Le Marais & Place des Vosges

Le Marais (Place des Vosges)

17th-century squares and boutique-lined lanes

Hours

Streets always open; shop and museum hours vary

Tickets

Streets and Place des Vosges free; Carnavalet permanent collection free; Musée Picasso €16

Address

An old quarter spanning the 3rd and 4th arrondissements; start at Place des Vosges in the 4th

Start at Place des Vosges, a square ringed by red-brick houses with galleries and cafés under the arcades and people picnicking on the lawn. Head northwest through the lanes and you hit concept stores and vintage shops one after another: Merci, Maison Kitsuné, A.P.C. Mansions turned museums, like the Musée Carnavalet (free permanent collection) and the Musée Picasso, break up the shopping. There is no set route; getting a bit lost is the point.