Let your time in Paris wash away the soulless world of AI and embrace the romance of the written word. Here are the best things to do in the Latin Quarter, Paris.
Why Fall in Love With the Latin Quarter?
In the city of romance, few things feel more romantic than the idea of the Latin Quarter. And I’m talking real romance, here, not some flash in the pan boy meets girl kind of pseudo love story.
I’m talking about the love of learning and reading, study and speculation. The kind that never lets you down through jealous betrayal, ghosting or repeatedly failing to empty the dishwasher.
Step into the Latin Quarter and you’ll see students gathered beneath chestnut trees, patisseries pulling open their shutters to let in the morning light, and stone façades worn smooth by centuries.
By night, you can browse at late night bookshops, sip wine in restaurants frequented by literary giants and watch the lights of the Eiffel Tower itself sparkle on the horizon.
And in my favourite ritual of all, you can take a break from the pace of city life all together in a secret garden during the Reading Hour at the Hôtel Dame des Arts.
Here are some of the best things to do in the Latin Quarter.
Disclosure: I have visited the Latin Quarter many, many, many times but on the last occasion I was a guest of the Hôtel Dame Des Arts for review purposes. As always, as ever, I kept the right to write what I like. Otherwise, why bother? Also, if you book or buy through any of the links on this page, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks!
Where is the Latin Quarter?
Like all good students, let’s start with the basics.
The Latin Quarter sits on the left bank of the Seine River, mainly in the 5th arrondissement and extending a little into the 6th. Its centre runs along Boulevard Saint-Michel, a street busy with bookshops and cafés, and well-served by metro lines 4 and 10.
This is the historic university district of Paris, with the Sorbonne University at its core. Hence, the name Latin.
But what it’s really for, this section of the Rive Gauche, is for falling in love with learning.
The Best Things to Do in the Latin Quarter
You’ll find a satisfying mix of big classics and off the radar spots in the Latin Quarter.
Indulge in a Reading Hour
Perhaps the newest kid on the block, the invention of the Reading Hour by Hôtel Dame des Arts was the inspiration for my latest trip to Paris. Simply put, between the hours of 4 and 6pm each day, the hotel invites residents and non-residents alike to seek refuge from the busy city streets by sitting in their secret garden – and reading a book.
Books are provided, with an honesty swap system, and there’s a range of literary inspired cocktails to help you get in the mood.
- The Fitzgerald Spritz – elderflower liqueur, prosecco, sparkling water
- Thé Le Jardin de Proust – rooibos tea with apple and warming spices
- Thé Green Ginsberg – green tea with lemongrass and ginger
- Café Le Camus – espresso macchiato or noisette
- Hot Chocolate by Hugo – needs no explanation
Is this a gimmick? Well, yes and no, depending on how cynical you are in any given moment. Of course, the hotel hopes you’ll have a drink and maybe even stay the night. But it also highlights the benefits of reading and finding likeminded people in a big old city, which can only be a good thing.
My daughter settled in reluctantly. But it wasn’t long before we appreciated the “enforced” break from screens and return to the paper page. I know it’s easy to sound self righteous about this, but it really did feel as though it did us good.
Also in the pipeline are writing workshops, live readings, author meetups, reading retreats and more. So, watch this space.
Walk Back Through History
Start at the Arènes de Lutèce, once a Roman amphitheatre seating up to 15,000 people, now a neighbourhood gathering spot.
From there, a short walk takes you to the Musée de Cluny and the remains of the original thermal baths. Inside, the thick stone walls and worn staircases date back to when Paris was known as Lutetia, a Roman settlement on the Seine. (It’s also the Museum of the Middle Ages now, so you can leapfrog from Roman times to damsels in distress and knights in shining armour, which is great if you’re visiting Paris with kids.)
By the time the French Revolution came along, the Sorbonne was a meeting point for debate and protest, with arguments spilling from lecture halls into the surrounding streets. Look out for the commemorative plaques and come face to face with the dates, names, and events that shifted the course of French history.
And, finally, the personalities: the real meat of the Latin Quarter of Paris. Victor Hugo visited here; Ernest Hemingway, James Joyce, and Gertrude Stein worked and argued at café tables you can still sit at. Simone de Beauvoir made nearby cafés her workplace, and Alexandre Dumas lived within walking distance.
Even the scientists get a look in, as Marie Curie walked these same streets to her laboratory at the Sorbonne, ready for her Nobel Prize. And Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of the United States, frequently dined at Le Procope.
Visit Notre Dame Cathedral & Île de la Cité
Now, technically, Notre Dame stands on the edge of the Latin Quarter rather than inside it but I’m including it here on this list of things to do in the Latin Quarter because of its sheer size, both in terms of architecture and myth. Cross to the Île de la Cité to see its towers, scaffolding, and glass windows catching the light.
Despite appearances, it is now open following five years of restoration. But if you don’t have time for a full visit, you can still take a peek at the carvings, gargoyles, and tracery from the outside and skip the queues.
Top tip: Look out for some of the most famous ice cream in Paris at Berthillon if it’s hot. And onion soup at Le Caveau if it’s not.
