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Getting Oriented | Top Attractions | Worth Noting
Updated by Bryan Pirolli
The Quartier Latin is the heart of student Paris—and has been for more than 800 years. France’s oldest university, La Sorbonne, was founded here in 1257, and the neighborhood takes its name from the fact that Latin was the common language of the students, who came from all over Europe. Today the area is full of cheap and cheerful cafés, bars, and shops.
The main drag, Boulevard St-Michel, is a busy street where bookshops have given way to chain clothing stores and fast-food joints—but don’t let that stop you! There are (almost) as many French people wandering the streets here as there are tourists. At Place St-Michel, the symbolic gateway to the quarter, notice the 19th-century fountain depicting Saint Michael slaying the “great dragon,” Satan—a symbolic warning to rebellious locals from Napoléon III. Today the fountain serves as a meeting spot and makes a rather fine metaphor for the boulevard it anchors: a bit grimy but extremely popular.
When you’ve had enough of the crowds, turn off the boulevard and explore the side streets, where you can find quirky boutiques and intimate bistros. Or stop for a demi (a half pint of draft beer) at one of the cafés on the Place de la Sorbonne, ground zero for students (and their many noisy demonstrations). Around the winding streets behind the Panthéon, where French luminaries are laid to rest, you can still find plenty of academics arguing philosophy while sipping espresso, but today the 5e arrondissement is also one of Paris’s most charming and sought-after (read: expensive) places to live.
Shop along Rue Mouffetard as Parisians do—all the while complaining about the high prices—for one of the best selections of runny cheeses, fresh breads, and charcuterie. Grab a seat in a bustling café—or follow the locals’ lead and stand at the bar, where drinks are always cheaper. Film buffs won’t have to look far to find one of the small cinema revival houses showing old American films in English (look for v.o., for version originale). Not far from “le Mouffe” is the gorgeous white Grande Mosquée de Paris with its impressive minaret. Just beyond the mosque is the Jardin des Plantes—a large, if somewhat bland, botanical garden that is home to three natural-history museums, most notably the Grande Galerie de l’Évolution. Inside, kids can marvel at enormous whale skeletons, along with all sorts of taxidermy. Some of Paris’s most intriguing sites are in this neighborhood, including the Musée National du Moyen-Age and the innovative Institut du Monde Arabe. See ancient history mingle with modern life at the Arènes de Lutèce, a Roman amphitheater and favorite soccer pitch for neighborhood kids.
Getting Oriented
Top Reasons to Go
Musée National du Moyen-Age. On the site of an ancient Roman bath, this former abbey is home to the famous Lady and the Unicorn tapestries; the building, tranquil garden, and extensive collection have the hush of a medieval monastery.
Shakespeare & Co. This legendary English-language bookstore is more than a shopping destination; it’s a meeting place for young expats and curious travelers alike.
Rue Mouffetard. Whether you’re a gastronome or just plain hungry, you’ll be enthralled by the array of characteristically French edibles sold on this winding market street.
Jardin des Plantes. This is a great spot to enjoy a picnic or to rest your tired feet on one of the many shaded benches.
La Grande Mosquée de Paris. Relax with a little glass of mint tea in the leafy courtyard café at Paris’s most beautiful mosque.
Making the Most of Your Time
The Quartier Latin is the perfect place to wander sans itinerary, though there is no shortage of sites worth seeing. Shopping here is generally more affordable, though less original, than in other neighborhoods, and there are lots of new- and used-book stores, many of which stock English-language titles. Pick up a picnic at the many food shops along Rue Mouffetard (mostly closed Monday), or head to the open-air market at Place Monge (Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday morning), then savor your booty on a bench at the Jardin des Plantes. Sip mint tea at the lovely Grande Mosquée (Mosque) de Paris or take in a terrific view from the roof of the Institut du Monde Arabe (closed Monday). Stroll the hilly streets around the Panthéon on your way to see the treasures at the Musée National du Moyen-Age (closed Tuesday). Finish with a sunset apéritif on one of the barge cafés (open spring to fall) along the Seine, across from Notre-Dame.
