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.

Page
1
2

Best Western Premier Royal Saint Michel

This is the hotel to stay when in Paris. It is perfect for exploring, as the RER B line and metro line 4 are within steps of the front entrance. It is also a short walk to metro line 1. The staff is helpful and speak excellent English. There are 100s of restaurants in the St. Michel area. The Louvre and Notre Dame are both within walking distance. There is an ATM/bank directly across the street and a real french bakery just around the corner. They have reliable high speed internet. The rooms are small, yet comfortable and clean.
Gerard Mulot Patisserie

Great shop for eating in for light snacks and coffee and fantastic food for taking away. Really lovely food and good atmosphere. Thoroughly recommended.
Hotel Henri IV Rive Gauche Hotel

The hotel is ideally situated in the centre of Paris, within a stone's throw of the Latin Quarter and Left Bank.

Located between Saint-Michel and Saint-Germain boulevards, two of the most famous and lively streets in the French capital, this charming hotel welcomes you in an authentic decor from the 17th century with elegant furnishings and fireplace.

In this cosy ambience, the Hotel Henri 4 also offers modern comfort thus providing for a great stay in Paris.
Hotel le Clos Medicis

Beautiful little hotel in the Latin quarter. Sunken lounge with fire place and bar to relax in before a night out and rooms with wooden beams and lovely decor, great for a romantic weekend away!
Jardin du Luxembourg

A beautiful park set in the Left Bank. A favourite of Parisiens, who can be found sitting and reading or strolling around, the Jardin du Luxembourg is an oasis of calm in a frenetic city.

Sit in one of the numerous chairs lining the walkways, take a picnic and stretch out on the grass and watch the world go by. The shallow lake draws adults and children alike to hire a toy sail boat and a long stick ad set sail across the water! A children's play area and merry-go-round are reminiscent of the parks of days gone by. Why not sit and relax by the bandstand - there is usually someone playing - be it a small orchestra or lone musician.

The park is beautiful all year round but especially in spring, as everything wakes up and the gardens are sprinkled with an explosion of colour.
L'Ecluse Grands Augustins‎

Wine bar and Restaurant with a great selection of Bordeaux by the glass. Staff are very friendly and very knowledgeable about their wines!
L'Embacle

It's a modern fountain, the work of a Québecois artist named Guillaume Daudelin. More than an ordinary fountain, it is a sculpture, given in 1984 as an hommage from Quebec to the city of Paris. It is called L'Embâcle, which means Ice Jam (that is, obstruction of a river bed with blocks of ices). There is no gap between the sidewalk's large paving stones and the fountain's four slabs of bronze, so that the pavement seems lifted up by the water that sprays through it.

L'Embâcle beautifully conjures up break-up of ice in Québec when springs arrives at last. It is famous because of its artistic value, and functional originality as well.
Laperouse

A historical restaurant of French gastronomy. Gourmet food is served in this restaurant that promises an incredible experience for that special intimate dinner. With great food and even greater wine the atmosphere and great service contribute to what should be a perfect evening in a truly historical restaurant.
Le Bar Dix

Wonderfully atmospheric bar in the Latin Quarter, filled with intellectual-looking students and probably the most lethal sangria ever. Be weary of the stairs after a glass too many...
le buisson

superb food set menu for 31 euros