Welcome to the Marais, one of the most popular neighborhoods in Paris and certainly one of the oldest ones!

Bonjour, I'm Annie Sargent of the "Join Us in France" travel podcast and I am delight...

Turn left and walk straight over the cross walk with the river on your right.

I'll meet you a little further down the road where we can get a good look at the bridge called Pont Marie.

Stop and turn around so that you've got a good view of the bridge.

There has been a bridge here since 1635, making it one of the oldest bridges in Paris.

I brought you here to illustrate what...

Turn left and cross the road using the cross walk ahead.

Stop here while I tell you about the neighborhood. Feel free to take a seat on the bench to your left.

The Marais escaped destruction several times. Cities all have to make painful decisions in...

Stop on the corner and have a look across the small intersection at the building with the renaissance windows, turrets and conical roof.

You are standing in front of the Hôtel de Sens, one of my...

Carry on straight along Rue du Fauconnier.

They say the street along the Hôtel de Sens was named Fig Tree Street because of the even bigger fig tree that used to be here.

Fig trees aren’t com...

Turn right onto Rue Charlemagne and keep going.

Stop here for a moment and look to your left.

Paris has had seven different fortification walls since the first wood fortifications built by the Celts and the Romans. This fortification built by...

Keep going until the end of the street. There's something I want to show you at the corner ahead.

Stop at the next corner and look directly across the intersection at the lovely sculpture on the corner of the building over the road.

Can you guess what this sculpture depicts?

This man is a...

Carry on in the same direction while I tell you more about the sculpture of the tool sharpener.

This was a common profession in France up until the end of WWII because people didn’t replace thei...

Cross the small paved street ahead.

Then turn left and use the cross walk to make your way over to the small green cast-iron sculpture.

Stop next to the green sculpture in the middle of the sidewalk. It's about the size of a large man and it features caryatids. This is a Wallace Fountain.

As you can see the water flows in the ce...

Stop and take a look at the beautiful facade of Hôtel de Beauvais at number 68 on your left. There is usually a French and European flag flying right above the door.

Earlier I told you about pal...

At the intersection notice the pretty bakery called Au Petit Versailles du Marais across the road ahead, and the restaurant "Au Bougignon du Marais" to your left.

If you want to try boeuf bourg...

Coming up on your right are two houses that date back to the late Middle Ages, probably around the year 1500.

Stop in front of them for a little while.

Can you see how much the style changed...

Stop at the corner and look left over the road at the corner shop called Aux Merveilleux de Fred.

This is a great stop for folks who love sweet stuff. Fred was born in 1963 and started training...

Keep going straight

When you get to the front of the church you will see a large elm tree. This particular tree is not very old, but there's been an elm tree here since the Middle Ages. This pla...

The church on your left is one of the oldest parishes in Paris. There’s been a church here since the 500s. This third version of the church started in 1495 and construction lasted for 150 years.

...

Stop and have a look at the building to your right. It's the City Hall for the 4th arrondissement.

I told you a second ago that the Paris City Hall is just a block away. You'd have to walk a bl...

Take a right here onto Rue de Rivoli and keep going.

You are now walking along rue de Rivoli. This street runs 3 kilometers east to west parallel to the Seine River. Keep going while I tell you a story about it.

Have you heard of Nicolas Flamel o...

Continue straight.

When we think of what Baron Haussmann did in Paris we think of his obsession for straight lines. When he drew a boulevard, everything in its path had to go. For instance, the...

Keep going in the same direction, along Rue de Rivoli.

If you could transport yourself 1800 years back to the days when Paris was a Roman city, you would already find a street here!

There wa...

Cross the street ahead and continue straight.

Just ahead on the right is a small narrow street. Stop for a moment to have a look down it.

It is so narrow that no natural light can get through. This is exactly what Baron Haussmann wanted to ...

Stop, sit on a bench and have a look at the magnificent church on your right.

The first church on this site was built around 650. They built a second one in 1125, and then again in 1430.

The...

Turn left and cross the street at the next set of traffic lights.

Once you're over, enter the courtyard of the Hotel de Sully straight ahead.

Stop in this courtyard for a moment. This gorgeous hotel particulier was built between 1625 and 1630. The owner, Sully, was a minister of Henri IV and he spent lavishly to complete the interior.

...

Just to complete our 4 seasons, turn around and look at the statues above the door you just came through. Summer is to your right and holds the wheat and Spring has the bird and flowers.

Now tur...

Take a look all around this plaza while I tell you about it.

This plaza was built between 1605 and 1612 and was always this gorgeous mixture of brick and stone with stately visual balance on all...

Stop once you're on the sidewalk and have a look at the building directly over the road.

The Marquise de Sévigné was born here at number 1 Place des Vosges in 1626 and lived there most of her li...

Stop for a moment and look across the street at the corner of the building. That was once the residence of Victor Hugo who lived from 1802 to 1885.

Victor Hugo was a poet and author. He publishe...

Exit the plaza and cross the street using the pedestrian crossing ahead. Then turn left and continue on Rue des Francs Bourgeois.

You are now walking on one of the best shopping streets in the Marais where a shopping enthusiast might spend a whole day browsing. But this street wasn't always filled with shops and lavish displa...

Turn left at the corner ahead, into Rue Pavee.

On your right is the entrance to the Carnavalet Museum. It has been closed for renovations for several years and should re-open in the Spring of 20...

Stop here for a moment.

Calling all book lovers! You must step inside the building on your left for a few minutes! This is the Historical Library of the City of Paris and is both a place for res...

After taking the right fork, continue along Rue Pavee, crossing the small street ahead, Rue Des Rosiers.

Jews in France have had a complicated history. Jews have lived in the Marais since the M...

This synagogue was designed by art nouveau master Hector Guimard. He is also famous for designing the art nouveau metro entrances in Paris.

This is an Orthodox Synagogue with mostly Jews of Rus...

Continue along Rue des Rosiers. I'll catch up with you further ahead, at number 32.

Stop for a moment opposite the green and black facade of L'As du Fallafel.

As you probably know, falafels are a classic of Jewish cuisine. I had never tried a falafel myself, but since I always ...

On your right is the blue facade of La Droguerie Crepe at number 56 rue des Rosiers, a little hole in the wall crepe place that makes some tasty treats! It has an odd name La Droguerie which means ...

Turn right onto Rue Vielle du Temple and keep going. I'll catch up with you further ahead.

Stop for a moment at the corner and have a look at the medieval-looking building directly in front of you, across the street.

It's often mistaken for one of the oldest houses in Paris, but it i...

Stop here for a moment next to the maroon facade of Robert et Louis Restaurant.

It's is a traditional French restaurant for meat lovers. If you're dying to try odd French specialties such as esc...

Keep going on Rue des Francs Bourgeois. I'll catch up with you in a few minutes while you enjoy your surroundings.

Stop here for a moment in front of the grand entrance to the French National Archives on your right.

It's housed in an old Hotel Particulier called Soubise et Rohan. If you are here during openi...

We've reached our final stop here.

This part of the building is much older than the entrance you just saw. It was built in 1375 and an earlier version of this fortified castle was a property of ...