Neighbourhood Watch: The Third Arrondissement

Today, our wander through Paris’s arrondissements takes us to the third, also known as le troisieme, or Temple, or, if you like your neighbourhoods to have, like, all the names, the Upper, or New, or Haut Marais. The Marais is one of the most popular, and most quintessential, parts of Paris, and it spreads across this arrondissement and the 4^th, which is due south of it.

The Upper Marais is beautiful, central, packed full of things to do, and multicultural, too: it has a significant Jewish population and a Chinese community that began during World War One, when an influx of people from Wenzhou settled here as labourers. There’s also an LGBTQ+ history that runs deep within the veins of this neighbourhood. In short, it’s classic Paris, and full of all the things that make the city great.

Note: many Paris museums and attractions will require pre-booking during the Games. Make sure to check their websites to ensure you’re aware of any restrictions to access and to ensure you can visit on your intended date.

Main attractions of the 3^rd arrondissement:

• Musée Carnavalet
• Musée Picasso
• Nicholas Flamel’s house
• Marché des Enfants Rouge
• honestly just like, loads of really good gay bars 

You’ll find it: On the Right Bank, to the east of the second arrondissement and due north of the fourth.

Olympic sports held here: None – like most of the other central arrondissements, it’s near to the action but slightly set apart, which should mean that access to all our recommendations isn’t limited. 

Olympic fanzones in the neighbourhood:

Fanzones are a great way for ticket holders and non-ticket-holders alike to enjoy the extraordinary buzz of Paris 2024 – for free. You can find lots more information on them here. There technically isn't one in the 3rd, but head over to the 4th and you'll find three, including one of the biggest of the Games at the Hôtel de Ville.

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So what’s the vibe, anyway?

Like the Marais proper – buzzy, interesting, and progressive – but just a touch quieter, a bit cooler, and a bit less touristy than the fourth. This is a medieval neighbourhood, and so you’ll see slightly different architecture here, and encounter a vibe that feels like New York’s West Village.

The New Marais is the second-smallest arrondissement in the city, but it’s well and truly packed with attractions, restaurants, and green spaces. There are six sweet public gardens scattered throughout the third, all of which are perfect places to stop for a picnic lunch – our favourite is the Square du Temple, which dates back to the 13^th century and was once the site of the commandry of the Knights Templar. These days, it’s an English-style garden with an abundance of native and exotic plants and trees, which means it’s just as popular with birds as it is with locals, who dot around the lush edges of its pond on summer days. You’ll find chess boards here to encourage you to slow down, and in the morning, you might come across a group of local elders practicing Tai Chi. It is, in short, a bit of a vibe.

And museums? You quite literally won’t have time to visit them all. There are nine listed museums in the neighbourhood but a number of smaller, unlisted ones, too. These range from broad to incredibly niche: you can wander the halls of the Musée Picasso and chart the artist’s journey from post-impressionist to Cubist thought-leader, or head to the newly renovated Musée Carnavalet to trace the history of Paris in an extraordinary curation of objects and objets.

The oldest remaining house in Paris was built in 1407 and belonged to the famous alchemist Nicolas Flamel – and as so much of old Paris was destroyed when Hausmann's architecture took over the streets, it's well worth checking it out. You'll find it on 51 rue de Montmorency – the outside is largely untouched, and the inside is a high-end restaurant these days. 

If you’re the kind of person who likes taking things apart just to see how they work, the Musée des Arts et Métiers will be right up your alley – it focuses on industrial design and scientific inventions, including things like the camera obscura, the Foucault pendulum, and early cars among its treasures. Keen photographers will enjoy the Foundation Henri Cartier-Bresson, which showcases work by its namesake and Martine Franck, as well as a revolving cast of visiting photographers and exhibitions. Currently, that space is occupied by Stephen Shore and his American road trip imagery.

