Guide Tour of the Latin Quarter of Paris, France
The Latin Quarter of Paris is an area in the 5th and the 6th arrondissements of Paris. It is situated on the left bank of the Seine, around the Sorbonne. The area’s many cafés and restaurants are laid-back and welcoming; they are filled with Parisians, students and tourists. A historic center of learning, scholarship, and artistic achievement in Paris, The Latin Quarter’s mystique is well-merited with a fascinating heart of this beloved neighborhood.
The area gets its name from the Latin language, which was widely spoken in and around the University during the Middle Ages, after the twelfth century philosopher Pierre Abélard and his students took up residence there. Away from the big-ticket attractions of the City of Lights, engage more deeply with its rich, incomparable history.
There are several attractions to visit, among them the Pantheon, the Musée National du Moyen-Âge, the Luxembourg gardens and museum and the Arènes de Lutèce. As you stroll through the district you will also come across the Sorbonne, the best known university in Paris; the Collège de France, the Lycée Henri IV, the shopping streets Rue Mouffetard and Rue Monge and the charming Place de la Contrescarpe. The district also has popular show venues like the Paradis Latin, the Théâtre de l’Odéon and the Caveau de la Huchette.
Known for its student life, lively atmosphere, and bistros, the Latin Quarter is the home to a number of higher education establishments besides the university itself, such as: Paris City University (with the Faculté de Médecine de Paris); Sorbonne University (with Sorbonne and Jussieu university campus); PSL University (with the École Normale Supérieure – PSL and the École des Mines de Paris – PSL campuses); Panthéon-Assas University; Panthéon-Sorbonne University (with the École de droit de la Sorbonne); the Collège de France; the Schola Cantorum…
Le Quartier was a center of effervescent knowledge, host to a significant student population and witness to the capital’s lifestyle during the Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The Latin Quarter is also one of the oldest districts of the city, dating back to ancient times. The Latin Quarter was also the core of ancient Gallo-Roman Paris, as revealed in a number of otherwise rare archaeological remains that can be seen within the district. Traces of the area’s past survive in such sites as the Arènes de Lutèce, a Roman amphitheatre, as well as the Thermes de Cluny, a Roman thermae.
The Latin Quarter make the whole an extremely touristic sector. Thanks to its picturesque streets, its emblematic monuments is an unmissable when visiting Paris. Still home to the most prestigious schools, universities, and higher education establishments in Paris, the neighborhood is also home to the Pantheon. The monument sits atop the Sainte Genevieve hill, overlooking the lively streets full of bars and restaurants that lead north to the river Seine and east to the Jardin des Plantes.
Main Attractions
The Latin Quarter is a university and intellectual district (many publishers and bookshops) and literary (Festival Quartier du livre), but it is also a very touristy district (very high concentration of restaurants between the Seine, the boulevard Saint-Germain, Boulevard Saint-Michel and Rue Saint-Jacques). It is also a lively district in the evening (many pubs rue Mouffetard and rue Descartes).
The Latin Quarter is the oldest arrondissement in Paris, and was first built by the Romans. The construction of the Roman town Lutetia dates back from the 1st century BC, which was built after the conquest of the Gaulish site, situated on the île de la Cité by the Romans. The left bank of Paris was completely destroyed in 885 by the Normans. The city was not really rebuilt until the 11th century.
In medieval times, the various “schools” of the University of Paris were located in this area and are the origin of the name “Latin Quarter” (where Latin was spoken). The college founded by Robert de Sorbon, later called the “Sorbonne”, dates from 1257.
Since the Middle Ages and up to the present day, students living in the Latin Quarter have had a huge influence on the rest of the city. During the nineteenth and twentieth century, students organized movements of great political importance such as the revolt of May 1968, a general strike that nearly brought down the French government of the time.
Many revolutionary currents take their name from the meeting places they had chosen in the district: the Cordeliers (in the 6th arrondissement) and the Jacobins who met in the former Saint-Jacques abbey. Saint-Hilaire is a ruined 12th-century church in Paris, active until the French Revolution. The building of the current Pantheon was built in the 18th century to be the Sainte-Geneviève church. Desacralized during the Revolution, it houses the remains or the catafalques of illustrious people, as indicated by the inscription on the pediment: “To the Great Men, the grateful Fatherland”.
Student quarter
It is a district that is still very popular with students and teachers, due to the presence of numerous higher education and research establishments. Several establishments are based in the historical building of the Sorbonne (Chancellerie des universities, Panthéon-Sorbonne University, Sorbonne University, Sorbonne-Nouvelle University), the university centers of the Panthéon and Assas, the Jussieu campus (Sorbonne University), the Sorbonne-Nouvelle University, Paris-Cité University, the Collège de France – PSL University, the Sainte-Geneviève Library of Sorbonne-Nouvelle, the Sorbonne Interuniversity Library and theResearch House.
