Le Marais — Paris's Gay Quarter

I have loved everything I have seen in Paris

Before the Holocaust, this was one of the hearts of a substantial Jewish community in the city. Some families reaching back centuries, some recently arrived from Eastern Europe. They got swept up in the slaughter and a lot of the community disappeared. But there are remnants here and history and this area is lovely.

Lots of tourists eating falafel and desserts. There are several preserved buildings that commemorate the children taken and murdered by the Nazis. Very poignant. Hitler did not destroy this area as he wanted to preserve it as a memorial to a dead (Jewish) culture. How very sad. We should remember the 6 million Jews and several million others who were murdered in Western Europe. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII in May, 1945 and there are memorial ceremonies in several cities.

Beautiful neighborhood, its streets, food, locals all beautiful. It is worth your visit and walking tour getting lost among its streets.

PROS * Unique historical ethnic neighborhood * Quaint and pleasant * Jewish stuff such as restaurants (some of which have kosher supervision), bakeries and stores and synagogues * Part of the historical Le Marias district * The Museum of the Shoah is nearby CONS * Not very lively on weeknights "I VISITED THIS PLACE"... ... because my lodging was in Le Marais and I came to see the area (again) and to find kosher food- I ate at least twice at the Chlew Delishop on Rue de Rosiers WAS IT WORTH THE COST? Going there is free WOULD "I VISIT THIS PLACE" AGAIN? Sure- to find kosher food ADVICE * An interesting place to see what was once a vibrant Jewish quarter and now it is depressed and quiet and lonely * Kosher restaurants and food if you are nearby anyway

With lots of migration from Eastern Europe during the 19th Century, this part of the Marais became a Jewish neighborhood, not 100%,, but with a definite flavor with important institutions of schools and synagogues. The heritage remains in spite of the shameful deportations during WWII. Plaques on the walls of buildings.

It is a must see. The streets, the people are all charming. Loved the shop and yet loved learning the history and understanding that as people sat back and watched others suffered. We must stand for injustice.

The Marais, 3rd and 4th Arrondisements, has a lot of history, and part of it was the migration of Jews from Eastern Europe to Paris, just like the Jews who fled Russia and Poland to New York and Chicago. They set up businesses and workshops in the old buildings of this area and carved out apartments. There is a big synagogue here, but also memorials to the deportations of the war. History and sadness.

We just love the vibe of this place and the old world charm, so many nooks and crannies to explore, definitely worth some time, during a visit, enjoy a falafel, finding a secret garden to have it in.

We didn't spend much time here as we happened to stop by the Jewish bakery Murciano. The area around the bakery was quite nice with the cobbled streets. The lamp posts lining the streets were also quite a nice look, giving an olden feel. It would be interesting to walk here during the evening. The area looked quite nice and did have a different feel to the streets nearby.