LATIN QUARTER

District of the Latin Quarter

From the Place de La Sorbonne, it is hard to miss is the Pantheon, was originally built as a church in the 1700’s but essentially became a mausoleum for intellectuals, and it is here where Volatire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Emile Zola, Marie Curie, Louise Braille and other artists and scientists are buried. This is also where Foucault proved the rotation of the earth by hanging a pendulum from its dome in 1851.

The Moyen Age (Middle Ages) Museum (also known as the Cluny Museum) sits where Boulevard St Michel meets Boulevard Saint German. Built on the ruins of Roman baths, this museum’s major attraction is the series of medieval tapestries called La Dame et La Licorne (The Lady and the Unicorn).

Saint Severin is an 11th century Catholic church with 20th stained glass window and the oldest church bells remaining in Paris, cast in 1412. St Severin also boasts pillars in the form of palm-tree trunks.

The Latin Quarter is also home to L’ Institut du Monde Arabe, established in 1980 when 18 Arab countries concluded an agreement to establish the institute and research Arabic and Arab cultural and spiritual values. The Institute covers 181,850 square feet (16,894 m2) and the remarkable architecture acts as a buffer between the rationalist blocks of the Jussieu Campus, and the Seine.

Also a must see in the Latin Quarter is La Mosquee de Paris, which was built for Paris’ French Arab community in 1926. It is home to a tea salon and serves excellent mint tea and flaky, rich pastries.

Speaking of Eating and Drinking in the Latin Quarter..

If you are staying in a vacation apartment in the Latin Quarter, you may want to forage for your groceries at the Rue Mouffetard Market (La Mouffe say the locals) or pick up the perfect ingredients for a picnic in the nearby Jardin des Plantes, France’s permiere botantical garden and home to the Natural History Museum ( don’t forget to grab some wine at La Fontaine aux Vins at 107 rue Moufftard!). One of Paris’s best-known markets, Rue Mouffetard is one of the oldest in Paris and feels like a tiny self-contained village where you will find butchers, bakers, cheese shops and wine stores, perfect for eating like a local in Paris. The market runs from just behind the Pantheon down to St Medard Square. Best visit in the morning, as some stalls close in the afternoon. Make sure not to miss the Shakespeare & Co English-language bookstore nearby, with its laid-back anything-goes vibe and excellent selection of literature (read Guardian review of this spectacular shop here).

 

Around the Rue de La Huchette, you will find several small bars, all good for a cheap drink and laugh with students. Another great place to grab a drink is a tiny bar called Caveau des Oubliettes (TimeOut Paris review here), on the beaten path but often overlooked by tourists. This bar offers strong drinks and live jazz nightly and a bit of history, as the basement here was where prisoners were historically held before their executions.

For more sophisticated dining, Le Coupe Chou on rue Lanneau, was started by three famous French actors Francis Lemonnier, Francis Nani and Christian Azzopardi in the 1960s, and the restaurant/bar quickly became a place where French and foreign performers and stars could intermingle with spectators. Le Coupe Chou has expanded into several neighboring townhouses over the years and time has been taken to restore it to its original 17th century appearance. Lena et Mimile on rue Tournefort is an old-fashioned bistro on a mini-square, and La Perraudin in rue Saint-Jacques still uses red-and-white checkered tablecloths (with old-time prices to match).

Brasserie Balzar, where Camus and Sartre often lunched together, offers not only an excellent menu, but great people-watching property on the rue des Ecoles. The Place St Michel, was once the spot of numerous protests and social uprisings, strikes as well as more light spirited congregations of artists, writers, poets, musicians and dancers. The Boulevard St Michel leads to the Place St Andre, which is lined with bistros and restaurants.

Raclette is a must, and the Saveur de Savoie at 20 rue Saint Severin is about as authentic as the experience gets: a half circle of cheese, melted before your eyes, which you scrape off and pour onto mini plates of potatoes, meats and veggies.

Eric Kayser boulangerie in 14 rue Monge is one of the best bakeries in Paris, and the perfect place to grab breakfast for the next morning. Of course, for any homesick Americans, the authentic Breakfast in America diner offers pancakes, bacon, even huevos rancheros, though if you are looking for the best Mexican food, then the Latin Quarter is predictably the right spot for Anahuacalli at 30 rue des Bernadins that is always packed, so make sure to reserve a spot.

Getting There

The Latin Quarter has several Paris Metro and RER stations to arrive there, but explore the area on foot. Cluny/La Sorbonne, Maubert/Mutualite, Cardinal Lemoine, Jussieu, Place Monge, Censier/Daubenton, St. Michel, Luxembourg

Latin Quarter Bus Lines - 27, 87, 86, 24, 21, 47, 87, 84

View our apartments in