Normandy, Brittany & the Best of the North_ With Paris (Fodor's) - Fodor's [124]
Fodor’s Choice | Place des Vosges.
The oldest square in Paris and—dare we say it?—the most beautiful, the Place des Vosges is one of Europe’s oldest stabs at urban planning. The precise proportions offer a placid symmetry, but things weren’t always so calm. Four centuries ago this was the site of the Palais des Tournelles, home to King Henri II and Queen Catherine de’ Medici. The couple staged regular jousting tournaments, and during one of them, in 1559, Henri was fatally lanced in the eye. Catherine fled for the Louvre, abandoning her palace and ordering it destroyed. At the base of the 36 redbrick-and-stone houses—nine on each side of the square—is an arcaded, covered walkway lined with art galleries, shops, and cafés. | Chemin Vert or St-Paul.
QUICK BITES: “The dormouse in the teapot,” Le Loir dans la Théière (3 rue des Rosiers, Le Marais | 75004 | 01–42–72–90–61) is aptly named for the dormouse who fell asleep at Alice in Wonderland’s tea party. This is the perfect place to recover from museum overload—cozy into a leather chair, order a silver pot of tea, and choose a homemade cake.
WORTH NOTING IN MARAIS AND THE BASTILLE
Hôtel de Sully.
This early Baroque gem, built in 1624, is one of the city’s loveliest hôtels particuliers;among the back courtyard’s sculpted rows of hedges you can find a door that opens into the Place des Vosges. Like much of the area, it fell into ruin until the 1950s, when it was rescued by the administration of French historic monuments, Caisse Nationale des Monuments Historiques, which has its headquarters here. This is also one of two homes of the Jeu de Paume (the other is in the Tuileries), which stages regular photography exhibitions. Near the entrance on the Rue de Rivoli, the bookstore, which stocks many unusual guides on Paris (some in English), is worth a stop to admire the 17th-century ceiling of painted beams. The recently renovated private apartment of the Duchess de Sully—four rooms furnished with period pieces—is open for visits by reservation, for a small charge. | 62 rue St-Antoine, Le Marais | 75004 | 01–44–61–20–00 Hotel de Sully, 01–42–74–47–75 Jeu de Paume | Tues.–Sun. 10–7 Hotel de Sully, Tues.–Fri. noon–7, weekends 10–7 Jeu de Paume | Station: St-Paul.
Maison Européenne de la Photographie (MEP; European Photography Center). Much of the credit for photography’s current perch in the city’s cultural scene can be given to MEP (whose director, Jean-Luc Monterosso, also founded Paris’s hugely successful Mois de la Photographie festival held in November in even-number years). This terrific center hosts up to four exhibitions every three months, and they include photographers from around the world in their selection. A show on a Magnum photographer could overlap with an Irving Penn display or a collection of 19th-century images. Programs and guided tours are available in English. | 5 rue de Fourcy, Le Marais | 75004 | 01–44–78–75–00 | www.mep-fr.org | €6.50, free Wed. after 5 PM | Wed.–Sun. 11–8 | Station: St-Paul.
Maison de Victor Hugo.
France’s most famous scribe lived in the northeast corner of Place des Vosges between 1832 and 1848. The house’s first floor is dedicated to temporary exhibits that often have modern ties to Hugo’s work. In Hugo’s apartment on the second floor, you can see the tall desk, next to the short bed, where he began writing his masterwork Les Misérables (as always, standing up). There are manuscripts and early editions of that famous work on display, as well as others such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame. You can see illustrations of Hugo’s writings by other artists, including Bayard’s rendition of the impish Cosette holding her giant broom (which has graced countless Les Miz