Today we are going to finish up our tour of one of the great Paris neighborhoods, the Quartier Latin, or Latin Quarter.
This is the third episode of our 3-part series on The Latin Quarter. Make sure to watch Part 1 of our Video Tour of the Latin Quarter, and Part 2 of our Video Tour of the Latin Quarter.
Paris Video Tour: The Latin Quarter – Part 3 (6:02)
Location
The Latin Quarter has its borders from the Seine River to the top of Mount St. Genevieve, a hill named for the city’s patron saint, and is an area full of liveliness that attracts both tourists and native Parisians.
The Luxemburg Garden
The Luxemburg garden is an oasis of green in the middle of Paris, perfect for strolling or sitting. Luxemburg Garden is the garden of the Luxemburg Palace, built in the early 17th century by the widow of King Henry IV. The palace is now home to the French Senate. The gardens have a lovely pond, a fountain and beautiful statues. The garden even has a taste of modern living, with free wifi!
The Panthéon
The Pantheon is a burial place for great French people such as Voltaire and Rousseau. It sits atop of Mount Saint Genevieve. After the French Revolution, it went back and forth between being a church and a mausoleum, but it has been a mausoleum now for the last 125 years. You can climb the dome for a super view of the city.
Inside, apart from the tombs, you can see frescoes of the history of France, and hanging from the inside of the dome is a replica of Foucault’s pendulum which he used to prove that the earth rotates.
Sainte-Genevieve Monastery
Behind the Pantheon, you can see what remains of the Saint Genevieve Abbey, buildings mainly from the 17th century and later. It is now a prestigious school. The monastery church was removed after the Revolution and stood where the road is, but you can see its bell tower, the Tour Clovis, whose lower half dates from about the year 1000.
The Englise Saint-Etienne-du-Mont, which is the parish church of the area, took 109 years to build. Begun in 1518 as a transitional church, it is designed with flamboyant Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque features. In its beautiful interior, you’ll find a superb 17th century pulpit, an exquisite organ case and the tombstone of Saint Genevieve.
Accommodations in the Latin Quarter
After a tiring day of exploring the massive Pantheon or the Luxemburg Garden, there’s no better way to relax than to come home to your furnished apartment or vacation rental. Kick back and relax, you’re right at home!
This fully furnished 1-bedroom apartment in Paris’ Latin Quarter (PA-1899) is situated on the second floor of a 5 story building with an elevator. The apartment includes a fully equipped kitchen with the convenience of a dishwasher, a living room with antique décor and plenty of seating, and a bedroom with 2 single beds that can also be combined to form a king size bed.
Or, this furnished 2-bedroom apartment in Paris’ Latin Quarter (PA-3126) is on the 4th floor of a 6 story, low-rise elevator building. One bedroom is furnished with a double bed while the other has 2 single beds. This rental also has a dishwasher included in its fully equipped kitchen and also comes with the luxury and convenience of a washing machine to be able to do laundry in home.
Shopping
Beside souvenirs, books are tone of the main things to buy in the Latin Quarter. Antique books are sold by the bouquinistes, stallholders who camp along the side of the river with green box stands filled with books. As in medieval times, there are bookshops all over the Latin Quarter. There are also many clothing and shoe shops.
Notre Dame de Paris
One thing you won’t want to miss is the Notre Dame Cathedral. Located just a stone’s throw from the Latin Quarter, on the eastern tip of the Ile de la Cité, the Cathedral is widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture in France and in all of Europe. It’s well worth making the climb to the top of the towers to see Paris through the eyes of Quasimodo!
Pointe Zero
While you’re at the Notre Dame, hunt around the square just in front and you’ll find “Pointe Zero”. This is the point from which all distances in France are measured.
Rue du Chat-qui-Pêche
Here is one last little secret of the Latin Quarter: if you manage to find the street called Rue du Chat-qui-Pêche, you have come across what is said to be the shortest, narrowest street in the world.
Make sure to watch Part 1 of our Video Tour of the Latin Quarter, and Part 2 of our Video Tour of the Latin Quarter. In parts 1 & 2, we’ll take you the St Michel fountain, a few choice churches, show you were to eat, show you the oldest building in Paris and more.
We covered a lot of ground today in the Latin Quarter here in Paris. If we missed any of your favorite spots, be sure to share them in the comments section below.
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