A Day of Strolling in Paris’s Le Marais: Cafés, Markets, and Dessert Shops

Text and photos by /Annie

I checked the weather forecast and saw that it was going to rain in the morning. I thought to myself that rainy days are perfect for spending time in cafés. The day before, I had gone through my list of cafés and decided to head to the northern part of Le Marais, an area known for its concentration of cafés. After taking the metro to Filles du Calvaire and walking just five minutes, I arrived at a café and began my full-day exploration of Le Marais from there.

This is the route I walked that day, covering approximately five kilometers.

The first stop was Boot Café. Predictably, it wasn’t open. Later, I checked Boot Café’s Instagram and found out that the owner had gone on vacation to Taiwan. No worries though—there were still several other cafés in the area.

Since Boot Café was closed, I decided to try another one, Ob-La-Di. I had learned about this place from a French girl I follow on Instagram. Within half an hour of opening, the place was already full. It seems to be a pretty popular café. It’s one of the newer cafés in Paris that emerged after the third-wave coffee movement. Most of the staff speak fluent English, and so do most of the customers, making you feel like you’re in London rather than France.

Not far from Ob-La-Di, there’s a small market. At first glance, I thought it was just an ordinary vegetable market, but after checking with a café, I discovered it was the famous Marché Couvert des Enfants Rouges (Red Children’s Market) in Paris. Nearby, there’s also a bakery and a takeaway shop selling roast duck (or chicken?). The place was bustling with people, giving the impression that there must be quite a few well-known shops in the area.

Approaching lunchtime, I left the café and went to the market to find something to eat. The market isn’t very large, but there are many stalls offering international cuisine (Japanese, Middle Eastern, etc.). In the end, I chose the busiest one: a Moroccan restaurant called Le Traiteur Marocain.

After lunch, it was time for another cup of coffee.

The 2.5-euro cookies were delicious, so I bought another one to take away (Fondation Café).

After drinking the coffee, I felt sleepy. Truly, good coffee can be so comforting that it makes you want to nap. On my way back, I passed by a park with plenty of French people sitting on benches, either reading or resting. Feeling at ease, I decided to take a little snooze myself.

After leaving the northern part of Le Marais, I headed toward Rue des Rosiers. Along the way, I passed many unique little shops and almost couldn’t resist buying something at a clothing store. The further south I went in Le Marais, the more crowded and commercialized it became. On a Sunday in France—when most people don’t work—it was rare to see so many shops still open on Rue des Rosiers. I walked past the famous Middle Eastern falafel spot L’As du Fallafel, which, as expected, had a long line. Fortunately, I had already tried it on a weekday a few days earlier. Just a few steps away from L’As du Fallafel, I was drawn in by the display window of a dessert shop and joined the queue with the crowd.

Macarons were only 1.2 euros each. Maybe this is a chocolate specialty shop—chocolate is definitely better than macarons here—but even so, the price is quite good (Chocolats Damyel).

After leaving the dessert shop, a few stores down was a Kusmi Tea boutique. I’ve recently fallen in love with their tea, so I’ll probably come back to buy a few tins before I leave.

Wandering through the small alleys, I didn’t follow any specific path—just generally heading in the direction of Notre-Dame. I passed by a Chinese restaurant that looked pretty good, so I sat down for dinner. I really can’t get used to French cuisine during this trip to France. Now, whenever I see a Chinese restaurant, I just walk in. Plus, in Paris, you can get a filling Chinese meal for under ten euros.

On the same street, there was also a stationery shop. I was initially drawn in by the hand-painted postcards on display—seeing the ones my friend had sent me from Paris on the shelves.
, and in the end, I went in to browse and bought a made-in-France Rhodia notebook.

I passed by a large square and only when I got closer did I realize it was the famous Centre Pompidou.

I strolled all the way to the Île de la Cité. In the distance, I could see Notre-Dame Cathedral—the iconic setting from Victor Hugo’s *Les Misérables*. I sat on the square in front of the cathedral, daydreaming and watching the pedestrians go by.

After leaving the Île de la Cité, I walked toward the Saint-Michel area. Originally, I wanted to find a spot where I could get a good view of the Eiffel Tower, but then I turned back and went to Châtelet, where I managed to snap a not-so-clear photo of the tower. That day, I only used two metro tickets and walked a total of five kilometers. Sometimes, having no set plan isn’t so bad—maybe no plan is the best plan of all. In the end, I ended my day’s journey with this sunset scene.

Related Information
Shop Name:Boot Café
Address: 19 Rue du Pont aux Choux, 75003
Website:https://www.facebook.com/bootcafe

Shop Name:Ob-La-Di
Address: 54 Rue de Saintonge, 75003
Website:https://www.facebook.com/ObLaDiParis(Free Wi-Fi)

Place Names:Marché couvert des Enfants Rouges (Red Children's Covered Market)
Address: 39, rue de Bretagne 75003 Paris
Website:http://equipement.paris.fr/marche-couvert-des-enfants-rouges-5461

Shop name:Le Traiteur Marocain
Website:http://www.tripadvisor.com.tw/Restaurant_Review-g187147-d3648212-Reviews-Le_Traiteur_Marocain-Paris_Ile_de_France.html

Shop name:Fondation Cafe
Address: 16 Rue Dupetit Thouars, 75003
Website:https://www.facebook.com/fondationcafe

Shop name:Chocolats Damyel
Website:http://www.damyel.com/en/

Shop name:Kusmi Tea
Website:http://www.kusmitea.com/

Place name:Centre Pompidou
Website:https://www.centrepompidou.fr/

Annie @ Travel, Food & Play
Returning to the essence of travel