The campus of the National Museum of Natural History (MNHN) is located there, École polytechnique had its premises there until 1976, ESSEC until 1974 and the École des chartes until 2014. The Faculty of Medicine of Paris sat on rue de l’École-de-Médecine from 1794 to 1970. Its premises are currently occupied by the UFR of Medicine of the Faculty of Health of the University of Paris-Cité (even side of the street and the odd side, buildings adjoining the cloister of the Cordeliers) and by the campus of the Cordeliers of the faculty of Medicine from Sorbonne University (Convent of the Cordeliers). The Ministry of Higher Education and Research is located at 25, rue de la Montagne-Sainte-Geneviève.
The district also has many colleges and high schools, often prestigious and historic: Louis-le-Grand, Fénelon, Henri-IV, Saint-Louis, Notre-Dame de Sion, Stanislas, École alsacienne, Montaigne, Lavoisier.
Sorbonne University
Sorbonne Université is a public research university located in Paris, France, established by the merger of Paris-Sorbonne University and Pierre et Marie Curie University, along with smaller institutions. The institution’s legacy reaches back to 1257 when Sorbonne College was established by Robert de Sorbon as part of the medieval University of Paris.Sorbonne University is now one of the most prestigious universities in Europe and the world.
Sorbonne University’s historical campus is in the historic central Sorbonne building, located at 47 rue des Écoles, in the Latin Quarter. The building is the undivided property of the 13 successor universities of the University of Paris, managed by the Chancellerie des Universités de Paris. Besides the monuments of the Cour d’honneur, the Sorbonne Chapel and the Grand amphitéâtre, the building houses the Academy of Paris Rectorat, the Chancellerie des Universités de Paris, part of the universities Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne, Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris 3, Sorbonne University, University of Paris and the École Nationale des Chartes as well as the École pratique des hautes études that are constituent schools of PSL University.
Before the 19th century, the Sorbonne occupied several buildings. The chapel was built in 1622 by the then-Provisor of the University of Paris, Cardinal Richelieu, during the reign of Louis XIII. In 1881, politician Jules Ferry decided to convert the Sorbonne into one single building. Under the supervision of Pierre Greard, Chief Officer of the Education Authority of Paris, Henri-Paul Nénot constructed the current building from 1883 to 1901 that reflects a basic architectural uniformity. The integration of the chapel into the whole was also Nénot’s work with the construction of a cour d’honneur. The Sorbonne building is generally reserved for undergraduate students in their third year and graduate students in certain academic disciplines. Only students in Semitic studies, regardless of level, take all their classes at the Sorbonne campus.
The Library of the Sorbonne is an inter-university library of the universities Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne, Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris 3, Sorbonne University, University of Paris, under the administration of Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne. It is open exclusively to undergraduate students in their third year and graduate students. With the former archives of the now-defunct University of Paris, 2,500,000 books, 400,000 of them ancient, 2,500 historical manuscripts, 18,000 doctoral dissertation papers, 17,750 past and current French and international periodicals and 7,100 historical printing plates, the Library of the Sorbonne is the largest university library in Paris and was entirely refurbished in 2013.
Collège de France
The Collège de France, formerly known as the Collège Royal or as the Collège impérial founded in 1530 by François I, is a higher education and research establishment (grand établissement) in France. It is located in Paris, in the heart of the Latin Quarter, across the street from the historical campus of La Sorbonne, near the Panthéon.
Research and teaching are closely linked at the Collège de France, whose ambition is to teach “the knowledge that is being built up in all fields of literature, science and the arts”. It offers high-level courses that are free, non-degree-granting and open to all without condition or registration. This gives it a special place in the French intellectual landscape.
Université Paris Cité
Paris Cité University is a public research university located in Paris, France. It was created by decree on 20 March 2019, resulting from the merger of Paris Descartes (Paris V) and Paris Diderot (Paris VII) universities, established following the division of the University of Paris in 1970.
Paris Cité University has 21 facilities in Paris on both campuses. Its headquarters are centered on the “Faculté de Médecine” or “Collège de Chirurgie”, which was built in place of the “Collège de Bourgogne”, in the Quartier Latin, on the rue de l’École-de-Médecine. The teaching facilities and the research laboratories are housed in the Saints-Pères university center, as far as the medical school and the social sciences school are concerned, and in the Xavier-Bichat and Lariboisière Saint-Louis university centers.