Getting Here
The Quartier Latin is the 5e arrondissement. Take métro Line 4 to St-Michel to start exploring at the Lucifer-slaying fountain near Shakespeare & Co., across the Seine from Notre-Dame. Go to the Cluny stop on Line 10 if you’re heading to the Musée du Moyen-Age. The Place Monge stop on Line 7 puts you near the Panthéon and Rue Mouffetard, the Mosquée de Paris, and the Jardin des Plantes. Les Gobelins neighborhood straddles the 5e, 13e, and 14e arrondissements, but is considered part of the 5e because of the Manufacture des Gobelins.
Best Cafés
Cave La Bourgogne.
Settle in on the terrace of this old-school bistro for lunch, or join the locals at the zinc bar for a coffee. | 144 rue Mouffetard, Latin Quarter | 75005 | 01–47–07–82–80 | Station: Censier Daubenton.
Les Patios.
If you’re young (or young at heart) come here to hang with the Sorbonne crowd. It’s across from the university. | 5 pl. de la Sorbonne, Latin Quarter | 75005 | 01–43–54–34–43 | Station: Cluny–La Sorbonne.
Le Ziryab.
This café/outdoor terrace on the top floor of the Institut du Monde Arabe is great for a Lebanese lunch or dinner with a fantastic view. Closed Monday and Sunday evenings. | Institut du Monde Arabe,1 rue des Fossés-St-Bernard, Latin Quarter | 75005 | 01–55–42–55–42 | Station: Jussieu.
Top Attractions
FAMILY | Grande Galerie de l’Évolution (Great Hall of Evolution).
With a parade of taxidermied animals ranging from the tiniest dung beetle to the tallest giraffe, this four-story natural history museum in the Jardin des Plantes will perk up otherwise museum-weary kids. The flagship of three natural-history museums in the garden, this restored 1889 building has a ceiling that changes color to suggest storms, twilight, or the hot savanna sun. Other must-sees are the gigantic skeleton of a blue whale and the stuffed royal rhino (he came from the menagerie at Versailles, where he was a pet of Louis XV). Kids 6 to 12 will enjoy La Galerie d’Enfants (The Children’s Gallery): opened in 2010, it has bilingual interactive exhibits about the natural world. A lab stocked with microscopes often offers free workshops, and most of the staff speaks some English.TIP Hang on to your ticket; it will get you a discount at the other museums within the Jardin des Plantes. | 36 rue Geoffroy-St-Hilaire, Latin Quarter | 75005 | 01–40–79–54–79 | www.mnhn.fr | €7 | Wed.–Mon. 10–6 | Station: Place Monge, Jussieu.
Shakespeare & Company
This English-language bookstore is one of Paris’s most eccentric and lovable literary institutions. Founded by George Whitman, the maze of new and used books has offered a sense of community (and often a bed) to wandering writers since the 1950s. The store takes its name from Sylvia Beach’s original Shakespeare & Co., which opened in 1919 at 12 rue d’Odeon, welcoming the likes of Ernest Hemingway, James Baldwin, and James Joyce. Beach famously bucked the system when she published Joyce’s Ulysses in 1922, but her original store closed in 1941. After the war Whitman picked up the gauntlet, naming his own bookstore after its famous predecessor.
When Whitman passed away in December 2011, heavy-hearted locals left candles and flowers in front of his iconic storefront. He is buried in the literati-laden Père Lachaise cemetery. His legacy lives on through his daughter Sylvia who runs the shop and welcomes a new generation of Paris dreamers. Walk up the almost impossibly narrow stairs to the second floor and you’ll still see laptop computers and sleeping bags tucked between the aging volumes and under dusty daybeds; it’s sort of like a hippie commune. A revolving cast of characters helps out in the shop or cooks meals for fellow residents. They’re in good company; Henry Miller, Samuel Beckett, and William Burroughs are among the famous writers to benefit from the Whitman family hospitality.
Shakespeare & Company (37 rue de la Bûcherie 01–43–25–40–93) is open weekdays 10 am–11 pm (weekends 11 am–11 pm) and has readings most Monday evenings. Check the website (www.shakespeareandcompany.com) for a schedule of events.
Institut du Monde Arabe.
