An unusual place to stroll and discover, the Village Saint-Paul is very close to the hotel. Just a few steps away, you’ll discover a maze of streets and charming cobbled courtyards, with shady, quiet passageways leading you from one to the next. The Village Saint-Paul is a timeless place that regularly hosts events of all kinds. Art galleries, second-hand goods, antiques, restaurants, crafts, this totally atypical place is the perfect way to discover the charm of another totally preserved Paris.
This famous neighbour of the hotel owes its popularity to its historical figure, an illustrious witness to 17th-century Paris. The jewel in the crown of the Marais district, which has become one of Paris’s tourist hotspots, the Place des Vosges is the eldest in the capital. It is also undoubtedly the most beautiful, with its red brick buildings and arcades housing restaurants and art galleries. You’ll love strolling along its avenues and through its wooded park. In summer, it becomes the stage for impromptu shows in the shade of the bandstand, and you’ll enjoy strolling along with an ice cream in hand or relaxing on one of the flower-filled terraces.
Dedicated to the history of Paris from its origins to the present day, the Carnavalet museum is a must-see if you want to understand how the capital has evolved over time. It offers a wide range of exhibitions, but always on the theme for which it is best known. The museum is housed in two 16th-century private mansions, linked by a gallery on the 1st floor. It houses over 600,000 works of art, some of the most important in the history of the capital. At the end of your visit, don’t hesitate to stop off in its gardens. As a sort of transition to the real world, you can enjoy the peaceful charm of the place before returning to the bustling streets of Paris.
Just a short walk from the hotel takes you to the Place de la Bastille and its Opera House. From the square, continue towards the quays of the Seine via the Canal Saint-Martin and the Jardins du Port de l’Arsenal. On the other side, discover the Faubourg Saint Antoine and its many shops, stroll along the rue de la Roquette or join the Coulée verte by taking the Viaduc des arts, a former railway line. The Opéra Bastille offers a varied programme of shows and is open to the public with a tour guide who will take you backstage and show you its stage, the only one of its kind in the world.
The Picasso Museum is one of the most important cultural attractions in the immediate vicinity of the hotel. Housed in the sumptuous Hôtel Salé, the museum boasts the world’s largest public collection of the artist’s works of art, with several thousand archival items, as well as a variety of temporary exhibitions, always linked to the work of Pablo Picasso. The Hôtel Salé, “the largest, the most extraordinary, not to say extravagant of the great Parisian hotels of the 17th century”, according to art historian Bruno Foucart, is in itself a symbol of Parisian charm. The museum also has 50 pieces of furniture by the sculptor Diego Giacometti, to round off the visit.
From the hotel, walk to the centre of Paris, Châtelet, Ile de la Cité and Notre-Dame. Via rue de Rivoli, you’ll reach the Hôtel de Ville with its BHV, Tour Saint Jacques, Place du Châtelet and its theatres.
Passing along rue des Francs Bourgeois, you’ll discover a multitude of little streets that will take you to the Halle des Blancs-Manteaux, for example, where exhibitions and fairs are regularly held, or to rue des Rosiers for a falafel.
A stroll along the quays or banks of the Seine will take you to the Ile de la Cité, its bookshops and Notre-Dame, and on to the Louvre Museum.
At the end of the Marais district, just before the Place de la République and adjoining the Carreau du Temple, the Marché des enfants rouges is a gastronomic must-see, bringing tourists and Parisians together to enjoy dishes that are each more delicious than the last.
Created in 1615, it is the oldest food market in Paris. Restaurants and takeaways have set up shop here, and you’ll find tasty tajines, Cantal sandwiches, Breton galettes, an Italian grocery, a Lebanese delicatessen and colourful stalls selling fresh produce. Not to be missed!