Recommended Apartments in the 3rd Arrondissement of Paris (the Upper Marais)

Four apartments on Rue Chapon, a quiet side street off Rue Beaubourg. Each unit has a separate bedroom, a living room, air conditioning, a washing machine and a fully equipped kitchen with a dishwasher and an oven, and there are even bathrobes and slippers waiting for you. The Arts et Métiers and Rambuteau metro stations are 300 meters away, a four-minute walk. Keep two things in mind: the units are compact, and the owner states clearly that they’re not suitable for children. I recommend them for couples who want a quiet base in the Upper Marais and don’t plan to spend long hours in the apartment. I covered the area on my page about attractions in the 3rd arrondissement.

Twenty apartments for two to four people at 58 Rue Beaubourg, in a building with an elevator. Check-in is completely self-service, with a code, at any hour, and there’s no front desk. The kitchen is fully equipped and includes a Nespresso machine, and you can order breakfast delivered to your door. The Centre Pompidou is a four-minute walk away, and Châtelet about five. Two warnings that need to be said out loud: there’s no air conditioning here, only a ceiling fan, which matters a lot in a heat wave, and the units facing Rue Beaubourg get traffic noise. I recommend asking for a unit facing the inner courtyard, and it’s worth insisting on it.

A large apartment at 132 Rue de Turenne with three separate bedrooms, two bathrooms and an air-conditioned living room, sleeping up to eight people. The kitchen has a dishwasher and an oven, there’s a washing machine, and the building has an elevator. It’s a five-minute walk from the République metro hub, and on the very same street you’ll find the chocolate shop of Jacques Genin, which in my opinion is one of the two or three best in Paris. The covered market, the Marché des Enfants Rouges, is a few minutes away. Note that extra beds and cribs aren’t available, and that getting in takes one code for the building and another for the apartment, which confuses some guests. I recommend going over the instructions before you land.

A building of studios run by the WS chain on Rue des Archives, the same chain you may already know from its units in the 1st and 2nd arrondissements, this time in the heart of the Marais. The basic studio is small and functional, with a kitchenette and air conditioning. The main advantage is the number of reviews: almost 700, a figure that gives real confidence in a small place like this. The building is within walking distance of the Picasso Museum and the Musée Carnavalet, and of the lively market street, Rue de Bretagne. As with the chain’s other units, check-in is self-service and the building isn’t staffed around the clock. It’s good to know that this is a basic unit with no special extras, suited to anyone looking for a comfortable base rather than a boutique experience.

Apartments on Rue Béranger, a six-minute walk from Place de la République. They’re air-conditioned and soundproofed, with a fully equipped kitchen, a washing machine and a coffee machine, and in some of them a box of chocolates is waiting on the table. A practical advantage I appreciate: the staff office is nearby, so you can leave your luggage there after checkout and enjoy one more day in the city. The Picasso Museum is about a 15-minute walk. Note that there are no cribs and no extra beds, and that in the two-bedroom apartment the toilets are completely separate from the bathrooms, a layout that surprises some guests. If you’re coming with children, I recommend asking for the floor plan in advance.

A 45-square-meter apartment with a separate bedroom and a living room, sleeping up to four. There’s an elevator, a washing machine, a shower and a separate toilet, plus soundproof windows. Luc, the host, is the real story here: slippers, an umbrella on hand and quick answers to every question before and during your stay. Place de la République is a six-minute walk away. And here’s the catch: the address is on Boulevard Saint-Martin, which means it sits on the border between the 3rd and the 10th arrondissements, not in the old lanes of the Marais. It’s a wide, busy boulevard, and the windows do their job but don’t make it disappear. I recommend it for anyone who prefers a human host to a door code.

A 46-square-meter apartment on Rue Notre-Dame-de-Nazareth with a bedroom, a living room and a sofa bed for two more people. There’s an elevator, a kitchen with a dishwasher and a coffee machine, a washing machine and a safe. Temple metro station is 150 meters away, and Place de la République about a six-minute walk. Five minutes away is the Du Pain et des Idées bakery, and if you get up early enough, it’s worth standing in line there. Now for the detail you need to know in advance: arriving between 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. costs 35 euros, after 10:00 p.m. it’s 50 euros, and arriving on a Sunday or a public holiday also costs 35 euros. I recommend planning your arrival around this, because it adds up.

A one-bedroom apartment on Rue Vertbois, at the northern edge of the Marais that’s sometimes called the Haut Marais, closer to Place de la République than to the Picasso Museum. It’s managed by CMG, the same company that runs several similar apartments in the area to a consistent standard. The high score, 8.6 from 71 reviews, points to real consistency. The living room has a seating area, so four people can actually spend time here comfortably, not just sleep squeezed together. The Haut Marais itself is less touristy than the southern parts of the arrondissement, with more artists’ homes and design studios than souvenir shops. It’s good to know that the walk to the Marais’s main sights, such as Place des Vosges, is longer than from apartments located farther south.