Fine Arts of Paris
The Beaux-Arts de Paris is a French grande école whose primary mission is to provide high-level arts education and training. This is classical and historical School of Fine Arts in France. The art school, which is part of the Paris Sciences et Lettres University, is located on two sites: Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris, and Saint-Ouen. These fine arts were four in number: painting, sculpture, engraving, with architecture until 1968, when the Minister of Culture André Malraux, created eight teaching units of architecture (UPA).
The Parisian institution is made up of a complex of buildings located at 14 rue Bonaparte, between the quai Malaquais and the rue Bonaparte. This is in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, just across the Seine from the Louvre museum. The school was founded in 1648 by Charles Le Brun as the famed French academy Académie de peinture et de sculpture.
Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas University
Paris-Panthéon-Assas University, is a university in Paris, often described as the top law school of France. It is considered as the direct inheritor of the Faculty of Law of Paris, the second-oldest faculty of Law in the world, founded in the 12th century.
The majority of the nineteen campuses of Panthéon-Assas are located in the Latin Quarter, with the main campuses on Place du Panthéon and Rue d’Assas, hence its current name. The university is composed of five departments specialising in law, political science, economics, journalism and media studies and public and private management, and it hosts twenty-four research centres and five specialised doctoral schools.
Historical heritage
The Latin Quarter is one of the historic cradles of Paris which brings together many witnesses of its history. Among the most remarkable are the Arènes de Lutèce, a Gallo-Roman amphitheater built in the 1st century and the oldest vestiges of the city, the ancient baths adjoining the museum of the Middle Ages installed in the magnificent Hôtel de Cluny, dating from the 13th century and finally on the Sainte-Geneviève mountain, the monumental Pantheon, tomb of all the great people of the Nation.
In the heart of the Latin Quarter, dates back to the Middle Ages, when the masters provided their teaching and knowledge to students only in the Latin language. You can discover prestigious universities there such as the Sorbonne (where Cardinal Richelieu rests), the Collège de France and the high schools of Louis Le Grand and Henri IV.
Traced on an old Roman road that led to Italy via Lyon, rue Mouffetard is one of the oldest streets in Paris. An quite touristy address, which has preserved nevertheless many traces of the past and deserves a stroll, from the pretty place of the Contrescarpe to the church Saint-Médard.
Arènes de Lutèce
The Arènes de Lutèce are among the most important ancient Roman remains from the era in Paris. Constructed in the 1st century AD, this theatre could once seat 15,000 people and was used also as an amphitheatre to show gladiatorial combats. The terraced seating surrounded more than half of the arena’s circumference, more typical of an ancient Greek theatre rather than a Roman one which was semi-circular.
The remains were rediscovered in 1869, when new streets were being built. An excavation was subsequently ordered in 1883. The theatre has been preserved as a quiet archaeological park removed from the bustle of Parisian streets. Standing in the centre of the arena one can still observe significant remnants of the stage and its nine niches, as well as the grilled cages in the wall. The location of the actor’s dressing room, the platform of the stage, and lapidary remains can still be seen. The stepped terraces are not original, but historians believe that 41 arched openings punctuated the façade.
Panthéon
The Panthéon is a monument in the Latin Quarter of Paris, France. It stands in the Latin Quarter, atop the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève, in the centre of the Place du Panthéon, which was named after it. It was conceived by Louis XV as a grand neo-classical church honouring St. Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris. After the Revolution, the building was converted into a mausoleum for the great philosophers, military, artists, scientists, and heroes of the French Republic. Occupants of the crypt include Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Zola, the Curies, and Alexandre Dumas (reinterred here in 2002).
The architecture of the Panthéon is an early example of Neoclassicism, surmounted by a dome that owes some of its character to Bramante’s Tempietto. The view from the dome is marvellous. The successive changes in the Panthéon’s purpose resulted in modifications of the pedimental sculptures and the capping of the dome by a cross or a flag; some of the originally existing windows were blocked up with masonry in order to give the interior a darker and more funereal atmosphere, which compromised somewhat Soufflot’s initial attempt at combining the lightness and brightness of the Gothic cathedral with classical principles. In 1851, Léon Foucault conducted a demonstration of diurnal motion at the Panthéon by suspending a pendulum from the ceiling, a copy of which is still visible today.
The Paris Mint
The Hôtel de la Monnaie, located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, is an 18th century building, a masterpiece of the architect Denis Antoine (1733 – 1801). The building which has housed the Monnaie de Paris (the Paris Mint) since its construction. It is considered a prime example of pre-Revolutionary French Neoclassical architecture.
