The Marais is a fun, vibrant, diverse area. The  narrow streets are filled with  wonderful neighborhood bistros and cafes, chic boutiques and museums such as the Musee National Picasso and Musee Carnavalet both of which are housed in beautiful restored palatial townhouses. There are art galleries and antique shops around the Place des Vosges (the oldest and one of the loveliest squares in Paris). Henri IV developed the area in 17th century and it quickly became popular with the aristocracy who built grand hotels (townhouses). Many of which survive today as museums, offices and apartments. In the summer the Hotel de Albret hosts jazz concerts during the Paris Quartier d’ete Festival. The Place des Vosges is a wonderful place to hang out on a fine afternoon to either relax or read a book. Overall it is a great neighborhood except some days the throngs of people out and about can be tedious, but what can you do. And if you did not have the people it would not be a fun and happening place. Below is a photo the Place des Vosges.

I stayed at the moderately priced Hotel de la Bretonnerie. The building dates back to the 17th century and oozes with charm. The rooms are beautifully decorated and the price  quite reasonable given the ideal location, comfortable rooms and excellent service. They offer breakfast (not included in the price of the room) in the morning in a quaint and cheerful breakfast room in the basement. The hotel is located off of Rue des Archives on Rue Ste-Croix de la Bretonnerie.  The Lourve is a 10 to 15 minute walk away, Notre Dame and  the Latin Quarter are a 5 to 10 minute walk and the Pompidou about a 5 minute walk away. There are also several metro stops nearby. I chose a charming duplex on the second floor overlooking the Rue Ste-Croix de la Bretonnerie. Usually in the evening before going out to dinner I would open the window and just stand there watching the people walk by. The neighborhood has such a fun and vibrant feel to it. The windows are double glazed to keep out noise. The Rue        Ste-Croix de la Bretonnerie is not a major thoroughfare and caters mostly to pedestrian traffic.

On my next trip a I rented an apartment in the northern part of the Marais. It was little more expensive than the hotel, but the extra room was worth the added expensive. Definitely worth considering if you are staying for a week or more. I booked the apartment through a company called Paris Marias. I was satisfied with both the apartment and service.  

On my most recent trip I stayed at Hotel Saint Paul le Marais near the Place des Vosges. It is a 3 star hotel. My room was nice and decorated nicely (somewhat on the small size), but in this price range you probably will not be able to get a large double room. The main thing for me is the room is clean and comfortable and has nice bathroom. The hotel staff were friendly and knowledgeable. In the lobby their is a PC to access the Internet. I had a nice stay and  would definitely go back.

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