What is the best day and when is the best time to visit the Marais? We want to visit the Carnavalet Museum so Monday is out and the Picasso Museum is closed for renovation anyway. Is a Friday afternoon a good time? What are the "must see" places in the area? How much time do you need to see the highlights of the area?

There are some observant Jews in the Marais and certain stores may be closed on Friday afternoon and Saturday. For example, I think L'As du Fallafel is closed for the Sabbath.

Consider taking a Paris Walks tour of the area. They have two tours. One of the morning ones finishes at Place des Vosges, the must see place in the area, and a good place for lunch. I ate at Cafe Hugo, then headed over to Carnavalet, close by.

Friday is a fine day, as are most weekdays (other than Monday), Saturday and Sunday have limited hours depending on the shop/restaurant, and you have more options during the week. The area is highly touristed on the Seine end and you should have no problem following the crowds either way. Hope this helps.

I see no point in taking a walking tour, though that is not my bag to begin with. That is me though, some like that shizz, if you do - go for it.

Try a Thus that way you can also see the Richard Lenoir market at Bastille, probably one of the best Paris outdoor markets

ttt

They close off some streets for pedestrians only during the weekends which is nice, however, the area gets VERY crowded. I would go mid-week if that's possible, or Friday is fine.

Don't miss the Place des Vosges, a lovely park surrounded by arcades. The Carnavalet could take an hour or two, and there is a lot of shopping in the area. For an offbeat museum experience try the Musee de la Chasse et Nature (the Hunting Museum) on rue des Archives. If you don't mind taxidermy, it's pretty cool.

The Marais takes on a very different appearance at night - especially on weekends as this area of intimate cobbled pedestrian lanes has become one of Paris' major night-time venues IME - the lanes are packed on weekend nights and in warm weather - lots of neat restos, etc. And it is also a gay mecca IME - so what may seem a languid area in the daytime takes on a very different aspect at night.