Best Things To Do In Le Marais
Join a Jewish Quarter Paris Tour
Le Marais is the heart of the Parisian Jewish community, something that’s clearly visible in the Rue des Rosiers. This narrow, lively street has been home to Jewish families, bakeries, bookshops, and synagogues for centuries.
There’s no doubt that one of the unmissable things to do in Le Marais to discover its Jewish history is to join a guided walking tour.
A key stop during the tour is the Musée d’Art et d’Histoire du Judaïsme, one of the most enriching museums in Le Marais. It is housed in the elegant Hôtel de Saint-Aignan. It’s the largest Jewish museum in France and traces the long history of Jewish communities in Europe and North Africa through art, ritual objects, photography, and contemporary works.
Not far from it, you can see the Mémorial de la Shoah, France’s main Holocaust memorial and research center. Inside, there are testimonies and rotating exhibitions that document Jewish persecution in France during WWII.
Outside, the Wall of Names lists thousands of Jewish children and adults deported from France, many from the Marais.
During the tour, the guide will point you to the many plaques on school façades and apartment buildings, each marking the names of Jewish residents taken during the war.
But exploring Le Marais, you won’t just learn about its Jewish history. You will clearly learn about its identity, also through the many local bakeries and little grocery shops that sell typical products.
I recommend this Jewish Marais – Yiddish world: Walking tour and pastries. You will get to know Le Marais’s Jewish side much more in-depth thanks to your local guide.
