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of the Opéra Bastille almost two decades ago. The courtyards and alleyways of the 11e arrondissement used to belong to artisans and labourers; the areas around rue du Faubourg St-Antoine, rue de Charonne and rue de la Roquette buzzed with the sound of cabinet makers, joiners, gilders and the like at work. Today most of that’s gone, replaced with artists and their lofts. But the old spirit lives on in some hidden parts of the 11e, and the areas to the east of place de la Bastille in particular retain their lively atmosphere and ethnicity.

HÔTEL DE VILLE Map

39 75; www.paris.fr; place de l’Hôtel de Ville, 4e; Hôtel de Ville

After having been gutted during the Paris Commune of 1871, Paris’ city hall was rebuilt in luxurious neo-Renaissance style from 1874 to 1882. The ornate façade is decorated with 108 statues of noteworthy Parisians. There’s a Salon d’Accueil (Reception Hall; 29 rue de Rivoli, 4e; 10am-7pm Mon-Sat), which dispenses information and brochures and is used for temporary (and very popular) exhibitions, usually with a Paris theme. Some exhibits take place in the Salle St-Jean (5 rue Lobau, 4e), which is entered from the eastern side of the building.

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TRANSPORT: MARAIS & BASTILLE

Bus Rue des Francs Bourgeois for 29 to Bastille & Gare de Lyon; rue de Rivoli for 76 through the 11e via rue de Charonne to 20e & Porte de Bagnolet

Metro Arts et Métiers, Bastille, Chemin Vert, Hôtel de Ville, Pont Marie, Rambuteau, St-Paul

Boat Hôtel de Ville Batobus stop (quai de l’Hôtel de Ville); Canauxrama pier at Port de Arsenal (12e) opposite 50 blvd de la Bastille for canal boat to Bassin de la Villette (13 quai de la Loire)

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PLACE DES VOSGES Map

St-Paul or Bastille

Inaugurated in 1612 as place Royale and thus the oldest square in Paris, Place des Vosges (4e) is an ensemble of 36 symmetrical houses with ground-floor arcades, steep slate roofs and large dormer windows arranged around a large square. Only the earliest houses were built of brick; to save time, the rest were given timber frames and faced with plaster, which was later painted to resemble brick. The square received its present name in 1800 to honour the Vosges département (administrative division) for being the first in France to pay its taxes.

The author Victor Hugo lived in an apartment on the 3rd floor of the square’s Hôtel de Rohan-Guéménée from 1832 to 1848, moving here a year after the publication of Notre Dame de Paris (The Hunchback of Notre Dame); he completed Ruy Blas while in residence here. The Maison de Victor Hugo (Map; Victor Hugo House; 01 42 72 10 16; www.musee-hugo.paris.fr; 6 place des Vosges, 4e; temporary exhibits adult/14-26yr/senior & student €7/3.50/5.50, permanent collections free, under 14yr free; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun) is now a municipal museum devoted to the life and times of the celebrated novelist and poet, with an impressive collection of his personal drawings and portraits.

HÔTEL DE SULLY Map

62 rue St-Antoine, 4e; St-Paul

This aristocratic mansion dating from the early 17th century today houses the headquarters of the Centre des Monuments Nationaux (Monum; 01 44 61 20 00; www.monuments-nationaux.fr; 9am-12.45pm & 2-6pm Mon-Thu, 9am-12.45pm & 2-5pm Fri), the body responsible for many of France’s historical monuments; there are brochures and lots of information available on sites nationwide. Here you’ll also find the Jeu de Paume – Site Sully ( 01 42 74 47 75; www.jeudepaume.org; adult/senior, student & 13-18yr €5/2.50; noon-7pm Tue-Fri, 10am-7pm Sat & Sun), a branch of the more famous Galerie de Jeu de Paume, with excellent rotating photographic exhibits. Visiting both galleries costs €8/4. The Hôtel de Sully bookshop is excellent, and the two Renaissance-style courtyards are worth the trip alone.

MUSÉE CARNAVALET Map

01 44 59 58 58; www.carnavalet.paris.fr in French; 23 rue de Sévigné, 3e; temporary exhibits adult/14-26yr/senior & student €7/3.50/5.50, permanent collections free, under 14yr free; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun; St-Paul or Chemin Vert

This museum, subtitled Musée de l’Histoire de Paris