This eye-catching metal-and-glass tower by architect Jean Nouvel cleverly uses metal diaphragms in the shape of square Arabic-style screens to work like a camera lens, opening and closing to control the flow of sunlight. The vast cultural center’s layout is intended to reinterpret the traditional enclosed Arab courtyard. Inside, there are various spaces—among them a museum, inaugurated in 2012, that explores the culture and religion of the 22 Arab League member nations. With the addition of elements from the Louvre’s holdings and private donors, the museum’s impressive collection includes Islamic art, artifacts, ceramics, and textiles, which are displayed on four floors. There is also a performance space, a sound-and-image center, a library, and a bookstore. Temporary exhibitions usually have information and an audio guide in English. TIP Glass elevators whisk you to the ninth floor, where you can sip mint tea in the rooftop café, Le Ziryab, while feasting on one of the best views in Paris. | 1 rue des Fossés-St-Bernard, Latin Quarter | 75005 | 01–40–51–38–38 | www.imarabe.org | €8 | Tues.–Fri. 10–6 (until 9:30 Thurs.), weekends 10–7 | Station: Cardinal Lemoine.
FAMILY | Jardin des Plantes (Botanical Gardens).
Opened in 1640 and once known as the Jardin du Roi (or King’s Garden), this sprawling patch of greenery is a neighborhood gem. It’s home to several gardens and various museums, all housed in 19th-century buildings whose original architecture blends glass with ornate ironwork. If you have kids, take them to the excellent Grande Galerie de l’Évolution or one of the other natural-history museums here: the Galerie de Paléontologie, stocked with dinosaur and other skeletons, and the Galerie de Minéralogie, laden with rocks and minerals. The botanical and rose gardens are impressive, and plant lovers won’t want to miss the towering greenhouses (serre in French). After a five-year renovation, they reopened in 2010 and are filled with one of the world’s most extensive collections of tropical and desert flora. If the kids prefer fauna, visit the Ménagerie, a small zoo founded in 1795 whose animals once fed Parisians during the 1870 Prussian siege. The star attractions are Nénette, the grande-dame orangutan from Borneo, her son Tübo, and their swinging friends in the monkey and ape house. TIP If you need a break, there are three kiosk cafés in the Jardin. | Entrances on Rue Geoffroy-St-Hilaire, Rue Cuvier, Rue de Buffon, and Quai St-Bernard, Latin Quarter | 75005 | 01–40–79–54–79 | www.mnhn.fr | Museums and zoo €4–€10 (free, 4 and under); greenhouses €6 | Museums Wed.–Mon. 10–5 or 6. Zoo daily 9–5. Garden daily 8–7 (hrs vary by season) | Station: Gare d’Austerlitz, Jussieu.
Fodor’s Choice | Musée National du Moyen-Age (National Museum of the Middle Ages, also called the Musée Cluny).
Built on the ruins of Roman baths, the Hôtel de Cluny has been a museum since medievalist Alexandre Du Sommerard established his collection here in 1844. The ornate 15th-century mansion was created for the abbot of Cluny, leader of the mightiest monastery in France. Symbols of the abbot’s power surround the building, from the crenellated walls that proclaimed his independence from the king, to the carved Burgundian grapes twining up the entrance that symbolize his valuable vineyards. The scallop shells (coquilles St-Jacques) covering the facade are a symbol of religious pilgrimage, another important source of income for the abbot; the well-traveled pilgrimage route to Spain once ran around the corner along the Rue St-Jacques. The highlight of the museum’s collection is the world-famous Dame à la Licorne (Lady and the Unicorn) tapestry series, woven in the 16th century, probably in Belgium. The vermillion tapestries (Room 13) are an allegorical representation of the five senses. In each, a unicorn and a lion surround an elegant young woman against an elaborate millefleur (literally, 1,000 flowers) background. The enigmatic sixth tapestry is thought to be either a tribute to a sixth sense, perhaps intelligence, or a renouncement of the other senses. “To my only desire” is inscribed at the top. The collection also includes the original sculpted heads of the Kings of Israel and Judah from Notre-Dame, decapitated during the Revolution and discovered in 1977 in the basement of a French bank. The frigidarium (Room 9) is a stunning reminder of the city’s cold-water Roman baths; the soaring space, painstakingly renovated in 2009, houses temporary exhibits. Also notable is the pocket-size chapel (Room 20) with its elaborate Gothic ceiling. Outside, in the Place Paul Painlevé, is a charming medieval-style garden with flora depicted in the unicorn tapestries. TIP The free audio guide in English is highly recommended. | 6 pl. Paul-Painlevé, Latin Quarter | 75005 | 01–53–73–78–00 | www.musee-moyenage.fr | €8.50 (includes English audio guide), free 1st Sun. of month | Wed.–Mon. 9:15–5:45 | Station: Cluny–La Sorbonne.