A modern apartment on Rue du Temple, a short distance from the Musée des Arts et Métiers, one of the least known but most fascinating museums in Paris, devoted to the history of science and technology. One bedroom that sleeps four, with a clean, contemporary design and no unnecessary frills. The high score is based on almost 60 reviews, enough to give a reliable picture. Rue du Temple itself is wide and lively, with easy access to several metro lines. The area offers a rare mix of quiet cultural sightseeing and the nearby Carreau du Temple, an old covered market that has become a venue for events and food. It’s good to know that Rue du Temple is busy with traffic during the day, so if you’re sensitive to noise, check where the bedrooms are in the apartment.

Another apartment from the CMG chain, this time on Rue Meslay, on the border between the Marais and République. The name hints at the double nature of the location: close enough to the historic Marais, but also steps from lively Place de la République with its many metro lines. One bedroom that sleeps four, with a basic but reliable finish. The score matches exactly that of the same chain’s apartment on Rue Vertbois, which shows a consistent standard across the whole portfolio. The immediate surroundings are less picturesque than the heart of the Marais, more urban and mixed. It’s good to know that this is a practical apartment, not a boutique one, so if you’re looking for architectural charm, look elsewhere.

An apartment in a 17th-century building on Rue Sainte-Croix-de-la-Bretonnerie, with a private entrance, a kitchen with a dishwasher and an oven, a washing machine and, in some of the units, air conditioning. The location is the reason to book here: 200 meters from the Jewish quarter and Rue des Rosiers, five minutes from the Saint-Paul and Hôtel de Ville stations, and 400 meters from the Musée Carnavalet. A note on the address: it’s listed in the 4th arrondissement, not the 3rd, but this is the very heart of the Marais, which spreads over both arrondissements anyway. Note that there’s no elevator and the apartments are on the third floor. I recommend it for couples, not for four people with suitcases.

An apartment on Rue des Vertus with parquet floors, wooden furniture and soundproof windows. There’s a washing machine, a fully equipped kitchen with a coffee machine, and the bathroom has both a shower and a bathtub, with a separate toilet. Arts et Métiers station is nearby, and you don’t have to walk at all to reach the cafés and restaurants of the Upper Marais: they’re right at the bottom of the building. And that’s exactly the downside too. What’s very convenient during the day turns into noise on weekend nights. On top of that, there are no cribs and no extra beds. I recommend asking for a unit on a high floor, not above the bar.

Eighty square meters in the heart of the Marais, with two bedrooms, high ceilings, exposed beams and bare stone walls. This isn’t a renovated apartment trying to look old, it’s an old building that has been preserved. The kitchen has a dishwasher and a microwave, there’s a washer and a dryer, and it comfortably sleeps six. Place de la République is a three-minute walk, and the Marais starts right outside the door. The grands boulevards are a minute away. The only drawback here, and it’s not a small one: there’s no elevator, and you climb the stairs. I recommend it for a group of adults, not for a family with a stroller and two big suitcases.

Nine apartments on Rue Meslay, 450 meters from Place de la République and a five-minute walk from Temple metro station. The apartments are air-conditioned, with a full kitchen that includes an oven, and the bathroom has a bathtub, a shower and a toilet in a separate room. The Centre Pompidou is about a 12-minute walk. Note two things before you book: check-in is possible only between 4:00 and 10:00 p.m., and extra beds aren’t available. I recommend taking photos of the apartment as soon as you walk in, before you unpack. That’s good advice for any rental, and here especially.

On Rue du Parc Royal, one of the prettiest streets in the Marais, facing a small, quiet public garden. The apartments here are furnished in period style, down to the plates and glasses, and I admit that’s exactly my taste. There’s air conditioning, a fully equipped kitchen with a dishwasher, an oven and a coffee machine, and a real human concierge on site. Place des Vosges and the Picasso Museum are a short walk away, and the Saint-Paul and Saint-Sébastien-Froissart stations are on either side of the street. Note that this is an old building, so don’t expect the perfect comfort of a new apartment. I recommend it for anyone who comes to soak up the atmosphere, not for anyone looking for a uniform standard.

Four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room and a balcony at 110 Boulevard de Sébastopol. A combination like this in central Paris is really rare, and it’s meant for a large family or two families traveling together. There’s a private entrance, an elevator in the building and a fully equipped kitchen with an oven and a coffee machine. Strasbourg-Saint-Denis station is 180 meters away, and Rue Montorgueil is about a ten-minute walk. Two real reservations: there’s no air conditioning, only a fan, and Sébastopol is a major traffic artery, not a quiet street. In addition, check-in is possible only between 4:00 and 10:00 p.m. I recommend asking for the rooms at the back.

An especially large apartment on Rue Sainte-Apolline, with four bedrooms that sleep up to eleven guests, one of the biggest apartments I found in the whole arrondissement. Large double beds in three of the rooms and single beds in the fourth give you flexibility for all kinds of groups: an extended family, a group of friends, or two families who want to share one apartment. The high score, 8.6 from 71 reviews, is a pleasant surprise for an apartment this size, since places like this usually struggle to meet the expectations of so many guests. It’s good to know that an apartment this big in central Paris almost always comes with lots of stairs and no elevator, so check this in advance if anyone in your group has trouble climbing stairs.