The building is typified by its heavy external rustication and severe decorative treatment. It boasts one of the longest façades on the Seine; its appearance has been likened to the Italian palazzo tradition. The building, which housed mint workshops, administrative rooms, and residential quarters, wraps around a large interior courtyard. It remains open to the public and includes a numismatics museum, located within what was once the main foundry.
Religious heritage
Rich in history, the places of worship of the Latin Quarter also deserve attention, In addition to the Pantheon and the Saint-Etienne-du-Mont church, the Latin Quarter is home to originals religious monuments. The Mosque of Paris first, whose superb patio and Oriental offer an exotic journey.
The church Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre then, one of the oldest churches in Paris, dedicated since 1889 to the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. A diversity of styles and influences that make this church one of the most original in Paris.
The Royal Abbey of Val-de-Grâce which currently houses the museum of the Armed Forces Health Service, the Church of Saint -Séverin in the flamboyant Gothic style or even the Great Mosque of Paris with its unique Hispano-Moorish architecture which houses a hammam, a restaurant and a tea room, a veritable oasis in the city.
Church of Saint-Sulpice
The Church of Saint-Sulpice is a Roman Catholic church in Paris, France, on the east side of Place Saint-Sulpice, in the Latin Quarter of the 6th arrondissement. It is only slightly smaller than Notre-Dame and thus the second-largest church in the city. It is dedicated to Sulpitius the Pious. Construction of the present building, the second church on the site, began in 1646. During the 18th century, an elaborate gnomon, the Gnomon of Saint-Sulpice, was constructed in the church. The church is the subject of a classification as historical monuments since theMay 20, 1915. Due to the fire at Notre-Dame de Paris on April 15, 2019, the church acts as a diocesan cathedral for major ceremonies.
The church of Saint-Sulpice, oriented in the usual west-east direction, is an imposing building 120 meters long, 57 meters wide, 30 meters high under the central vault; it is the second largest church in Paris after Notre-Dame. The plan and the initial architectural principles of Saint-Sulpice are in fact inspired by certain buildings established by the Jesuits, the design of which was intended to be adapted to the Catholic liturgy reformed by the Council of Trent: “a Latin cross church, with a single nave, confined to communicating chapels and a slightly projecting transept, barrel-vaulted, high windows, cupola at the crossroads, facade with two superimposed orders of unequal width crowned with a pediment”.
Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés
The Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés is a former Benedictine abbey in Paris, located at 3 place Saint-Germain-des -Prés in the current 6th arrondissement. Founded in the middle of the 6th century under the name of Sainte-Croix et Saint-Vincent basilica by the Merovingian king Childebert I and Saint Germain, bishop of Paris. It is a royal abbey, which therefore benefits from an exemption and is directly subject to the pope. The first abbey church was consecrated onApril 23, 558to the Holy Cross and to Saint Vincent of Zaragoza. This basilica has marble columns, a paneled ceiling and glazed windows.
The church was rebuilt by Abbé Morard, from the end of the 10th century. The first four levels of the western bell tower, the nave and the transept of the current church date back to this period, in which one can see in particular interesting capitals from around the year one thousand. The current choir was built in the middle of the 12th century in the primitive Gothic style and consecrated by Pope Alexander III on April 21, 1163. It is one of the first Gothic buildings, which contributes to the diffusion of this new style and is of great importance from an archaeological point of view. The convent buildings were rebuilt successively during the 13th century, and an abbey chapel inspired by the Sainte-Chapelle was built by the architect Pierre de Montreuil and then dedicated to the Virgin; the whole was demolished at the beginning of the 19th century.
Saint-Étienne-du-Mont
Saint-Étienne-du-Mont is a church in Paris, on the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève in the Latin Quarter, near the Panthéon. It contains the shrine of St. Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris. St. Geneviève was responsible for saving Paris from the Huns in 451 and her shrine in the church has been a popular place of pilgrimage ever since. The church as it stands dates from between 1492 and 1626 and is a mix of Gothic and Renaissance architectural styles. A unique feature is the Renaissance rood screen, the sole survivor in the city. The church also contains the tombs of Blaise Pascal and Jean Racine. Jean-Paul Marat is buried in the church’s cemetery.
The west front or facade of the church, in the Renaissance style and in the form of an elongated pyramid of three levels, was built in 1610 following the plan of Charles Guerin. The lowest level is covered with sculpture, and is topped by a triangular classical fronton, with a bas-relief depicting the Resurrection of Christ. The central feature of the level above is a Gothic rose window, under a curvilinear fronton, decorated with sculpture depicting the coat of arms of France and those of the old Abbey. On the top level, the triangular gable features an elliptical rose window.