Quick Bites: Place de la Contrescarpe. Place de la Contrescarpe is a popular square behind the Panthéon that attracts locals, students, and Hemmingway enthusiasts (he lived around the corner). The square has a small-town feel during the day and a lively atmosphere after dusk when the cafés and bars fill up. Café Delmas (2 pl. de la Contrescarpe | 01–43–26–51–26) has a large terrace and serves food every day until 2 am, plus it has added a diner-style restaurant next door for more relaxed meals. | Latin Quarter | 75005 | Station: Place Monge.
Panthéon. Rome has St. Peter’s, London has St. Paul’s, and Paris has the Panthéon, whose enormous dome dominates the Left Bank. Built as the church of Ste-Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris, it was later converted to an all-star mausoleum for some of France’s biggest names, including Voltaire, Zola, Dumas, Rousseau, and Hugo. Pierre and Marie Curie were reinterred here together in 1995. Begun in 1764, the building was almost complete when the French Revolution erupted. By then, architect Jacques-German Soufflot had died—supposedly from worrying that the 220-foot-high dome would collapse. He needn’t have fretted: the dome is so perfect that Foucault used it in his famous pendulum test to prove the Earth rotates on its axis. A model of the pendulum still hangs from the dome and the staff offer demonstrations (there’s also a video in English that explains the theory). Free guided tours run several times a day, in French only. There is information in English at the entrance and on boards in the crypt. | Pl. du Panthéon, Latin Quarter | 75005 | 01–44–32–18–00 | pantheon.monuments-nationaux.fr/ | €8.50 | Apr.–Sept., daily 10–6:30; Oct.–Mar., daily 10–6 | Station: Cardinal Lemoine; RER: Luxembourg.
Fodor’s Choice | Rue Mouffetard.
This winding cobblestone street is one of the city’s oldest and was once a Roman road leading south from Lutetia (the Roman name for Paris) to Italy. The upper half is dotted with restaurants and bars that cater to tourists and students; the lower half is the setting of a lively market, Tuesday through Sunday. The highlight of le Mouffe, though, is the stretch in between where the shops spill into the street with luscious offerings such as roasting chickens and potatoes, rustic saucisson, pâtés, and pungent cheeses, especially at Androuët (No. 134). If you’re here in the morning, Le Mouffetard Café (No. 116) is a good place to stop for a continental breakfast (about €10). If it’s apéritif time, head to Place des Contrescarpe for a cocktail or enjoy a glass of wine at Cave La Bourgogne (No. 144). Prefer to just do a little noshing? Sample the chocolates at de Neuville (No. 108) and Mococha (No. 89). For one of the best baguettes in Paris and other delicious organic offerings, detour to nearby Boulanger de Monge, at 123 rue Monge. Note that most shops are closed Monday. | Latin Quarter | Station: Place Monge, Censier Daubenton.
Worth Noting
FAMILY | Arènes de Lutèce (Lutetia Amphitheater).
This Roman amphitheater, designed as a theater and circus, was almost completely destroyed by barbarians in AD 280. The site was rediscovered in 1869, and you can still see part of the stage and tiered seating. Along with the remains of the baths at Cluny, the arena constitutes rare evidence of the powerful Roman city of Lutetia that flourished on the Rive Gauche in the 3rd century. It’s a favorite spot for picnicking, pickup soccer, orboules. | 47 rue Monge, or Rue de Navarre, Latin Quarter | 75005 | Free | Daily 8–dusk in winter, 9–dusk in summer | Station: Place Monge, Cardinal Lemoine.
La Grande Mosquée de Paris.
This awe-inspiring white mosque, built between 1922 and 1926, has tranquil arcades and a minaret decorated in the style of Moorish Spain. Enjoy sweet mint tea and an exotic pastry in the charming courtyard tea salon or tuck into some couscous in the restaurant. Prayer rooms are not open to the public. But there are inexpensive—and quite rustic—hammams, or Turkish steam baths, with scrubs and massages on offer (check website for prices). | 2 bis, pl. du Puits de l’Ermite, entrance to tea salon and restaurant at 39 rue Geoffroy Saint-Hillaire, Latin Quarter | 75005 | 01–43–31–38–20 | www.la-mosquee.com | Guided tour €3 | 9 am–noon and 2–7 (until 6 in winter) | Station: Place Monge.
