The Marais !!!!!!!^^"

The Maison Européenne de la Photographie is free on Wednesday after 5; the Mémorial de la Shoah and the Maison de Victor Hugo are always free, as are the extensive permanent collections of the Musée Carnavalet and the Musée Cognacq-Jay. The Atelier Brancusi, a small exhibition space at the Centre Georges Pompidou,is always free while the museum itself, along with the Musée Picasso and the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, is free the first Sunday of the month (like all national museums). The Eglise St-Merri has free, weekend classical music concerts.

From swampy to swanky, Le Marais has a fascinating history that continues to evolve. Like an aging pop star, the quartier has remade itself many times, and today retains several identities: the city's epicenter of cool with hip boutiques, designer hotels, and art galleries galore; the hub of Paris's gay community; and, though fading, the nucleus of Jewish life. You could easily spend your entire visit to Paris in this neighborhood, there is that much to do.

"Marais" means marsh and that is exactly what this area was until the 12th century when it was converted to farmland. In 1605, Henri IV began building the Place Royale (today's Place des Vosges, the oldest square in Paris), which touched off a building boom, and the wealthy and fabulous moved in. Despite the odors—the area was one of the city's smelliest—it remained the chic quarter until Louis XIV moved his court to Versailles, trailed by dispirited aristocrats unhappy to decamp to the country. Merchants moved into their exquisite hôtels particuliers (private mansions), which are some of the city's best surviving examples of Baroque architecture. Here you can see the hodgepodge of narrow streets that so vexed Louis Napoléon and his sidekick, Baron Haussmann, who feared a redux of the famous barricades that revolutionaries threw up to thwart the monarchy. Haussmann leveled scores of blocks like these, creating the wide arrow-straight avenues that are a hallmark of modern Paris. Miraculously, the Marais escaped destruction, though much of it fell victim to neglect and ruin. Thanks to restoration efforts over the past half century, the district is enjoying its latest era of greatness and the apartments here—among the city's oldest—are also the most in demand, with beaucoup charm, exposed beams, and steep crooked staircases barely wide enough to fit a supermodel. (Should you be lucky enough to find an elevator, don't expect it to fit your suitcase.) Notice the impressive portes cochères, the huge doors built to accommodate aristocratic carriages that today open into many sublime courtyards and hidden gardens.

The 4e arrondissement, the Marais's glitzier half, is sandwiched between two opposite poles—the regal Place des Vosges in the east and the eye-teasing modern masterpiece Centre Georges Pompidou in the west. Between these points you'll find most of the main sites, including the Musée Picasso, the Maison Européenne de la Photographie, and the Musée Carnavalet, which is the best place to see how the city evolved through the ages. To tour an exquisitely restored 17th-century hôtel particulier, visit the excellent Musée Cognacq-Jay (like the Carnavalet, admission is free) or wander into the manicured back garden of the magnificent Hôtel de Sully . To the north, the quieter 3e arrondissement is a lovely neighborhood to explore. Techies will appreciate a stop at the Musée des Arts and Métiers, Europe's oldest science museum.

Paris's Jewish quarter (or Pletzel in Yiddish) has existed here in some form since the 13th century and still thrives around the Rue des Rosiers, even as hip boutiques encroach on the traditional bakeries, delis, and falafel shops. Not far away is the beating heart of the gay Marais, radiating out from Rue Vieille du Temple, along the Rue St-Croix de la Bretonnerie to Rue du Temple, where you can find trendy cafés and shops, and cool nightspots aimed at gays but welcoming to all.

The 3e arrondissement half of Le Marais, north of Rue des 4-Fils, has evolved into one of the most interesting areas to explore. Here you can find art galleries, trendy boutiques, many by small designers, and funky cafés and bars off the tourist track. This is one of Paris's most in-demand areas to live, and finding an apartment to rent—most of them small walk-ups—is a rarity. Wander up Rue de Bretagne, the main drag, with its newly widened sidewalks, and stop at the Marché des Enfants Rouges (No. 39)—the oldest covered market in Paris selling the usual fruits, vegetables, meats, some prepared foods, and wine (open Tuesday through Sunday). Pop into one of the art galleries occupying former industrial spaces and mansions around the Rue Charlot. Across the street is the 19th-century iron-and-glass Le Carreau du Temple, a former clothes market slated to open in 2012 as a performing arts and sports center. This is the site of the former Templar Tower, where Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette were imprisoned before their date with the guillotine (Napoléon later razed it).