Visit of the Latin Quarter
Origins
The Latin Quarter is one of the oldest centers of life in Paris.
This place has remained, over the centuries, a true intellectual center: colleges, libraries, grandes écoles and universities are still very present today.
Despite the great Haussmann works of the 19th century, the district has retained its small medieval streets, its lively atmosphere and its charm of yesteryear. It is this mix of history, culture and youth that makes the Latin Quarter one of the most emblematic and lively places in Paris.
Messire Robert Sorbon, fondateur du collège dit de Sorbonne, 1620.
The Grand
Mosque of Paris
The Tea Room & Restaurant (Le Salon de Thé)
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It’s a hidden oasis in the middle of Paris. You sit in a beautiful Andalusian-style courtyard filled with mosaic tiles, trees, and flying sparrows that might try to steal your crumbs!
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You have to try their traditional sweet mint tea (thé à la menthe) served on brass trays, paired with oriental pastries like baklava or loukoum. If you are hungry, the restaurant serves amazing couscous and tagines.
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It is very affordable and the ultimate spot to chill, chat, and warm up after a long walking tour.
The Traditional Hammam (Le Bains Turcs)
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A hammam is a traditional hot steam bath. The one inside the mosque is famous for its stunning architecture, marble rooms, and hot plunge pools. It feels like stepping into the 1001 Nights.
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You can get a deep-cleansing scrub using traditional black soap (savon noir) and a kessa glove. It's extremely popular among Parisian students for a "detox" and relaxation day after midterms.
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⚠️ Crucial Warning for the guide: It is exclusively for women! Men are not allowed in the hammam area.
Le Jardin des Plantes
Created in 1635 by the doctor of King Louis XIII, the Jardin des Plantes was originally the 'Royal Garden of medicinal plants', intended to cultivate remedies used to treat the King.
Today, it is the heart of the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle.
It is here that the famous giraffe Zarafa arrived in 1827, the first giraffe in France, who traveled 880 km from Marseille... on foot, with custom shoes!
She became a true Parisian star, to the point that women did their hair "à la giraffe"
Girafe Zarafa
La coiffure "à la Girafe" !
Portrait de Daubenton
Les arènes de Lutèce
The Arènes de Lutèce are one of the few vestiges of the Gallo-Roman period in Paris.
This amphitheater had a dual function: it served both as a theater for performances and an arena for gladiator fights or confrontations with wild animals.
Today a surprising contrast: where lions roared, we now see children playing football and residents of the neighborhood playing pétanque.
A place where Antiquity and modern Parisian life meet.
Vestiges des Arènes de Lutèce en 1200
Lettre de Victor Hugo contestant la destruction des Arène de Lutèce
Redécouvertes des Arènes en 1900
Ernest Hemingway
He was a major American writer of the 20th century. He is famous for his simple, direct and very refined style, which deeply influenced modern literature.
Among his best-known works, we find 'Paris est une fête', a book in which he talks about living in Paris.
He even spent his days writing in the cafes, escaping the cold of his neighboring apartment. The place still retains this bohemian and literary atmosphere.
Hemingway remains today an emblematic figure, often associated with the image of the adventurous and intense writer, whose life marked minds as much as his books.
Ecrivain Ernest Hemingway
Livre "Paris est une fête"
Rue Mouffetard
Rue Mouffetard is one of the oldest streets in Paris, heir to an old Roman road that led to Italy.
The facade of No. 134, decorated with animals recalling its past as a delicatessen that has been classified as historical monuments.
"To the little Greek"
The brand is renowned for its generous crêpes , prepared à la minute, with fresh ingredients and often served in a 'gourmet XXL' format.
There are both traditional sweet pancakes and very hearty savory pancakes, often filled like real sandwiches (feta, ham, grilled vegetables, egg, chicken, etc.).
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Crêperie à tester: Au p'tit grec, rue Mouffetard
Fontaine de la Place de l’Estrapade
Emily in Paris
Le panthéon
Originally, it was a church commissioned by Louis XV to pay tribute to Sainte-Geneviève because she had healed him of an illness. The work began in the mid-18th century, in a neoclassical style inspired by ancient temples.
But the history of the building changes with the French Revolution, the church becomes a secular temple intended to honor the 'Great Men' of the Nation, those who have marked history by their ideas, works, or actions. Since then, the Pantheon has become a place of national memory, a symbol of republican recognition.
In the crypt rest some of the greatest French figures: Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Émile Zola and many others. Among them is Marie Curie.
She is the only woman to have been pantheonized for her own scientific merits.
His coffin is covered with lead, as his body remains slightly radioactive due to his research.