La Sorbonne (Paris IV).
You can’t get into the city’s most famous university without a student ID, but it’s fun to hang out in the area with all the students. Although La Sorbonne remains the soul of the Quartier Latin, it is only one of several campuses that make up the public Université de Paris. 1 rue Victor Cousin, Latin Quarter | 75005 | Station: Cluny–La Sorbonne.
Off the Beaten Path: Le Musée de la Préfecture de Police. Crime buffs will enjoy this museum hidden on the second floor of the 5e arrondissement’s police station. Although the exhibits are in French only, the photographs, letters, drawings, and memorabilia pertaining to some of the city’s most sensational crimes are easy enough to follow. Among the 2000-odd relics you’ll find a guillotine, old uniforms, and remnants of the World War II occupation—including what’s left of a firing post, German machine guns, and the star insignias worn by Jews. | 4 rue de la Montagne Ste-Geneviève, Latin Quarter | 75005 | 01–44–41–52–50 | Free | Weekdays 9–5:30, Sat. 10:30–5:30 | Station: Maubert-Mutualité.
Manufacture des Gobelins.
Tapestries have been woven at this spot in southeastern Paris, on the banks of the long-covered Bièvre River, since 1662. The newly renovated Galerie des Gobelins stages exhibitions on two light-flooded floors, highlighting tapestries, furnishings, timepieces, and other treasures mostly drawn from the state collection. Guided visits to the Manufacture (in French only) allow a fascinating look at weavers—from students to accomplished veterans—as they work on tapestries and rugs that take years to complete. Also on-site is a highly selective school that teaches weaving, plus a workshop charged with repairing and restoring furnishings belonging to the French government, which are also stored here in a vast concrete warehouse. | 42 av. des Gobelins, Les Gobelins | 75013 | 01–44–08–53–49 | www.mobiliernational.fr | €6 temporary exhibitions; €11 workshop visit and exhibit | Galerie, Tues.–Sat. 11–6; workshop, guided tours in French by reservation only, Tues.–Thurs. at 1:15, 2:45, and 3 | Station: Gobelins.
Place St-Michel.
This square was named for Gabriel Davioud’s grandiose 1860 fountain sculpture of St. Michael vanquishing Satan—a loaded political gesture from Napoléon III’s go-to guy, Baron Haussmann, who hoped St-Michel would quell the Revolutionary fervor of the neighborhood. The fountain is often used as a meeting point. | Latin Quarter | 75005 | Station: Métro or RER: St-Michel.
St-Étienne-du-Mont.
This jewel box of a church has been visited by several popes, owing to the fact that Ste-Geneviève (the patron saint of Paris) was buried here before Revolutionaries burned her remains. Built on the ruins of a 1st-century abbey founded by Clovis, the first King of the Franks, it has a unique combination of Gothic, Renaissance, and early Baroque elements, which adds a certain warmth that is lacking in other Parisian churches of pure Gothic style. Here you’ll find the only rood screen left in the city—an ornate 16th-century masterwork of carved wood spanning the nave like a bridge, with a spiral staircase on either side. Observe the organ (dating from 1631, it is the city’s oldest) and the marker in the floor near the entrance that commemorates an archbishop of Paris who was stabbed to death here by a defrocked priest in 1857. | 30 rue Descartes, Latin Quarter | 75005 | 01–43–54–11–79 | www.saintetiennedumont.fr | Station: Cardinal Lemoine.
St-Julien-le-Pauvre.
This tiny shrine in the shadow of Notre-Dame is one of the three oldest churches in Paris. Founded in 1045, it became a meeting place for university students in the 12th century and was Dante’s church of choice when he was in town writing his Divine Comedy. Today’s structure dates mostly from the 1600s, but keep an eye out for older pillars, which crawl with carvings of demons. You can maximize your time inside by attending one of the classical or gospel concerts held here. Alternately, go outside and simply perch on a bench in the garden to relish the view of Notre-Dame. | 1 rue St-Julien-le-Pauvre, Latin Quarter | 75005 | 01–43–54–52–16 | www.sjlpmelkites.org; www.concertinparis.com for concert schedule | Station: St-Michel.
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