Do you want to discover Medieval Paris? For this, take this free tour of Le Marais, one of the most picturesque neighborhoods in the French capital. We'll also learn about the history of the Bastille!
Tour Details
Dead ends, narrow cobblestone streets… Right in the heart of Paris's 4th arrondissement lies a very special neighborhood that echoes the city's medieval past. To discover it, we'll start this Le Marais free tour at Place Marie-Claude-Vaillant-Couturier-et-Pierre-Villon.
From there, we'll walk to the Mémorial de la Shoah, the first Jewish documentation center in Europe, which played a pivotal role in the Nuremberg trials. This will bring us into the Jewish quarter of Paris, located in Le Marais.
Once in the Jewish Quarter, we'll visit the Hôtel de Sens gardens. Here, we'll learn about the Coquette Palace in which Margaret of Valois is buried. After learning about the history, we'll make our way to Square Marie Trintignant to take in the main entranceway. If you take a closer look, you'll be able to spot graffiti on its façade from the 19th century.
We'll continue the tour at Le Village Saint-Paul, a picturesque historical area that is almost like a small medieval town within the neighborhood of Le Marais. We'll discover its past, and after that, we'll face a challenge: try and leave a dead-end street without coming back the same way. How will we manage it? You'll have to wait until the day of the tour!
Then, after we've gotten past this obstacle, we'll make our way to uncover the three treasures of Le Marais. We'll give one clue as to what they may be: it's the only piece of Delacroix that is found outside of a museum. Once we solve this mystery, we're off to the imposing façade of the Hôtel de Sully, an elegant palace built in the Louis 13th style that dates back to the 17th century. We'll make our way into the patio and the interior garden of the building, but only on one condition...Once inside, we can't go back. Challenge accepted?
If we find the exit, we'll be brought out onto a large square. From there, we'll continue this tour to another iconic location. The Place de la Bastille, where we'll learn about the old fort that was seized on July 14, 1789, which sparked the beginning of the French Revolution. We'll see the different points at this location, which is dominated by a large obelisk, and learn about the long history of this iconic location, which stands at the gates to Le Marais.
After 2 hours, this tour will be brought to an end at Place de la Bastille.
Group Size
Please note that this activity doesn't permit reservations of more than 6 people, even if they make separate bookings.