The interior is a that of a hall church of large proportions, sixty-nine meters long and 25.5 meters wide. The collateral aisles on either side of the nave and choir are unusually high, and have large windows, filling the church with light. The interior of the church combines Flamboyant Gothic architecture, including elaborate rib vaults with hanging keystones, alongside elements of Italian Renaissance decoration, such as classical columns and arcades, and an abundance of sculpted heads of angels integrated into the architecture.
Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre
Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre is a Melkite Greek Catholic parish church in Paris, France, and one of the city’s oldest religious buildings. Built in Romanesque style during the 13th century, it is situated in the Latin Quarter. Originally a Roman Catholic place of worship, Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre was built in stages from the 12th to the 19th centuries, and granted to the Eastern Catholic Melkite community in 1889. Its design was modified several times, and the resulting church is significantly smaller in size than originally planned.
Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre was designed in the conservative tradition prevalent during the rule of King Louis the Younger. The only one of the city’s twelfth-century parish churches to have endured, it was never completed in its original design: the choir area was intended to be three stories high, and the clerestory is an incomplete triforium; the nave was supposed to be covered by sexpartite vaults, which were replaced by a wooden roof and, after the 17th century, by a new system of vaults; and, of a tower meant to stand on the church’s southern side, only the staircase was begun. The eastern apses use material from an older building.
The building has piers replicating those found in Notre Dame, and the chapiters are carved with images of leaves and harpies. The choir area is covered by an iconostasis. North of the church, in the Square René Viviani, exists the oldest tree in Paris. It is a locust tree planted in 1602 by Jean Robin, gardener-in-chief during the reign of kings Henry III, Henry IV, and Louis XIII. Also known as the “Lucky Tree of Paris”, it is thought to bring years of good luck to those who gently touch the tree’s bark.
Saint-Nicolas-du-Chardonnet
Saint-Nicolas du Chardonnet is a Catholic church in the centre of Paris, France, in the Latin Quarter. It was constructed between 1656 and 1763. The facade was designed in the classical style by Charles Le Brun. It contains many notable art works from the 19th century, including a rare religious painting by Jean-Baptiste Corot. Since the expulsion of the parish priest and his assistants by traditionalist Catholics in 1977, the church has been run by the Society of St. Pius X, which celebrates Traditional Latin Masses there.
The construction of the primary facade of the church on Rue Monge, designed by architect Charles Halley, was long unfinished, and was not completed until 1937. It follows the classical style of the rest of the building. The side doorway along the rue des Bernardins, designed by Charles Le Brun, dates to 1669, and is a particularly good example of the classicism of the period. It features pilasters in the Ionic and composite style, triangular frontons or pediments, and sculpted angels. The door, designed by Nicolas Legendre, is richly decorated with carved wreaths and heads of cherubs.
The interior of the church is a good example of the Baroque style, lavishly decorated with paintings, medallions and sculpture, dedicated to visually expressing the glory of God. The nave is lined with rows of cruciform pillars, and pilasters with capitals decorated with acanthus leaves in the classical style The arcades that separate the outer aisles from the nave have rounded arches, also in the classical Roman style.
Grand Mosque of Paris
The Grand Mosque of Paris is located in the Latin Quarter and is one of the largest mosques in France. There are prayer rooms, an outdoor garden, a small library, a gift shop, along with a cafe and restaurant. In all the mosque plays an important role in promoting the visibility of Islam and Muslims in France. It is the oldest mosque in Metropolitan France.
Inspired by the el-Qaraouyyîn Mosque in Fez, Morocco, all of the decorative program of the Paris Mosque, including the courtyards, horseshoe arches, and in particular the zelliges, was entrusted to specialized craftsmen from North Africa using traditional materials. The 33-meter-tall minaret was inspired by the Al-Zaytuna Mosque in Tunisia. The great entrance door to the Paris Mosque is ornamented with stylized floral motifs in the most pure Islamic style.
Culture Space
The Latin Quarter of Paris, through its history, its monuments and its various cultural institutions, is one of the richest in the capital, open to all artistic and educational fields. In particular, it is home to places to go out, particularly within the Latin, Mouffetard and Saint-Séverin districts. Between its old bookstores highlighting literature from around the world, its art galleries where contemporary and classic rub shoulders, the Institut du Monde Arabe and its thematic exhibitions and its prestigious arthouse cinemas, the Latin Quarter gives pride of place to culture.
Since the 1950s, the Latin Quarter, with its many higher education institutions, cafés (Café de Flore, Les Deux Magots, La Palette etc.) and publishing houses (Gallimard, Julliard, Grasset etc.) has been the home of much of the major post-war intellectual and literary movements and some of most influential in history such as surrealism, existentialism and modern feminism.
In addition to its major prestigious monuments such as the Institut de France, the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and the Musée de la Monnaie, the 6th also brings together some of the most confidential and fascinating museums in Paris: the Zadkine and Eugène Delacroix museums, former residences and creative workshops of these two renowned artists, the museums of Mineralogy of Paris, of the history of Medicine, of Compagnonnage as well as Mundolingua dedicated to languages, language and linguistics.
This entire district is something of a book lover’s dream: From the open-air booksellers with their famed green metal stalls on the Seine to the French mega-bookstores on Place St-Michel, it’s easily find a worthwhile tome. On the literature side, specialized booksellers and publishers such as Eyrolles, J.Vrin, Pippa, the PUF bookstore (Presses Universitaires de France), Album and Pulp’s Comics for comics, Présence Africaine, the South East Asia bookstore, the Abbey Bookshop for Anglo-American authors…
Fans of English literature will not fail to push the doors of the famous Shakespeare and Company bookstore with its incomparable charm. Shakespeare & Company, opened in 1951 by consummate Parisian beatnik George Whitman. Originally opened as “Le Mistral,” this is not the original shop in Paris. George Whitman renamed it in 1964, in honor of the legendary bookshop opened by Sylvia Beach in 1919 just down the street. Under Beach’s helm, the first shop was famous for hosting and publishing literary greats such as James Joyce. The more recent location is still a literary epicenter, browse both new and classic titles gracing the shop’s narrow, uneven shelves and carefully curated tables.
Writers looking for inspiration and lovers of fine literature can linger at the Café de Flore, the Closerie des Lilas or the Deux Magots, mythical literary cafés in the 6th arrondissement where Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Guillaume Apollinaire, Pablo Picasso had their habits there…
In particular, the arrondissement has an exceptional density of art house cinemas with at least twelve independent cinemas, representing a good twenty cinemas. Among the most culturally active are the Grand Action, the Écoles Cinéma Club, Le Champo, the Filmothèque, the Reflet Médicis, the cinema du Panthéon, Espace Saint-Michel, Studio Galande, Accatone, La Clef, L’Épée de boisand the Ursuline Studio.
It is also a frequent filming location for films and television films (among the most famous: La Vérité by Henri-Georges Clouzot, Breathless by Jean-Luc Godard, Le Signe du Lion by Éric Rohmer, Midnight in Paris by Woody Allen), whether in the La Sorbonne, Mouffetard and Panthéon districts or in the Jardin des Plantes.
In addition to the CNRS and various other public and/or private institutions, the Universities have their own laboratories or research centers, often grouped together for practical reasons within institutes. The district includes many public libraries, several arthouse cinemas, theaters, themed cabarets, many publishing houses and bookstores specializing in literature, science, history, medicine, politics, philosophy, law, human sciences…
Museums
Among the main museums and cultural institutions, the National Museum of Natural History includes the Jardin des Plantes and various galleries including the Grand Gallery of Evolution. Adjoining the Pierre-et-Marie-Curie University, the Arab World Institute offers many thematic exhibitions throughout the year. The Museum of the Middle Ages – Thermes and Hotel de Cluny is the conservatory of arts from this period, notably housing the famous tapestry of The Lady and the Unicorn. Finally, the Panthéon de Paris houses the tombs of the great men of France.
In addition, the Museum of Public Assistance – Hospitals of Paris is devoted to the history of the hospitals of Paris and the Museum of the health service of the armies of the Hospital of Val-de-Grâce to that of the armies. There are also two “administrative” museums with the Museum of Public Education, located rue Gay-Lussac, and the Museum of the Prefecture of Police, rue des Carmes, within the police station. Finally, the Quai Saint-Bernard permanently hosts the open-air Sculpture Museum of the City of Paris.
Musée Curie
The Musée Curie is a historical museum focusing on radiological research. It is located in the Latin Quarter at 1, rue Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris. The museum was established in 1934, after Curie’s death, on the ground floor of the Curie Pavilion of the Institut du Radium. It was formerly Marie Curie’s laboratory, built 1911–1914, and where she performed research from 1914 to 1934. In this laboratory her daughter and son-in-law Irène and Frédéric Joliot-Curie discovered artificial radioactivity, for which they received the 1935 Nobel Prize for Chemistry.
