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Marais Paris walking tour: a self-guided route from Hôtel de Ville to Île Saint-Louis
A self-guided Marais walking tour from the Hôtel de Ville to the Île Saint-Louis — nine stops, leg-by-leg distances, museum closing days, works in 2026 and hotels nearby. Checked October 2026.
The route in nine stops
The walk goes from the Hôtel de Ville to the Île Saint-Louis. Its stops fall in the Hôtel de Ville, Rosiers, Archives, Haut-Marais, Place des Vosges, Saint-Paul and island sub-districts of our Marais map. All distances are estimated, at 1.3 times the straight line and 80 metres a minute.
Photo: Francisco Anzola, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
| Leg | Distance | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Hôtel de Ville to the church of Saint-Gervais | 286 m | 4 min |
| Saint-Gervais to the rue des Rosiers (no. 1) | 683 m | 9 min |
| Rue des Rosiers to the Archives nationales | 659 m | 8 min |
| Archives nationales to the Picasso Museum | 502 m | 6 min |
| Picasso Museum to the Carnavalet Museum | 370 m | 5 min |
| Carnavalet Museum to the place des Vosges | 357 m | 4 min |
| Place des Vosges to the Village Saint-Paul | 432 m | 5 min |
| Village Saint-Paul to the Île Saint-Louis (Berthillon) | 555 m | 7 min |
Total: about 3,844 m, or roughly 48 minutes of walking.
Stop by stop, with what to check
- Hôtel de Ville. The façade is the start; the interior is not open to individual visitors until further notice (paris.fr, updated 26 January 2026). See the Hôtel de Ville page.
- Church of Saint-Gervais. About 286 metres on. Our data gives no opening hours for it, so we describe it only as a landmark on the way.
- Rue des Rosiers. Pedestrian on Sundays since 2006 and very crowded; on Saturdays many kosher shops are closed. See the rue des Rosiers.
- Archives nationales (hôtel de Soubise). Open Monday and Wednesday to Friday 10 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., weekends 2 p.m. to 5.30 p.m.; closed on Tuesday. See the Archives nationales page.
- Picasso Museum. Tuesday to Sunday, 9.30 a.m. to 6 p.m., last entry 5.15 p.m.; closed on Monday. The garden is open from 1 April to 30 September only. See the Picasso Museum page.
- Carnavalet Museum. Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; closed on Monday. See the Carnavalet Museum.
- Place des Vosges. The square Louis-XIII is open 8 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. at weekends in October 2026, with shorter days from late October. See the place des Vosges.
- Village Saint-Paul. Open daily, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. depending on shop, but under refurbishment by its landlord: expect scaffolding and altered passages. See the Village Saint-Paul guide.
- Île Saint-Louis. The end point, with Berthillon at 31 rue Saint-Louis-en-l’Île; see Île Saint-Louis and Berthillon.
Photo: Chabe01, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Distance covered, stop by stop
Adding up the legs gives the distance walked at each stop. These are our estimates (1.3 times the straight line, 80 metres a minute), not a measured track.
| Stop | Walked so far | Time so far |
|---|---|---|
| Church of Saint-Gervais | 286 m | 4 min |
| Rue des Rosiers | 969 m | 12 min |
| Archives nationales | 1,628 m | 20 min |
| Picasso Museum | 2,130 m | 27 min |
| Carnavalet Museum | 2,500 m | 31 min |
| Place des Vosges | 2,857 m | 36 min |
| Village Saint-Paul | 3,289 m | 41 min |
| Île Saint-Louis (Berthillon) | 3,844 m | 48 min |
The route splits naturally in two. The first half, from the Hôtel de Ville to the Picasso Museum, is 2.1 km and is the one that crosses the Jewish quarter and the Archives. The second half, from the Picasso Museum to the Île Saint-Louis, is about 1.7 km and is the one that passes the Carnavalet Museum and the place des Vosges. If time is short, walk the second half and enter the Marais from the Saint-Paul station on line 1.
