Rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie

We've reached Rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie, a mouthful of a name. This street and the Rue des Archives that follows are known as the center of Paris's most active LGBT community. The Marais has been a hub of gay life since the 1980s.

At No. 6, a bookshop with a blue sign, Les Mots à la Bouche, was the first LGBT bookstore in Paris (it has since moved to the 11th arrondissement). Opened in 1980, it specializes in publications on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender culture, and it's a symbolic landmark in the story of how the Marais became the city's LGBT district.

There are restaurants and shops around here worth a visit; you'll find them on the map on the detail page and in the final "More to Explore" chapter of the audio guide. Our Marais tour is nearly over. Next, let's head toward the Centre Pompidou.