You’ll find the National Archives in the third (it might sound dull but it’s not, and the building is beautiful!), as well as the excellent Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme, which covers the story of Jewish people in Europe and North Africa over the last six centuries or so. And if your whole thing is waiting for the summer to end so you can get out hunting again, you’ll love the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, which is entirely devoted to hunting art and objects. It’s also always well worth popping into Le Carreau du Temple on rue Eugène Spuller – this beautiful old market hall was converted into a public-use culture space in 2014, and you’ll often find an interesting exhibition, exposition, or performance underway.

But let’s not miscast the third as just some dusty museum district – there’s so much more going on than that.

Head to the Marché des Enfants Rouge on the Rue de Bretagne – it’s the oldest food market in the city, dating back to the early seventeenth century, and whatever time of day you visit you’ll get a sense of the vibrance and bustle of Paris’s beating heart. But lunchtime, really, is best – you can either fill up on samples and tasters from around the stalls, or make a picnic to take to the gardens, or get a full lunch on site. Chez Alain Miam Miam is a great option for grab-and-go sandwiches or crepes (Alain’s Cornet Végétarien might actually change your life, honestly), or you can pitch up at one of the little tables around the edges of the market and get a full meal and plenty of people-watching in.

This is a great area to be in for a big night out – Le Cud, on Rue des Haudriettes, keeps its dancefloor (in a cave!) moving until seven in the morning and it’s very LGBTQ+ friendly. La Mezcaleria has top-notch cocktails and is a good night-opener sort of place, while gay bar Le Souffleurs is a slightly more chill option if you’re not ready for the full-on dance floors that most of the Marais offers. It’s best, though, to just start your night and follow the vibes – you can bar-crawl easily in this neighbourhood, and you might find yourself doing a round of karaoke, popping into a drag cabaret, or wandering into Le Mensch and realising that maybe a cruising bar isn’t exactly where you meant to end up. Or maybe it is! And if so, that’s great for you! You'll love Le Mensch in that case.

The other big draw of the third is its shopping. You don’t go to Paris – hell, we hope you don’t go anywhere – to shop at Zara or h&m or, whatever, insert a franchise here. Instead, if you’re going to shop, it’s all about finding boutiques and local makers and getting something that you wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else, and that is a serious strength in this area.



Merci, at 111 Boulevard Beaumarchais, is a curated ‘lifestyle’ shop, which means its crammed with incredible hand-picked homeware, clothing, and accessories. It’s nearly impossible not to spend money here, and our kryptonite is their Used Book Café, which is exactly what you’d imagine. You’ll find perfect Paris souvenirs that aren’t Rue di Rivoli tat here.

CSAO is the brainchild of Valérie Schlumberger, who moved to Senegal as a teenager and now resides back in her hometown of Paris. Here, she sells handmade embroidered bags, cushions, and decorations, made by female artisans from across West Africa. CSAO has previously collaborated with major designers such as Louboutin and Sézane, and the pieces really are stunning.

Officine Universelle Buly is an upmarket beauty shop, but what makes it so special is that it feels like you’re shopping in an old-fashioned apothecary, with walnut counters and cabinets to root through. You can also often grab a treatment, including massages, here.

Maison Labiche specialises in basics – crisp shirts, well-made t-shirts, and the like – but the thing that sets them apart is that you can have a custom embroidery done in-store. You can choose one of their shop-favourite sayings (an oversized white shirt with 'not your baby' embroidered over the heart in red thread is very cool, actually) or go for something specific to you and your trip. We're not not saying you should get a 'Does Ros canter?' shirt made. 

Want a more general starting point? The Rue de Francs-Bourgeois is packed with interesting shops and boutiques, and will take you neatly on into the fourth arrondissement – and our next guide.

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Where to stay:

Much of what remains available in the third for the Olympics is apartments and apart-hotels, which are great options, actually, because they allow you a bit of flexibility and the chance to save a bit of cash by cooking some of your own meals. Some of our picks of the pack are...

