Go Back  Fodor's Travel Talk Forums > Destinations > Europe
Reload this Page >

Best Day and Time to visit Marais

Search

Best Day and Time to visit Marais

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Dec 8th, 2009, 06:08 PM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,313
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Best Day and Time to visit Marais

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?
europeannovice is offline  
Old Dec 8th, 2009, 06:41 PM
  #2  
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 26,710
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
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.
Aduchamp1 is offline  
Old Dec 8th, 2009, 07:18 PM
  #3  
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 7,525
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
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.
Michel_Paris is offline  
Old Dec 8th, 2009, 08:26 PM
  #4  
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 1,851
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
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.
cherrybomb is offline  
Old Dec 9th, 2009, 12:54 AM
  #5  
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 9,705
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Try a Thus that way you can also see the Richard Lenoir market at Bastille, probably one of the best Paris outdoor markets
avalon is offline  
Old Dec 9th, 2009, 06:29 AM
  #6  
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,074
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
ttt
tdk320n is offline  
Old Dec 9th, 2009, 06:51 AM
  #7  
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 637
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
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.
melissa19 is offline  
Old Dec 9th, 2009, 07:37 AM
  #8  
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 9,023
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
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.
Palenque is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
planningtravel
Europe
13
Jan 12th, 2017 02:15 AM
JeanneB
Europe
6
Sep 6th, 2006 05:26 AM
speckles
Europe
17
Jul 25th, 2006 03:32 PM
jamikins
Europe
17
Mar 5th, 2004 08:35 PM
Rudite
Europe
12
Mar 5th, 2003 04:23 PM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On



Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -