Paris Marais: Street Art Hunt & Space Invaders Game

Hunting Pixels in Paris: How a Video Game Turned the Marais Into a Gallery

You walk through le Marais with an artist guide, stopping at the Centre Pompidou and hidden gardens while hunting Space Invaders street art using a free app. The guide shares stories about the neighborhood's artists and styles, mixing real murals with augmented reality pieces. It's designed for families and anyone wanting a different angle on Paris: less museum, more game. You need your phone, the app downloaded, and to arrive on time.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore street art in le Marais

• Admire Niki de Saint Phalle fountain
• View surrounding street art
• Walk around Centre Pompidou architecture
• Search for hidden street art treasures
• Pass by Gardens of National Archives
• Walk through Jewish neighbourhood street

The experience

The tiles are small, maybe three inches across, and they're everywhere once you know where to look. Tiny pixelated figures in white and black, stuck to building corners, tucked above doorways, waiting on the sides of shutters. They're Space Invaders, and they've been colonizing Paris for years. On this tour through le Marais, you're not just walking past street art. You're hunting it, collecting it, turning the neighborhood into a game that happens to be one of the oldest quarters in the city.

The walk starts near the Centre Pompidou, where you'll stop at the fountain designed by Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely: a burst of color and movement that sets the tone for what comes next. Your guide, an artist themselves, points out the building's high-tech skeleton, all exposed pipes and steel beams designed by Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano, and then shifts your eye to the street art layered around it. You download the free Space Invaders app before you go, and as you move through the neighborhood, you're scanning walls, archways, and ledges, snapping photos to add to your collection. It's part treasure hunt, part art history lesson, part just noticing things you'd normally walk past.

From there, the route takes you past the hidden gardens of the National Archives (a quiet pocket most tourists never find), and into the Jewish quarter, where the streets narrow and the character shifts. Your guide talks about the artists who've shaped the neighborhood, the different styles and techniques you're seeing, and the ones that exist only in augmented reality through the app. Families with kids seem to love this part. It keeps everyone moving, gives them something to do besides follow along, and makes the history feel less like a lecture and more like a mission.

The whole thing takes a couple of hours, and you're on foot the whole time, but the pace is steady and the neighborhood is flat. Arrive five minutes early. The group leaves on time, and if you're late, you'll be chasing them through the Marais trying to catch up. Bring your phone charged and the app installed, and wear shoes you don't mind walking in.

What’s included

• Artist guide leading the walk.
• stops at the Centre Pompidou fountain and building exterior.
• visit to the hidden gardens of the National Archives.
• walk through the Jewish quarter of le Marais.
• stories about local street artists and different art styles.
• access to augmented reality artworks through the free app.

Before you book

Days and timesNext departure: 3 Mar 2027

Book up to1h before

AgesAdult (13 to 90 years) · Child (5 to 12 years) · Infant (under 5): free

GroupUp to 15

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller-friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Street Art Tour Paris

Is this one for you?Pick this if you want to explore le Marais beyond the usual landmarks and prefer moving around to standing in museums. The game element keeps the pace natural and gives you a reason to look at the walls instead of just passing them.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (5 to 12 years); Infant (under 5): free.

Do I need to download the app before the tour starts?

Yes, it's recommended to install the free Space Invaders app before you arrive so you're ready to start collecting from the beginning.

How long is the tour?

The tour takes a couple of hours and covers le Marais on foot at a steady pace.

What happens if I arrive late?

The group departs at the scheduled time. If you arrive after the start, you may struggle to catch up and could miss parts of the tour with no refund or rescheduling option.

Is the route wheelchair accessible?

Yes, all areas and surfaces in le Marais on this route are wheelchair accessible, and the neighborhood is flat.

Do I need to bring anything special?

Bring a fully charged phone with the Space Invaders app installed, and wear comfortable walking shoes.

Will we visit the inside of Centre Pompidou?

No, you'll walk around the Centre to admire its architecture and the street art nearby, but the tour focuses on the exterior and the neighborhood.