Hotel (Mansion) de Sens

Built between 1475 and 1519, this splendid fortress/mansion is a rare example of medieval urban architecture. When Paris came under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Sens back in the 15th century, he promptly built himself a suitably fabulous home in the city. Later, Henri IV briefly used it to house his strong-minded wife, Queen Margot, whose many love affairs were causing him no end of headaches. The bishops stopped coming to the Hôtel de Sens altogether in 1622, preferring to rent it out. After the Revolution it served as a laundry operation, a jam factory, and a glass warehouse. By the time the city bought it in 1911, it was in a pitiful state; the building’s restoration—which started in 1929—wouldn’t be completed until 1961. The Hôtel now houses the Bibliothèque Forney, a library dedicated to the decorative arts. Take a minute to admire the turrets and towers in the courtyard (visible from the street).

Follow the side of the building down rue du Figuier and turn left onto the path that leads around to the back of the Hôtel, where there are pretty French gardens. The path leads to rue des Nonnains d’Hyères, where you’ll turn right, then walk left on rue de Jouy to where it intersects with: