Latin Quarter, Paris

About the Latin Quarter

The Latin Quarter is a district on the Left Bank of the Seine in the 5th and 6th arrondissements, around the famous Sorbonne. Since the 12th century, when the philosopher Peter Abelard and his students settled here, it has been the heart of the Paris universities. Students and teachers spoke Latin among themselves, which gave the quarter its name.

Tens of thousands of students still study here: the district holds the successors of the University of Paris, the École Normale Supérieure, the Collège de France, the country's top lycées and its largest university libraries. That keeps it young and lively, with plenty of bookshops, cheap cafés, cinemas and bars. Puccini set his opera La Bohème in these streets.

What to see in the quarter

• The Sorbonne — the university's historic building with its domed chapel.
• The Fontaine Saint-Michel — the archangel Michael by the Seine.
• Rue de la Huchette — narrow lanes of small restaurants by the river.
• Rue Mouffetard — a market, cafés and Place de la Contrescarpe.
• The Arènes de Lutèce — a 1st-century Roman amphitheatre.
• The Luxembourg Gardens — on the quarter's western edge.

The Sorbonne and the universities

The name Sorbonne belongs both to the famous university and to its building. From 1253 the college of the theologian Robert de Sorbon worked here, part of one of Europe's first universities, later the University of Paris. The current building with its domed chapel was rebuilt in the 17th and 19th centuries, and several universities still teach in it.

Inside is mainly for students and booked tours, but walk round Place de la Sorbonne with its fountains and cafés. Nearby are the Lycée Henri-IV and Lycée Louis-le-Grand, where many famous French people studied, and the Sainte-Geneviève Library with its magnificent reading room.

Place and Fontaine Saint-Michel

The quarter's front door is Place Saint-Michel by the bridge over the Seine, facing Notre-Dame on the Île de la Cité. It holds the large Fontaine Saint-Michel, built in 1858–1860 by the architect Gabriel Davioud during Baron Haussmann's rebuilding of Paris. In the central niche a bronze archangel Michael defeats the devil while water cascades into the basins.

From the square Boulevard Saint-Michel, the 'Boul'Mich', runs south as the main street of student Paris, lined with bookshops and stores. On either side branch the medieval lanes of Rue de la Huchette, Saint-Séverin and La Harpe, with tiny restaurants, kebab and souvenir shops and the Gothic church of Saint-Séverin.

Rue Mouffetard and the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève

Further south the quarter climbs the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève. On its slope runs one of the oldest streets in Paris, Rue Mouffetard, once a Roman road from Lutetia to Italy. Today it's an almost pedestrian street of cheese shops, bakeries, wine cellars and cafés, with a street market at its lower end by the church of Saint-Médard.

Halfway along lies the small, cosy Place de la Contrescarpe with a fountain and cafés, where Hemingway and other writers lived and wrote in the 1920s. In the evening students gather here, and it's one of the most atmospheric spots on the Left Bank.

The Arènes de Lutèce

Few people know that the Latin Quarter keeps a Roman amphitheatre. The Arènes de Lutèce were built in the 1st century, when Paris was called Lutetia. They held up to 15,000 spectators and hosted both plays and gladiator fights. You can still see remains of the 41-metre stage with nine niches for statues, and the animal cages.

Today the arenas are a quiet square where locals play pétanque and football and children run across the ancient arena. Entry is free, and it makes a good break on the way from Rue Mouffetard to the Jardin des Plantes.

Tips for your visit

The Latin Quarter pairs well with the Île de la Cité and Notre-Dame, and to the west with the Luxembourg Gardens and Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Come to the Mouffetard market in the morning, wander the lanes by day and dine on Place de la Contrescarpe in the evening.

There are plenty of cheap places to eat: crêperies, bistros with set lunches and bakeries. Look out for the bookshops, from antiquarian to student, and the green boxes of the bouquinistes along the Seine.

Rue de la Huchette is crowded at night, so keep your belongings close. The quarter is safe and good for walks with children by day, with the arenas, the Luxembourg Gardens and the Jardin des Plantes close by.

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How to do it right

• Comfortable shoes.
• Market in the morning.
• Eat on Rue Mouffetard.
• Booksellers by the Seine.

Questions