The museum contains a permanent historical exhibition on radioactivity and its applications, notably in medicine, focusing primarily on the Curies, and displays some of the most important research apparatus used before 1940. It also contains a center for historical resource which holds archives, photographs, and documentation on the Curies, Joliot-Curies, the Institut Curie, and the history of radioactivity and oncology.
Institut du Monde Arabe
The Institut du Monde Arabe, French for Arab World Institute, abbreviated IMA, is an organization founded in Paris in 1980 by France with 18 Arab countries to research and disseminate information about the Arab world and its cultural and spiritual values. The Institute was established as a result of a perceived lack of representation for the Arab world in France, and seeks to provide a secular location for the promotion of Arab civilization, art, knowledge, and aesthetics. Housed within the institution are a museum, library, auditorium, restaurant, offices and meeting rooms.
The building acts as a buffer zone between the Jussieu Campus of Pierre and Marie Curie University, built in large rationalist urban blocks, and the Seine. The river façade follows the curve of the waterway, reducing the hardness of a rectangular grid and offering an inviting view from the Sully Bridge. At the same time the building appears to fold itself back in the direction of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés district. In contrast to the curved surface on the river side, the southwest façade is an uncompromisingly rectangular glass-clad curtain wall. It faces a large square public space that opens in the direction of the Île de la Cité and Notre Dame. Visible behind the glass wall, a metallic screen unfolds with moving geometric motifs.
Musée de Cluny
The Musée de Cluny is a museum of the Middle Ages in Paris, France. It is located in the Latin quarter in the Latin Quarter of Paris at 6 Place Paul-Painlevé. The Hôtel de Cluny is partially constructed on the remnants of the third century Gallo-Roman baths known as the Thermes de Cluny, thermal baths from the Roman era of Gaul. The museum consists of two buildings: the frigidarium (“cooling room”), within the vestiges of the Thermes de Cluny, and the Hôtel de Cluny itself, which houses its collections. The frigidarium is about 6,000 square meters. The museum houses a vast collection of objects and art from the Middle Ages. Among the principal holdings of the museum are the six tapestries of The Lady and the Unicorn (La Dame à la licorne).
Neighborhoods
After crossing Place de Saint Michel, where there is a towering fountain of Saint Michael fighting a dragon, you enter a maze of small and charming streets that make up the Quartier Latin. These streets are full of reasonably-priced restaurants and cafés with terraces. There are several streets offering good restaurants around the main artery is Rue Huchette.
St-Michel District
The area around Metro St. Michel is the easiest gateway to the Latin Quarter. To begin exploring in the vicinity, take a stroll along the Quai St-Michel which runs alongside the left bank of the Seine River; admire the Square St-Michel (with its iconic fountain-statue of the archangel Michel smiting Satan,) and continue walking along the river on the Quai de Montebello, continuing eastward from the square.
Places around St-Michel worth exploring: Rue Saint-André des Arts, with its antiquarian dealers, rare booksellers, and cute cafes; Rue Hautefeuille, with its MK2 Hautefeuille arthouse cinema, and the Gibert Jeune and Gibert Joseph bookshops on and around Place St-Michel, with their bright yellow-orange signs.
Rue Mouffetard
This neighborhood offers everything from vibrant market streets like Rue Mouffetard to classic old squares and pretty streets like Place de la Contrescarpe and Rue Monge. The quiet, charmingly cobbled residential streets are lined with trees and roaming with cats that lead to the magnificent botanic garden of Jardin des Plantes and an epic Natural History Museum. Take some time to stroll about, browse the bookstands, or find a cozy cafe to sit at for a while. After all, taking your time to dawdle in the atmosphere is the best way to see Paris.
Passage St. André des Arts
An ancient pedestrian street with antique shops and art galleries, the Passage St. André des Arts begins at Cour du Commerce-Saint-André, where several historical building façades make it a lovely spot for a romantic stroll. A short distance away, you can find the Café Procope, one of the oldest cafe-restaurant in the capital, where Voltaire and Diderot often went to seek inspiration.
Rue Mazarine
The Rue Mazarine is a must-see for art lovers everywhere. Here, you will find a large variety of art galleries, from the most experimental independent galleries to commercial or studio galleries, this is the perfect place to get in touch with your inner contemporary art lover.
Maubert Market
Located in Maubert Square, this market has an unusual story. The market as we know it dates back to 1920, but its ancestry goes all the way back to the 19th century. Back then, it was called ‘marché aux mégots’ (literally the market of ‘cigarette ends’), and the market was a place of reunion for the homeless. They used to gather cigarette ends in order to collect and sell their last bits of tobacco.