• 123paris city, which is an aparthotel rather than a standalone apartment, and comes equipped with a dishwasher, a microwave, and an oven in the kitchen. They've got a studio apartment left up for grabs that'll sleep a couple comfortably and starts at £236 per night – that's just over £2000 for the duration of the equestrian events. 
• If you'd prefer a hotel, Solly Hôtel still has a variety of rooms available, and whether you go for the cheapest option, the comfort double (starting at £364 per night), or the more expensive suites with balconies and city views (starting from £7,832 for the duration of the equestrian events), you'll find quirky, curated oil paintings and Victorian illustrations of flora and fauna in these beautifully decorated, thoughtfully presented rooms. You'll also be five minutes from the Metro. (Those suites truly are unbelievable, so if this is a big-budget splurge trip, take a look.)
• Just a stone's throw from the beautiful Place de Vosges, which is in the Lower Marais, is Cocon. This gorgeous little apartment can sleep four – it's got a double bed and a double sofa bed – and it's got plenty of historic details, including exposed stone on the walls. The renovations to the place are just right – the shower, especially, is a thing of beauty – and you'll enter through a very, very Marais courtyard. It's booked up for parts of the Games, but you could get it for dressage and showjumping for £278 per night.
• If you're an eventing ticketholder instead, check out Appartement Vertus, which has availability throughout this first equestrian sport from just £202 per night. There are several cute options, all with bright, minimalist, Matisse-adorned interiors, handy kitchen areas, and living, dining, and sleeping zones. Plus, you're just 300m from Arts et Metiers metro station and 500m from the Pompidou Centre over in the fourth. 

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Where to eat:

• Paris used to be a difficult place to be a vegetarian – let alone a vegan. But that’s changing, and a new wave of forward-thinking foodie types are setting up shop in the city. One of the best-loved little spots is Wild & The Moon, which also has outposts in Amsterdam, Dubai, and Doha, and has THE most gorgeous menu of plant-based, vibrant meals and nibbles. We love this particularly as a lunch spot – grab a vegan pad thai and a side of labneh, and top it off with a CBD milkshake for the perfect pick-me-up for your next round of adventures.
• After all that, you’ll need a good coffee. Though Paris is – let’s be honest here – generally absolutely crap at coffee, the third has some seriously devoted people trying to put that right. The best of them can be found at fringe, which is as much a shrine to good coffee as it is a celebration of experimental photography. You’ll get a great brew here, with good music on the speakers, and made for you by one of a team of people that are all quite unnervingly hot. It’s quite a cool place, so if cool isn’t your thing, you might not love it – but we love popping in and picking up some inspiration with our flat white.
• One of the most laid-back places you’ll find to start your night is Candelaria, a hole-in-the-wall taqueria that’ll have you happily scoffing a plate of barbacoa tacos for €9 while elbow to elbow with your neighbour. Then, you and your new friends can sneak back to the hidden cocktail bar, which has a completely different vibe to the street-kitchen façade up front. In any case, it’s a New Marais must, and also a surprisingly good brunch spot at the weekend.
• Paris's Chinatown is in the 13th arrondissement, but because of the Chinese community in the third, you'll find some great restaurants here, too – and if you've come from the second arrondissement scratching your head at the lack of Chinese restaurants in the Rue Saint-Anne, this'll be a balm for the hungry soul. Mao Dumpling Bar can shoot right to the top of your list. It's a perfect little hole in the wall with the best dumplings you'll find in the area. 
• The folks behind Verjus in the first have a little gem in Elmer in the third. The lunch menu starts at €32, and à la carte dinner options start at €75, so it's a treat meal kind of place, but you'll find gorgeous, inventive options from chef Simon Horwitz as well as sharp wine pairings from resident sommelier Sebastien that'll make it well worth the money.
• Sometimes, you just want a really good pizza. To get one, you need to go to BigLove. They happily cater for veggie diners and gluten-free requirements, too, and the atmosphere in the restaurant is great.