DK Travel : Paris : St-Germain, Latin and Luxembourg Quarters

This area of the left bank is possibly the most stimulating in Paris. St-Germain-des-Prés, centred around the city’s oldest church, is a synonym for Paris’s café society, made famous by the writers and intellectuals who held court here in the first half of the 20th century. Although it’s more touristy today, a stroll around the back streets reveals lovely old houses plastered with plaques noting famous residents. The Latin Quarter takes its name from the Latin spoken by students of the Sorbonne until the Revolution. The scholastic centre of Paris for more than 700 years, it continues to buzz with student bookshops, cafés and jazz clubs. It was also the site of a Roman settlement and remains from that era can be seen in the Musée du Moyen-Age. The area’s western boundary is the bustling boulevard Saint-Michel and to the south is the tranquil greenery of the Luxembourg Quarter.

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Coolin

An Irish bar that doesn’t try too hard. Appeals to drinkers, talkers and listeners of all ages, who like their draught Guinness with a blarney chaser.
Debauve & Gallais

This shop dates from 1800 when chocolate was sold for medicinal purposes. The window displays would tempt anyone.
El Palenque

This lively Argentinian place brings Latin America to the Latin Quarter. As well as drinks, also serves great meat dishes.
Gérard Mulot

Here you’ll find some of the finest pastries in Paris, along with some truly miraculous macaroons.
Hotel Pont Royal

Henry Miller drank here at the time of writing his Tropic of Capricorn and Tropic of Cancer .
Jadis et Gourmande

Specialists in fun chocolates, in the shape of the Eiffel Tower and other Parisian landmarks.
Jardin du Luxembourg

This 25-ha (60-acre) park is a swathe of green paradise on the very urban Left Bank. The formal gardens are set around the Palais du Luxembourg, with broad terraces circling the central octagonal pool. A highlight of the garden is the beautiful Fontaine de Médicis (see Molière Fountain). Many of the garden’s statues were erected during the 19th century, among them the monument to the painter Eugène Delacroix and the statue of Ste Geneviève, patron saint of Paris. There is also a children’s playground, open-air café, a bandstand, tennis courts, a puppet theatre and even a bee-keeping school.
Jean-Paul Hévin

Another of the distinguished chocolatiers of Paris, where it is regarded as an honoured profession. Also sells pastries and cakes.
Kayser

If you don’t want to make up your own picnic then try a ready-made sandwich from this bakery. Mouth-watering combinations include goat’s cheese with pear.
La Bastide Odéon

A taste of Provence, with rich and hearty dishes. Try risotto with scallops.

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Restaurant price categories

For a three-course meal for one with half a bottle of wine (or equivalent meal), taxes and charges included.
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