Named for a vanished orphanage
Its children wore red, the colour of charity — the orphanage went, the name stayed.
The oldest surviving covered market in Paris, in the Marais, trading since 1615 and now combining greengrocers and cheesemongers with cooked food from a range of countries. The name needs explaining because it is confusing. Enfants Rouges — red children — refers to an orphanage that stood in the area in the sixteenth century, whose children wore a red uniform, the colour of Christian charity at the time. The orphanage vanished centuries ago and the name stayed. The market barely survived. It was close to demolition in the 1990s for a property development, and was saved by a campaign from local residents, listed as a historic monument in 1982, then restored and reopened in 2000. What it is today reflects contemporary Paris more than its past: Moroccan, Japanese, Lebanese, Italian and Caribbean food stalls alongside traditional greengrocers. You eat standing or at crowded shared tables. Plain practical points: entry is free and the market is very small — narrow aisles that fill completely at lunchtime and at weekends. It closes on Mondays and shuts early in the evening. Come before noon or after two if you want somewhere to sit.
Its children wore red, the colour of charity — the orphanage went, the name stayed.
A residents' campaign in the 1990s stopped a property development.
Moroccan, Japanese, Lebanese and Caribbean beside the greengrocers.
Rue de Bretagne, the Marais, Paris
Museum of Hunting and NatureA museum in two adjoining private mansions in the Marais, combining historic hun4 min walk
Musée PicassoIn the grandest private mansion of the Marais — the Hôtel Salé with its majestic4 min walk
Hôtel de Soubise — National ArchivesAn eighteenth-century private mansion in the heart of the Marais, today housing 5 min walk
Passage VendômeA covered commercial arcade of the early nineteenth century near Place de la Rép5 min walk
Museum of Jewish Art and History (mahJ)A museum in the grand seventeenth-century **Hôtel de Saint-Aignan** in the heart7 min walkLooking for halal food near Marché des Enfants Rouges? There are several options nearby, from Moroccan and Indian kitchens to quick casual spots and places with a view. Confirm the halal status and opening hours before you go — these can change.
There are Moroccan, Lebanese and North African stalls, but do not assume the meat is halal because the kitchen is Arab — ask the stall directly. The most reliable options are the vegetarian dishes and fish, available at most stalls. The Marais itself has certified halal restaurants a short walk away if you want a clearer guarantee.
The Musée Carnavalet on the history of Paris, whose permanent collection is free to enter; the Place des Vosges, the oldest planned square in Paris; the Musée Picasso; and the Jewish quarter around the rue des Rosiers. The Marais was among the districts least altered by Haussmann's nineteenth-century replanning, which is why its streets stayed narrow and its buildings old.
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