Soak up the Atmosphere
From the river, make your way to Rue Mouffetard, where market stalls and cafés keep the street busy from morning until night.
Spend time at Place de la Contrescarpe, often filled with musicians, or browse the open-air market at Place Monge. Walk along Rue Monge, stopping at bakeries and flower stands, and follow the streets deeper into narrow lanes lined with shops.
For more atmosphere, detour to Boulevard Saint-Germain or Boulevard Saint-Michel for bookshops and late-night cafés.
Go Green
If the weather gods are smiling on you, then head to the Jardin des Plantes, a botanical garden established in the 17th century and oozing with horticultural sophistication. Its specimen beds, palm houses, and rose garden peak in late spring but it’s worth visiting all year round, even the not-so-bleak midwinter. Within the grounds, the Ménagerie is one of the world’s oldest zoos, founded in 1794 and home to rare and beautiful species.
The other famous park around is the Jardin du Luxembourg, all sculpted lawns, fountains, and shaded chairs. Created in the early 17th century for Marie de’ Medici, it’s where people go to watch a game of chess, hire a model boat for the pond, or explore the sculptures dotted among the trees.
Muse Over Museums and Monuments
Truthfully, the Latin Quarter doesn’t have the showstoppers of the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay. But were they in any other city, they would be showstoppers, so don’t write them off.
- The Cluny Museum, officially the Musée de Cluny Musée national du Moyen Âge (Museum of the Middle Ages), showcases exquisite medieval tapestries, stained glass, and the impressive remains of the Roman baths.
- The Natural History Museum (also known as the National Museum of Natural History) is based within the Jardin des Plantes. Its galleries go beyond fossils and stones to include rotating temporary exhibitions, historic scientific instruments, and botanical collections.
- Nearby, the Panthéon and its crypt provide a different kind of history lesson, honouring national figures such as Voltaire, Victor Hugo, Marie Curie, and Alexandre Dumas, and offering sweeping views over Paris from its dome.
- Step into the smoky, bohemian world of France’s most provocative singer at the Serge Gainsbourg Museum. His former home at 5 bis rue de Verneuil has been preserved as he left it, while an exhibition space across the street explores his life, collaborations, and enduring influence.
- For another retreat from city life, see if you can find the Delacroix Museum. Tucked away on a quiet square behind Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the place occupies the painter’s final apartment and studio with a collection that showcases his sketches, canvases, and personal objects. However, the highlight is the peaceful hidden garden and the sense that your muse might arrive at any moment.
- And finally, for a completely different vibe, walk to the edge of the Latin Quarter for the Institut du Monde Arabe. Its mashrabiya-inspired façade adjusts with the light, while inside you’ll find exhibitions spanning history, art, and design from across the Arab world. When we were last there, we saw Cleopatra and her depictions from antiquity until Elizabeth Taylor.
Browse Bookshops, Galleries and Cafés
Some of the best corners in the Latin Quarter are found between book stacks and cafés.
Shakespeare and Company is the famous one, founded in 1951 by George Whitman and attracting steady, slinking queues outside its deep green shutters and chalkboards. Then there’s the Abbey Bookshop, a Canadian-owned anglophone shop where shelves rise high above your head, or the Gibert Joseph chain, known as “the biggest bookstore in Paris.”
Galerie Maeght specialises in 20th-century and contemporary art, with names like Miró, Calder and Giacometti filling its bright, modern space. It’s a place to browse rather than rush, a counterpoint to the Quarter’s older literary haunts.
Café de Flore, once the haunt of Sartre and Beauvoir, still leans into its legend with polished wood, mirrored walls and a steady flow of coffee and chatter. A few steps away, Les Deux Magots carries the same weight of history, its terrace lined with tourists and locals alike, watching the world pass by on Boulevard Saint-Germain.
Top tip: expect to queue and pay top prices for these literary legends. But can you really come to the Latin Quarter and miss them altogether?
Eat, Drink and Be Merry
Markets and Sweet Stuff
Start your morning at one of the best places for local food: the Marché Monge, held several times a week in Place Monge (Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at the time of writing ). Stalls spill over with fresh cheese, bread, honey, and seasonal fruit.
If you’re here on a market day, you can build your own picnic or chat with the stallholders for recommendations you won’t find in a guidebook.
Maison Ladurée, with its pastel tones and gilt interiors, has become synonymous with Parisian macarons. First opened in 1862, it still draws sweet-toothed crowds for delicate pastries, colourful displays and a touch of old-world glamour. It’s quite the experience to visit but in the summer, escape into the light with one of their newer inventions: a macron ice cream.
Maison Isabelle, by contrast, feels more of a local secret. Tucked along rue Saint-Jacques, it’s a family-run bakery famed for its award-winning croissants and careful attention to classic French viennoiserie. Find more hidden gems in Paris here.
Odette, a tiny pâtisserie near Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre, is devoted to one thing: choux à la crème. Stacked in the window like pastel jewels, these airy puffs come filled with flavoured creams and make for a sweet pause between bookshops and boulevards.
