Le Marais

It was our last morning in our hotel in le Marais. However we’d decided to extend our trip, as there were still things we wanted to do. Our first hotel was fully reserved, so we booked a different hotel in the southern side of the Pigalle area. We were in no hurry to move on though, so Brian made us some tea and we sank into our fluffy pillows to enjoy a slow, quiet morning. “What the heck is that?” I exclaimed. “It sounds like a brass band.” Brian got out of bed to investigate, and could see another bunch of runners down on rue de Rivoli, just below our balcony. “More runners:” He said. “But there’s rather a lot of them!” Not thinking any more of it, we drank our tea, got washed and dressed, and packed our bags. “Let’s have one last breakfast here before we get a cab to the other hotel.” I suggested.

We soon realised though, as we headed to rue de Rivoli, that we were on the route of the Paris marathon 2026, with some 60,000+ runners. We didn’t even know it was happening!

Apparently it’s the first marathon to ban single use cups or bottles. Bunny ears are fine though.

We loved our few days in the Marais district.

There is so much to see and do, you really don’t need to leave the area at all. It has plenty of bars and restaurants, little boutiques, museums and galleries, everything you need for a relaxing break.

And it’s steeped in history, we just scratched the surface.

Definitely an area we will come back to, as still lots to see and do.