Latin Quarter - Lonely Planet

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Latin Quarter
Neighbourhood Top Five
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5 Stroll around Paris’
sprawling botanical gardens, the Jardin des
Plantes (p207 ).
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3 Pay homage to France’s
greatest thinkers buried
beneath the neoclassical
Panthéon (p208).
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4 Curl up with a volume
to the Middle Ages at
the Musée National du
Moyen Âge (p206).
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2 Time travel back
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1 Allow as much time to
savour the exterior as the
newly renovated museum
inside the Institute of the
Arab World (p210), a visionary example of 1980s architecture (and don’t miss the
view from the roof!).
Sq Marie
Curie
13E
For more detail of this area, see Map p 414 and p416A
205
Paris’ botanical gardens, the Jardin des Plantes, are a
serene spot to start the day, before checking out the Institut du Monde Arabe and sipping a sweet mint tea in
the courtyard of the Mosquée de Paris.
There’s no better strip to see, smell and taste the
Quartier Latin (Latin Quarter) than the thriving market
street rue Mouffetard, so it’s worth coinciding a flit from
food stall to fabulous food shop here with lunch at one of
the many restaurants utilising its produce (but skip it on
Mondays when the market stalls are shut).
Descend to the Panthéon’s crypt to visit France’s great
thinkers, then spend the afternoon in the Musée National du Moyen Âge for the ultimate history lesson.
Excellent bistros are constantly popping up in this
neighbourhood. Medieval cellars (many used as Revolutionary prisons) provide an atmospheric setting for live
jazz and jam sessions, or join the area’s students at the
quartier’s lively pubs.
First-time visitors often think
the maze of tiny streets
between the Seine and
bd St-Germain in the 5e
comprise the Latin Quarter. And while it’s worth a
look – find Paris’ narrowest
street, the 1.8m-wide rue
du Chat qui Pêche (‘street
of the fishing cat’) – this
neighbourhood, named for
the international language
spoken here by students
until the French Revolution,
has so much more: there are
great pubs, cafes, wine bars
and squares throughout the
arrondissement.
Local Life
5 to Eat
 Sporting Life Join the locals playing boules and
pétanque (a variant on the game of bowls) in the 2ndcentury Roman amphitheatre Arènes de Lutèce (p208).
 Student Life Clink drinks during extended Latin
Quarter happy hours (p214) and there will almost
certainly be a student or academic affiliated with the
Sorbonne sitting next to you.
 Cinematic Life Catch an all-night movie marathon
followed by breakfast at the art deco Le Champo (p216).
Getting There & Away
 Metro The most central stations to jump off at are
St-Michel by the Seine; Cluny–La Sorbonne or MaubertMutualité on bd St-Germain; and Censier Daubenton or
Gare d’Austerlitz by the Jardin des Plantes.
 Bus Convenient bus stops include the Panthéon
for the 89 to Jardin des Plantes and 13e (Bibliothèque
National de France François Mitterrand); bd St-Michel
for the 38 to Centre Pompidou, Gare de l’Est & Gare du
Nord; and rue Gay Lussac for the 27 to Île de la Cité,
Opéra & Gare St-Lazare.
 Bicycle Handy Vélib’ stations include 42 rue StSeverin, 5e, just off bd St-Michel; 40 rue Boulangers,
5e, near Cardinal Lemoine metro station; and 27 rue
Lacépède, 5e, near Place Monge.
 Boat The hop-on, hop-off Batobus docks opposite
Notre Dame on quai de Montebello, and at the Jardin
des Plantes on quai St-Bernard.
Best Places
 L’AOC (p209)
 L’Agrume (p210)
 La Tour d’Argent (p210)
 Le Coupe-Chou (p210)
 Bistrot Les Papilles (p211)
 Boulangerie Bruno
Solques (p211)
For reviews, see p209 A
Best Places
6 to Drink
 Café de la Nouvelle
Mairie (p214)
 Le Verre à Pied (p214)
 Le Pub St-Hilaire (p214)
For reviews, see p214 A
3 Best
Jazz Clubs
 Café Universel (p215)
 Le Caveau des
Oubliettes (p216)
 Le Petit Journal StMichel (p216)
For reviews, see p215 A
L ATIN QUARTER
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