PARIS RIVE GAUCHE
BETWEEN SAINT-MICHEL AND SAINT-GERMAIN-DES-PRÉS DISTRICTS, VILLA PANTHEON IS AT THE HEART OF THE FAMOUS AND ARTISTIC PARIS RIVE GAUCHE
DISCOVER
QUARTIER LATIN & SAINT-GERMAIN-DES-PRÉS
Art and creativity lives on Paris’s Left Bank! As the years go by, this area of Paris is becoming a major cultural centre for the capital. But, the little intellectual universe of Paris was already bubbling in the 17th century, taking over Saint-Germain-des-Près and the Latin Quarter, so named because of the university courses given there in the language of the ancient Romans. Though the language may be dead, the student tradition still lives on! This is the perfect district to find books and music, at the famous library Gibert, notably. Many pubs on the Rue Saint-André-des-Arts, such as Corcoran's Irish or the Mazet, allow you to immerse yourself in the Parisian student life, in addition to the historical café Procope, frequented by Diderot or Voltaire at their time.
PANTHÉON
The Panthéon’s majestic silhouette and dome is located at the top of the Sainte-Geneviève Mountain, the historic hill of the Latin Quarter. After the French Revolution, this former church, dedicated to the Paris Patron Saint, has housed in its crypt a necropolis with well-known French figures like Victor Hugo, Marie Curie or Alexandre Dumas.
ÎLE DE LA CITÉ & ÎLE SAINT-LOUIS
Lots of tourists swarm the main island in Paris, the Ile de la Cite, where you can admire the impressive sculpted facade of Notre-Dame Cathedral or the sublime series of stained-glass windows of Sainte-Chapelle chapel. But far too many overlook its delightful little sister, the quaint Ile Saint-Louis, just a few steps away. This small island is like an oasis from the rush of the city. It's almost as if someone dropped a small French village into the center of Paris. It is full of seductive boutiques, cafés, brasseries, historic attractions and ice cream makers like the well-known Maison Bertillon. and is home to its own unique ice cream, and features historic attractions.
FROM THE PANTHÉON TO MOUFFETARD STREET
After a stop at the Sainte-Geneviève Library, you can take a walk through the Latin Quarter, with its constellation of bookshops, pubs and restaurants. Near the ancient Arènes de Lutèce, the lovely Place de la Contrescarpe will bring you towards the famous Rue Mouffetard, one of the French capital's oldest streets. The street is famous for its typically Parisian atmosphere. Countless restaurants and cafes jostle for room along with the butcher shops, greengrocers, fishmongers, cheese shops and bakeries all along this long paved way. Very popular among students, the Mouffetard quarter is even busier at night, especially on the Place de la Contrescarpe where it would be sacrilege not to stop for coffee at an outdoor table, overlooking the fountain.