Area Description
The area of the 4e arrondissement directly north of Ile Saint Louis, was in fact a swamp until the 13th century, when it was converted to agricultural use. In the early 1600s, Henry IV built Place des Vosges, turning the area into the Paris's most fashionable residential district and attracting wealthy aristocrats, who erected luxurious but discreet hotels particuliers (private mansions). When the aristocracy moved to Versailles and Faubourg Saint Germain during the late 17th and 18th centuries, the Marais and its mansions passed into the hands of ordinary Parisians. Today, the Marais is one of the few neighborhoods of Paris that still has almost all of its pre-Revolutionary architecture. In recent years the area has become trendy and remains one of the best location to feel like a real Parisian with most of tourists attractions at walking distance : Notre-Dame Paris's cathedral, La Seine, The "Ile de la Cit?", the Louvre, the Pompidou center and the bastille Opera surrounds you.
Nearest tube Chatelet (1,4,7, 11, 14) RER A B D
