bike tour delivers.

6. Discover the Picasso Museum

In the Marais you'll find the largest and most comprehensive museum in the world dedicated to Pablo Picasso. An unusual aspect of the Musée Picasso Paris is that it is not just a collection of artwork, but a whole Picasso experience that includes letters, journals, sketches, and the pieces that Picasso himself collected — works by Edgar Degas, Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, Georges Braque, and others. It's another one of those Paris don't-miss experiences.

7. Take a Break at Place des Vosges

After strolling the streets, set your shopping bags down on a bench or the grass in the oldest place, or square, in Paris — and one of the prettiest. Place des Vosges has been the inspiration for hundreds of squares (it's where the name came from) in Europe and the first Paris park to be open to the public. A great location to start or end your promenade, Place Royale (as it was first called) was built by Henri IV and is a true square, measuring 140 x 140 metres.