Intérieur du Panthéon
Personnalités transférées
Voltaire Écrivain et philosophe
Jean-Jacques Rousseau Écrivain et philosophe
Claude-Louis Petiet Grand organisateur de troupe
François Denis Tronchet Homme politique et juriste
Jean-Baptiste-Pierre Bevière Homme politique
Jean-Étienne-Marie Portalis Homme politique
Louis-Pierre-Pantaléon Resnier Homme politique
François Barthélemy Beguinot Militaire
Pierre Jean Georges Cabanis Médecin, poète et philosophe
Gabriel Louis de Caulaincourt Militaire
Antoine-César de Choiseul-Praslin Général, sénateur
Jean-Pierre Firmin Malher Militaire
Jean-Frédéric Perregaux Financier
Emmanuel Crétet de Champmol Homme politique
Girolamo Luigi Durazzo Homme politique
Pierre Garnier de Laboissière Général de cavalerie, sénateur et comte d'Empire
Justin Bonaventure Morard de Galles Militaire
Jean-Baptiste Papin Homme politique et juriste
Jean-Pierre Sers Homme politique
Joseph-Marie Vien Peintre
Giovanni Battista Caprara Religieux
Charles Pierre Claret de Fleurieu Homme politique
Jean Lannes Militaire
Louis Charles Vincent Le Blond de Saint-Hilaire Militaire
Jean-Baptiste Treilhard Avocat
Louis-Antoine de Bougainville Navigateur
Alexandre-Antoine Hureau de Sénarmont Artilleur des armées, baron d'Empire
Charles Erskine de Kellie Religieux
Michel Ordener Général de division, sénateur et comte d'Empire
Nicolas Marie Songis des Courbons Caveau IIIGénéral
Ippolito-Antonio Vincenti-Mareri Évêque
Jean-Marie-Pierre-François Le Paige Dorsenne Général
Jean-Guillaume de Winter Amiral batave, comte d'Empire
Hyacinthe-Hughes Timoléon de Cossé-Brissac Militaire
Jean-Ignace Jacqueminot de Ham Avocat et comte d'Empire
Joseph-Louis Lagrange Mathématicien
Jean Rousseau Homme politique
Justin de Viry Homme politique
Frédéric Henri Walther Général
Jean-Nicolas Démeunier Homme politique
Jean-Louis-Ébénézer Reynier Militaire
Claude-Juste-Alexandre Legrand Général
Antoine-Jean-Marie Thévenard Militaire
Jacques-Germain Soufflot architecte du Panthéon
Alphonse Baudin Homme politique et médecin
Lazare Carnot Homme politique et scientifique
François Séverin Marceau Militaire
Théophile-Malo de La Tour d'Auvergne-Corret Militaire
Marie François Sadi Carnot Homme politique
Marcellin Berthelot Scientifique
Sophie Berthelot Scientifique
Léon Gambetta Homme politique
Paul Painlevé Mathématicien et homme politique
Paul Langevin Physicien
Jean Perrin Physicien
Félix Éboué Homme politique
Victor Schœlcher Homme politique
Louis Braille Scientifique
Jean Moulin Résistant
René Cassin Résistant
Jean Monnet Économiste
Marie Jean Antoine Nicolas Caritat de Condorcet Homme politique
Abbé Henri Grégoire Religieux
Gaspard Monge Mathématicien
Marie Curie-Sklodowska Physicienne
Pierre Curie Physicien
André Malraux Écrivain
Pierre Brossolette Résistant
Geneviève de Gaulle-Anthonioz Résistante
Germaine Tillion Résistante
Jean Zay Homme politique
Antoine Veil Homme politique
Maurice Genevoix Écrivain
Joséphine Baker Chanteuse, danseuse, actrice, résistante
Mélinée Manouchian Résistante communiste (FTP-MOI)
Missak Manouchian Résistant communiste (FTP-MOI), poète
Robert Badinter Personnalité politique, juriste et essayiste
Louve de Romulus et Remus
According to the Roman legend:
Romulus and Remus were two twin brothers abandoned at birth.
Their uncle, who wanted to keep the power, ordered them thrown into the Tiber.
But the river gently deposited them at the foot of Mount Palatine, where a she-wolf found them and suckled them like her own little ones.
Having grown up, the two brothers decided to found a city in the very place where the she-wolf had saved them.
But a disagreement broke out: they did not agree on the exact location.
The argument degenerated and Romulus killed his brother Remus.
He then became the first king of the new city, which he baptized Rome, in his own name.
The original statue located in Italy (at the Capitoline Museums)
Les Thermes de Cluny
The Thermes de Cluny are one of the oldest Roman remains visible in Paris.
They were part of the large public baths in Lutetia, used by the inhabitants to wash themselves, relax, and socialize.
The most impressive element still preserved today is the Frigidarium, a huge vaulted room almost 1800 years old.
These thermal baths are today integrated into the National Museum of the Middle Ages, installed in the Hotel de Cluny, an elegant medieval building located right next to it.
Intérieur des Thermes de Cluny
"Tapisserie de la Licorne"
The oldest tree in Paris
This is a false acacia locust tree planted in 1601 by Jean Robin, the botanist of King Henry IV, whose name it still bears.
Today, more than four centuries later, it is still alive, which makes it an exceptional witness of Parisian history.
Despite its slightly crooked appearance and the scars of the weather, it continues to bloom every spring, offering small fragrant white bunches. It is a symbol of resistance and longevity, having survived wars, revolutions, bad weather and even modern pollution.
Rue du Chat qui pêche
La Rue du Chat-qui-Pêche is one of the most amazing curiosities in the Latin Quarter.
It is famous for being the narrowest street in Paris, with only 1.80 meters wide.
Its intriguing name comes from an old sign representing a cat catching a fish;
At the time, signs were essential: they served as landmarks in a city where few people could read.
Today, la rue Chat-qui-Peche attracts visitors for its secret atmosphere.
Upon entering it, one feels like leaving the modern city to go back several centuries.
It is an alley that can be crossed in a few seconds, but which leaves a lasting impression, as if it was still hiding forgotten stories.
Place Saint Michel
La Fontaine Saint-Michel is one of the emblematic monuments of the Latin Quarter.
Located in the heart of Place Saint-Michel, it was built between 1858 and 1860 during the Second Empire.
Built by the architect Gabriel Davioud, and the sculptor Francisque Duret, this spectacular scene symbolizes the victory of good over evil, a theme much appreciated in the nineteenth century.
It also serves to commemorate the victory of Napoleon III at the Battle of Solferino in 1859, a major event of his reign.
Today, the Saint Michel Fountain is a real landmark for Parisians, students and tourists.
Place Saint Michel en 1900
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