Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Cost and Hours:
Free, fee for some temporary (but optional) exhibits, audioguide-€5,
Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00, closed Mon; avoid lunchtime (12:30-14:30), when many rooms may
be closed; 23 Rue de Sévigné, Mo: St. Paul, tel. 01 44 59 58 58,
www.carnavalet.paris.fr
.
This museum has been closed for a major renovation but should reopen in time for your
visit. It contains the world's largest collection of Picasso's paintings, sculptures, sketches,
andceramics,alongwithhissmallcollectionofImpressionistart.Tuckedintoacornerofthe
Marais, it's worth
▲▲▲
if you're a Picasso fan. When the museum reopens, its exhibition
spacewillbemuchlarger;morethan500ofPicasso'sworkswillbeonviewoverfourfloors.
Room-by-room English introductions will help make sense of Picasso's artwork—from the
Toulouse-Lautrec-like portraits at the beginning of his career to his gray-brown Cubist peri-
od to his return-to-childhood, Salvador Dalí-like finish.
Cost and Hours:
Entry about €10, likely covered by Museum Pass, additional fees for
temporary exhibits, hours likely Wed-Mon 9:30-18:00, may be closed Tue, confirm cost and
hours prior to your visit; 5 rue de Thorigny, Mo: St. Paul or Chemin Vert, tel. 01 42 71 25
21,
www.musee-picasso.fr
.
This tiny yet colorful Jewish district of the Marais was once considered the largest in
Western Europe. Today, Rue des Rosiers is lined with Jewish shops and kosher eateries, and
the district is being squeezed by the trendy boutiques of modern Paris. Visit any day but
Saturday,whenmostbusinessesareclosed—it'sbestonSunday.TheintersectionofRuedes
Rosiers and Rue des Ecouffes marks the heart of the small neighborhood that Jews call the
Pletzl (“little square”). Lively Rue des Ecouffes, named for a bird of prey, is a derogatory
nod to the moneychangers' shops that once lined this lane.
Eating:
If you're visiting at lunchtime, you'll be tempted by kosher pizza and plenty of
cheap fast-food joints selling falafel “to go”
(emporter)
.
L'As du Falafel,
with its bustling
New York deli atmosphere, is terrific (at #34, sit-down or to go). The
Sacha Finkelsztajn
Yiddish bakery at #27 is also good (Polish and Russian cuisine, pop in for a tempting treat,
sit for the same price as take-away). Nearby, the recommended
Chez Marianne
cooks up
traditional Jewish meals and serves excellent falafel to go (at corner of Rue des Rosiers and
Rue des Hospitalières-St-Gervais).
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Jewish Art and History Museum (Musée d'Art et Histoire du Judaïsme)
This fine museum, located in a beautifully restored Marais mansion, tells the story of Juda-
ism in France and throughout Europe, from the Roman destruction of Jerusalem to the theft
of famous artworks during World War II. Displays illustrate the cultural unity maintained