Natural space
The Latin Quarter includes a number of green spaces, notably the Jardin des Plantes extending over 23.5 ha. Jardin des Plantes de Paris and Clos Patouillet forming the headquarters of the National Museum of Natural History; Arènes de Lutèce and Square Capitan; Tino-Rossi garden which houses the open-air Sculpture Museum on the banks of the Seine; Square Théodore-Monod; Square Garden; Square Paul Langevin; Square René-Viviani – Montebello; Square Saint-Medard.
Luxembourg Garden
The Jardin du Luxembourg is a garden open to the public, located in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. Created in 1612 at the request of Marie de Medici to accompany the Luxembourg Palace, it was restored under the direction of the architect Jean-François-Thérèse Chalgrin under the First Empire and now belongs to the domain of the Senate. It extends over 23 hectares decorated with flowerbeds and sculptures, and is known for its lawns, tree-lined promenades, tennis courts, flowerbeds, model sailboats on its octagonal Grand Bassin, as well as picturesque Medici Fountain, built in 1620.
The Luxembourg Gardens are a magnificent green setting particularly appreciated by walkers. The park gives pride of place to nature with its orchard, its orchid greenhouses, its rose garden, its orangery and its apiaries. It is adorned with 106 statues and houses the lovely Medici Fountain. Many sporting or recreational activities are practiced there. In 2022, according to a list of the English-speaking site HouseFresh which has aggregated the opinions of tens of thousands of tourists, it is designated as the most beautiful garden in Europe and the third most beautiful garden in the world, behind the Gardens by the Bay in Singapore. and the Majorelle Garden in Marrakech.
Jardin des plantes
The Jardin des plantes is the main botanical garden in France. The Paris Botanical Garden, founded as the royal medicinal garden in 1626 by King Louis XIII’s doctor, contains over 10,000 species. Close to the banks of the Seine, the magnificent Jardin des Plantes alone is worth a getaway of several hours. This 24-hectare French-style garden is home to a number of remarkable trees and botanical curiosities as well as large greenhouses with lush vegetation.
The garden is embellished with several buildings including the Grande Galerie de l’Évolution and its 7,000 specimens of animals and skeletons. The Menagerie of the Jardin des Plantes nestled in the greenery is home to 600 animals, some of which are endangered. The grounds also include a small zoo known as La Ménagerie, and the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle.
Headquarters of the Muséum national d’histoire naturelle (National Museum of Natural History), the Jardin des plantes is situated in the Latin Quarter, Paris, on the left bank of the river Seine, and covers 28 hectares (280,000 m2). Since 24 March 1993, the entire garden and its contained buildings, archives, libraries, greenhouses, ménagerie (a zoo), works of art, and specimens’ collection are classified as a national historical landmark in France (labelled monument historique).
Gourmet
From rue Mouffetard to the Latin Quarter, the Latin Quarter has a good number of good gourmet addresses. Typical brasseries rub shoulders with legendary addresses such as La Tour D’Argent, author tables such as Hugo & Co or Baïeta and world gastronomy restaurants such as the Kitchen Galerie Bis (KGB) or Lhassa.
Many pastry chefs present their specialties and other sweets there. Between the kouign amman from Georges Larnicol, the puffs from Maison Odette, the artisanal Gelati ice creams from Alberto or the cinnamon rolls from Flying Circus, sweet tooths will be spoiled for choice.
La Closerie des Lilas Cafe, countless famous writers once haunted the tables at this legendary cafe and restaurant. Now a pretty posh affair compared to its bohemian heyday during the 1920s and 1930s, which saw patrons like Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald engage in liquor-laced arguments and debates about their craft, the “Closerie” is still worth a stop. Especially if you enjoy attempting to travel back in time to the long-lost Paris of books such as Hemingway’s “A Moveable Feast.”
Night life
Jazz club, theatre, bars or cafés … rue Mouffetard, Saint-Michel and the Latin Quarter are known for their festive atmosphere which often lasts until dawn.
Narrow and cobbled, the famous rue de la Huchette is home to many festive bars, the Théâtre de la Huchette – where La Cantatrice de Chauve has been performed since 1957 – and one of the most cutting-edge jazz clubs in the city, the Cellar of the Huchette.
A little further on, from the Place de la Contrescarpe, the mythical rue Mouffetard and its typical bars with a warm atmosphere, such as the Caveau des Oubliettes, are the best hours of the Parisian night. Rue du Cardinal Lemoine is home to the oldest cabaret in Paris, the Paradis Latin.