Marais II

Start at the Musée Picasso (see Museums). With your back to the museum, nip left and left again to gallery-glad rue des Coutures St-Gervais. Amble along and dip in and out as you desire, then it's gourmet crêpe alert on the corner at Breizh Café / 109 rue Vielle du Temple / 42 72 13 77. Left onto the buzzy street and first up is 25 Janvier's va-va vintage shop at #97 / 42 71 13 41. Further ahead at #68 Jamin Puech / 48 87 84 87 / is eccentric-eclectic handbag heaven. Continue, turning left onto rue des Francs-Bourgeois. At #43 are Barbara Bui's / 53 01 88 05 / covetable runway fash and shoe-oohs. Musée Carnavalet is on your left, and chic boutiques line both sides of the street all the way up to rue de Turenne. Find modern knits at Majestic #7 / 57 40 62 34, while Hier pour Demain at #4 has a fab stash of 30s60s decor. Cross Turenne for historic Place des Vosges and a verdant joe n' wee stop, or a tour of the art galleries under the brick arches. Retrace back to the Musée Carnavalet and turn left into rue Pavée, then fork left onto rue Malher for fash-forward menswear at L'Éclaireur Homme at #12 / 44 54 22 11. Exit, and cross directly over onto rue des Rosiers, on your left is Le Loir dans la Théière at #3 / 42 72 90 61 / a lovely crumply joint that does rather a good hot choc. Exit left along Rosiers and left into rue Ferdinand Duval for hyper-styley Hervé van der Straeten (see Standout Stores). Head back to Rosiers and queue at #34 L'As du Fallafel for their world-famous sandwich, then slip into adorable Sacha Finkelsztajn at #27 for sinful streudel. Continue on and left into rue Vieille du Temple, then slink left onto rue du Roi de Sicile to drool over naughty nothings at Dollhouse #24 / 40 27 09 21 / and La Dame des Coeurs #13 / 42 77 33 51. At the end of the street, turn right on Malher to Rivoli, where the Île Saint-Louis itinerary starts. How fabulous is that!