Discover the historic Marais district

While staying at the Hotel Les Tournelles you will most certainly benefit from our superb location. So why not take advantage of the situation and enjoy a stroll around our historic Marais neighbourhood? After exploring the Place des Vosges and its Maison Victor Hugo, you can visit the nearby Carnavalet Museum to complete a delightful day.

A relaxing walk to the Place des Vosges

The proximity to the Place des Vosges is just one of the many advantages our hotel can offer. During your stay with us, whether on a vacation or a business trip, you won’t want to miss out on a visit to this beautiful square that is so rich with architectural and historical heritage. Once there, you will be amazed by the splendour of its design, which reflects an architectural style typical of the 17th century. The building of the Place des Vosges was decreed by Henri IV; it is the oldest planned square in Paris. Stroll along beneath the vaulted arcades and admire the red brick buildings with their steeply pitched slate roofs. In their midst are picturesque green lawns planted with a grove of mature lindens and graced with four fountains and an equestrian bronze of Louis XIII. With a little luck you will happen across musicians playing period compositions. Today, in addition to being a focal point of French history, the square is also the residence of many personalities from the political, media and art worlds.

Don’t miss the Maison Victor Hugo

While exploring the Place des Vosges, you will certainly want to visit the apartment that was once the home of Victor Hugo. The Maison Victor Hugo is a museum located on two floors of the apartment where the great writer lived from 1832 to 1848. The first level is dedicated to temporary exhibitions and the permanent collection of the museum, including manuscripts, drawings and documents that belonged to the author of Les Miserables. The second floor offers a painstaking and faithful reconstruction of the rooms in which he lived, utilising as much of the period as possible, and including furniture and other items which once belonged to the writer.

A stop at the Carnavalet Museum

The Musée Carnavalet is another of the great treasures of the Marais district that you should not miss during your stay at our hotel. The museum is dedicated specifically to the history of Paris, from its origins until today. First opened to the public in 1880, it is housed in two neighbouring mansions dating from the 16th and 17th centuries and presents a rich and varied collection. Tracing the historical legacy of the city from the Gallo-Roman period, through the Middle Ages to the time of the French Revolution and beyond, the museum paints a fascinating portrait of the evolution of a city by way of sculptures, paintings, art objects and furniture, as well as a collection of signs dating from the 16th to the 20th centuries that are an evocative reminder of the dynamic atmosphere and colourful streets of the capital. An extensive archive of architectural drawings, photographs of the city, and headed invoices of shops and factories completes a picture of everyday life that renders the capital’s past remarkably vivid. It all makes for a truly memorable experience!

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Learn more:
• The parisian quarter
• Square Place des Vosges
• Victor Hugo's House

Les Tournelles, a three star hotel with historical charm, an exclusive address in the heart of the Marais