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The 3rd Arrondissement is a pleasant, quiet quarter - it’s the northern extension of the charming Marais district, which finds it’s more vibrant beginnings a few hundred metres south in the 4th. The third is an ancient district, home to some of the very oldest houses in the city. Many of the streets bear the name ‘Temple’ - after the order of the Knights Templar who first built the Marais as a small, self sufficient city many centuries ago.

Several centuries ago the rich moved in, building large ornate mansions (’known as ‘Hotels’), which largely still stand today. Many are now cut into small appartments housing an equal mix of the 3rd’s families, young singles and it’s significant gay community, but some have been converted to hold museums. The Musee Picasso displays world-class works from the spanish painter, who spent many years of his life in the French Capital. Nearby the Musee Carnavalet is the best museum for discovering the city’s own history, and the two adjoining mansions in which it’s housed are worth seeing themselves

The third’s northern border ends at Place de La Republique, a long and busy square thick with bars and restaurants, and a favourite rallying point for many of the city’s all too frequent public demonstrations.