Short detours from the route
Every place below is in our data and can be added to the route. The detour is the straight-line distance from the nearest stop, with the walking time by our rule.
| Place | Nearest stop | Straight line | On foot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maison de Victor Hugo | Place des Vosges | 71 m | 1 min |
| Bibliothèque historique de la Ville de Paris | Carnavalet Museum | 84 m | 1 min |
| BHV Marais (department store) | Hôtel de Ville | 110 m | 2 min |
| Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis | Village Saint-Paul | 124 m | 2 min |
| Musée Cognacq-Jay | Carnavalet Museum | 162 m | 3 min |
| Museum of Jewish Art and History | Archives nationales | 163 m | 3 min |
| Hôtel de Sully | Village Saint-Paul | 164 m | 3 min |
| Shoah Memorial | Church of Saint-Gervais | 191 m | 3 min |
| Museum of Hunting and Nature | Archives nationales | 196 m | 3 min |
| Marché des Enfants-Rouges | Picasso Museum | 373 m | 6 min |
| Centre Pompidou (building) | Hôtel de Ville | 443 m | 7 min |
| Notre-Dame cathedral | Hôtel de Ville | 465 m | 8 min |
Opening days decide the choice. The Shoah Memorial is closed on Saturday and open until 9 p.m. on Thursday. The Museum of Hunting and Nature and the Cognacq-Jay museum are closed on Monday, like the Picasso and Carnavalet museums. The Museum of Jewish Art and History is also closed on Monday. The Marché des Enfants-Rouges is closed on Monday and shuts at 5 p.m. on Sunday. The Centre Pompidou building is closed, so it is a landmark rather than a stop.
Starting from the other end
The route can be walked in the opposite direction. From the Île Saint-Louis, Pont Marie (line 7) is 209 m from Berthillon in a straight line, and Sully–Morland (line 7) 352 m; the Village Saint-Paul has its own station on line 1. Walking the route backwards changes nothing in the opening days, but it puts the Archives, which open at 2 p.m. on weekends, late in the afternoon, so it suits a weekend morning better.
Choosing the day
Since the Picasso and Carnavalet museums close on Monday and the Archives on Tuesday, only Wednesday to Sunday keeps all three open. On Saturdays and Sundays the Archives open at 2 p.m. only, so they suit a weekday morning better. Sunday gives the pedestrian street, with crowds. For where to eat on the way, see falafel in Le Marais and brunch in Le Marais.
Where to start and finish
The place des Vosges is the middle of the route, and its sub-district has four hotels in our base. To start from the other end, see hotels near the Hôtel de Ville and hotels on and near the place des Vosges. What else is open is in things to do in Le Marais.
Photo: Mbzt, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Frequently asked questions
How long is a self-guided walking tour of Le Marais?
Our route measures about 3.8 km on foot, an estimated 48 minutes without any visit, at 80 metres a minute. Add the time you spend in each museum.
Is there a map of the walking tour?
The route is described leg by leg in the table above, with distances. The estimates are not a GPS track. Our Marais map shows the sub-districts the route crosses.
Which day is best for a walking tour with museums?
Wednesday to Sunday. The Picasso Museum and the Carnavalet Museum are closed on Monday, and the Archives nationales museum on Tuesday.
Is there a free walking tour?
Our sources do not cover free tours. The walk described here costs nothing, but museum entries do. Guided walks are listed in the GetYourGuide catalogue, seen on 4 October 2026; prices and dates were not checked.
What is changing on the route in 2026?
The Village Saint-Paul is being refurbished, with scaffolding and altered passages in its courtyards, and the Hôtel de Ville is closed to individual visitors inside. The Picasso Museum's garden is open only from 1 April to 30 September.
Where does the Marais walking tour finish?
On the Île Saint-Louis, at Berthillon, 31 rue Saint-Louis-en-l’Île. Pont Marie (line 7) is 209 m away in a straight line and Sully–Morland (line 7) 352 m.
How can I shorten the route?
Start at the Picasso Museum and walk the second half, 1.7 km to the Île Saint-Louis by our estimate, or stop at the place des Vosges, 2.9 km and about 36 minutes from the Hôtel de Ville.
Which detours cost the fewest minutes?
The Maison de Victor Hugo, a minute from the place des Vosges, the Bibliothèque historique de la Ville de Paris, a minute from the Carnavalet Museum, and the BHV Marais, two minutes from the Hôtel de Ville, all on our walking-time rule.