The student hill of the Left Bank, from the river to rue Mouffetard. Here is the walk.
The short version
- Start at the Saint-Michel fountain by the river and walk up. The quarter rises from the Seine to the Panthéon on the hill.
- Shakespeare and Company, the English bookshop facing Notre-Dame, is two minutes from the fountain. Expect a line on weekends.
- The Sorbonne has been here since the 13th century. The courtyard is closed to visitors; the square in front is where to stop.
- The Panthéon at the top of the hill is €13, free for EU residents under 26, with Voltaire, Hugo and the Curies in the crypt.
- Rue Mouffetard runs downhill from the Panthéon, a market street since the Middle Ages. The Marché Monge, five minutes east, is open Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings; days and hours on paris.fr.
- Skip the restaurant streets around rue de la Huchette by the river. The menus in four languages and the touts at the door tell you why.
The walk
From the Saint-Michel fountain, walk along the quay to Shakespeare and Company, then into the square René-Viviani behind it for the oldest tree in Paris, a locust planted in 1601, propped up on concrete. Up rue Saint-Jacques past the church of Saint-Séverin.
The Musée de Cluny, the national museum of the Middle Ages, is on the corner of boulevard Saint-Michel, in a medieval abbots’ house built on Roman baths. The Lady and the Unicorn tapestries are its reason to go in.
Climb rue Saint-Jacques to the Sorbonne, then rue Soufflot to the Panthéon. From there take rue Descartes to the Place de la Contrescarpe, where Hemingway lived around the corner on rue du Cardinal-Lemoine, and down rue Mouffetard.
Or let a guide walk you up: our private Notre Dame and Latin Quarter tour is two hours from the Saint-Michel fountain, up to five people, with the bouquinistes, the Sorbonne, the Panthéon and a pastry stop on the way.
Where to eat
Rue Mouffetard from the Contrescarpe down is the food street: cheese, bread, fruit and fish at the bottom, crepes and cheap bistros at the top. It is busiest on weekend mornings.
The Marché Monge on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday mornings is a neighborhood market, not a tourist one. Buy a picnic and eat it in the Jardin des Plantes ten minutes east.
The student cafes around the Sorbonne and the Contrescarpe are the cheapest coffee and lunch in central Paris. The places by the river on rue de la Huchette are the most expensive for what you get.
When to go
Weekday mornings for the streets and the bookshops. Sunday morning for rue Mouffetard and the Monge market, when the whole neighborhood shops for lunch.
Term time, from September to June, is when the quarter is full of students and lives up to its name. August is quiet, with some shops closed.
The Panthéon is open every day but January 1, May 1 and December 25. Shakespeare and Company is open every day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is it called the Latin Quarter?
Because the students of the Sorbonne and the colleges around it spoke and studied in Latin until the Revolution. The university has been on this hill since the 13th century.
Is rue Mouffetard worth it?
Yes, from the Place de la Contrescarpe downhill on a weekend morning, when the food shops at the bottom are open and busy. In the evening the top of the street is crepes and student bars.
How long does the Latin Quarter take?
Half a day for the walk above. Add an hour for the Panthéon and an hour for the Cluny museum.
Latin Quarter or Saint-Germain?
Do both. Saint-Germain is next door to the west, with the cafés, the galleries and the Luxembourg Garden. The Latin Quarter is the Sorbonne, the Panthéon and the market streets.
Is there a tour of the Latin Quarter?
Yes. Our half-day Paris walking tour runs a Left Bank route with a private guide, about three hours, start times from 9:00 to 18:00, through the Latin Quarter, the streets where Hemingway and Sartre lived, and the Panthéon.
Our Most Popular Day Trips From Paris
Half a day on foot with a private guide, routed around what you want to see.
