A Perfect Day in the 3rd Arrondissement

My former home is filled with tiny museums, cobbled streets, and tasty treats

As compared to other European capitals like London or Rome, Paris is actually relatively well-contained and pretty walkable. And while the streets definitely don't run in straight lines (much to the horror of this native New Yorker), it’s relatively easy to see where you're going thanks to the system of arrondissements or districts, numbered 1 to 20, which spiral out in a snail shell shape from the first in the center to the 20th in the northeast.

After fifteen years here, one of my favorite activities is to explore unfamiliar corners of Paris, getting to know the personality and unique offerings of each of the arrondissements. And this gave me the idea for a new series exclusively for my subscribers: my hit list, if you will, of the must-dos (and must-eats) in each of Paris’ 20 districts.

We’ve already ventured through the 1st arrondissement, home to the Louvre, and the 2nd arrondissement, Paris’ smallest. Welcome to the 3rd, aka the Marais. (Kind of.)

The 3nd Arrondissement in Short

Paris 3rd arrondissement kind of corresponds to the area dubbed the Marais, aka “the swamp.” (Doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?)

I lived in the 3rd for a while, so I must admit embarrassment at learning, for the purposes of this email, that none of the 3rd borders the water. (Je me coucherai moins bête.) In reality, this arrondissement is delineated by rue Rambuteau and rue des Francs-Bourgeois to the south, dividing it from the 4th, where we’ll pick up next time, and rendering portions of the Marais, like the cobbled rue des Rosiers, technically out of the confines of this particular missive.

To the east, the 3rd abuts boulevard Beaumarchais and the ever-trendy 11th. To the north, it meets the 10th along boulevard Saint-Martin and République square; to the west, boulevard de Sébastopol separates it from the 2nd, which we explored last week.

The Marais in general stands out from much of the rest of Paris due to the fact that it remained largely untouched by Napoléon III's reimagining of Paris’ city center with help from urban architect Georges Eugène Haussmann. Instead of the wide boulevards you find on the rest of the city's Right Bank, the Marais is home to loads of tiny cobbled streets and former urban mansions, many of which have since been converted to museums and are often home to gorgeous courtyards, just waiting behind their grand doors for curious visitors to discover.

The 3rd is also particularly well-known for shopping, whether it’s the boutiques along the picturesque rue Vieille du Temple, foodie shops along rue Rambuteau and rue de Bretagne, or independent art galleries on rue Chapon and rue de Turenne. It’s also rife with independent foodie shops, many of which peddle some of the city's best sweets, which I love showcasing in my private tours of Paris.

The Landmarks: Musée Carnavalet, Marché des Enfants Rouges, les Archives de Paris

The Vibe: Cobbled, chic, bobo

My Perfect Day in the 3rd Arrondissement

The 3rd arrondissement is the ideal place to wander for those who hope to get lost in Paris, its cobbled medieval streets dotted with independent boutiques and leading into quiet courtyards and pocket parks. Boasting loads of tiny museums (many of which are housed in gorgeous former urban mansions) and countless wine bars, shops, and galleries, the question here isn't what to do, but how to find time to do it all.

But if you have only one day in the Marais, I suggest you begin with an award-winning croissant.