Place des Vosges, Paris — Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

Place des Vosges is the oldest planned square in Paris and one of the most elegant public spaces in Europe. Hidden behind the narrow streets of the Marais, it catches most visitors by surprise with its perfect symmetry and quiet grandeur. The square was commissioned by King Henry IV in 1605 and completed in 1612 for the celebration of the marriage of Louis XIII and Anne of Austria. It was originally called Place Royale and was renamed Place des Vosges in 1800 to honour the first French department to pay its taxes. The design is strikingly uniform: 36 houses, nine on each side, built of red brick and cream stone with steeply pitched slate roofs. Each house has a ground-floor arcade, creating a continuous covered walkway around the entire square. Two taller pavilions, the King's Pavilion (south) and the Queen's Pavilion (north), mark the entrances. Victor Hugo lived at No. 6 from 1832 to 1848, and his apartment is now a free museum. He wrote much of "Les Miserables" while living here. The central garden, shaded by lime trees, was originally used for royal ceremonies and duels. Today, it's a popular picnic spot and one of the most peaceful places in the Marais. If you're on a Questo quest through the Marais, Place des Vosges is a stop where royal ambition created perfection, and Victor Hugo found the quiet to write one of the greatest novels in the French language.