Bistros and Brasseries
For a meal indoors, classic bistro fare dominates menus throughout the quarter. Choose a table at Le Petit Prince de Paris or another long-standing bistro, and you’ll find duck confit, onion soup, and a well-edited wine list.
This is the sort of cooking that inspired Julia Child during her years in Paris, when she shopped the markets and studied the techniques that would later make her famous.
Historic restaurants such as Le Procope (dating back to 1686 and known as the oldest café in continuous operation in Paris) provide a more historic setting, with antique décor and a menu that runs from oysters to chocolate mousse. As a top tip, ask for an outside table by the back entrance. I’ve made it sound shady but it’s a stunning and atmospheric spot which most people miss.
Brasserie Lipp is another institution in the Quartier Latin, founded in 1880 from a chef fleeing then German occupied Alsace and Lorraine. By the period after the Second World War, the guest list read like a who’s who, with the rich and famous attending for a taste of real beer and sauerkraut.
Keeping with the literary theme is the Bistros des Lettres, which offers reimagined French classics amid hipster style literary decor. I’m afraid to say, the reinvention didn’t really work for us and we had to go somewhere else afterwards but perhaps it was a stroke of bad luck.
After Dark
The Théâtre de la Huchette has staged Ionesco’s The Bald Soprano and The Lesson every night since 1957, making it one of the longest-running double bills in the world. Just around the corner, the Caveau de la Huchette offers live jazz beneath vaulted 16th-century stone ceilings.
For something lighter, the rooftop bar at Hôtel Dame des Arts serves cocktails with a skyline view, its terrace opening up to Notre-Dame, the Eiffel Tower and the shimmering sweep of Paris after dark. Just make sure to reserve a table in advance; the place is popular and with good reason!
Where to Stay in the Latin Quarter
Hôtel Dame Des Arts
We stayed in the gorgeous, design led Hôtel Dame Des Arts , right in the heart of the Latin Quarter, with over a third of the rooms offering views over the rooftops of Paris. The rooftop bar itself gives the full 360.
The property was redesigned by Raphael Navot, named “Designer of the Year” at the prestigious Maison & Objet Awards for 2023, with a focus on contemporary lines, curated art, and warm lighting.
And this approach to design shows: the layout draws you naturally through the bar and restaurant to the secret garden at its heart, while the rooms are sleek rather than functional and even the gym gets in on the action (with curved wooden walls.) Over 700 pieces of local art have been curated to fit within the St Germain vibe.
The 109 guest rooms (four accessible) carry high-quality linens, rainfall showers, and floor-to-ceiling windows that frame the dreamy streets of Paris.
Better yet, there’s an eco focus with refillable toiletries, mainly locally sourced products and energy-efficient lighting.
Up top, the rooftop terrace offers a 360-degree view of the city, including the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame.
Downstairs, the restaurant serves seasonal plates and cocktails thanks to Chef Clément Courtemanche, with a kids menu of chicken nuggets if attempts at sophistication fail.
- Rooms start from £231 per night, including breakfast.
- Member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest independent hotel brand.
- Book here.
For more recommendations, check out this guide to the best hotels in Paris with a view of the Eiffel Tower.
Practical Tips for Visiting Paris’s Latin Quarter
1. You don’t need a car. This goes for most of Paris but particularly here. Either book a transfer from the airport or Eurostar or take public transport. The most direct stations are Saint-Michel–Notre-Dame (RER B and C, plus Metro line 4) and Cluny–La Sorbonne (Metro line 10), both close to major landmarks.
2. Explore on foot as much as possible. Walking is eco-friendly, gives you the best access to narrow streets and quiet squares, and allows you to pause at shop windows or hidden courtyards whenever you like. Wear comfortable shoes, as pavements are often uneven. If you do get tired, it’s much easier than it used to be to navigate the buses of Paris by using the RATP app.
3. As with all big cities, stay alert in crowds and at crossings. Pickpocketing can occur in tourist areas, so keep bags zipped and valuables out of sight, especially near major attractions or on busy metro carriages.
4. Observe etiquette in shops and cafés. Greet staff with a “bonjour” when you enter. Wait to be seated unless signs say otherwise and avoid raising your voice. Most cafés expect you to order at the table rather than at the bar.
5. Check local events. Notice boards at the Jardin du Luxembourg and the Sorbonne often list small concerts, temporary exhibitions, or weekend markets. Ask your hotel or host if there are seasonal events during your stay, and don’t miss my guide to seeing Paris like a local.
6. Use trusted resources. For tickets to museums, opening times, or booking a walking tour, rely on the Paris tourist office website or established travel platforms (ahem, like this one.) This is the best way to get up-to-date details and avoid unreliable sources.
7. If you don’t have a reservation, head out early for dinner. As I was travelling with Baby Lab, now 8, we were heading out at around seven and always found a seat. By 7.30, places were full.
Is the Latin Quarter in Paris Safe?
In short, yes! The Latin Quarter is considered one of the safer areas of Paris, with its lively streets, student cafés and busy boulevards with well-heeled folk. Like anywhere popular with visitors, you’ll want to watch out for pickpockets, especially around metro stations, Notre-Dame, and crowded terraces.
At night, the narrow lanes can feel quieter, but they’re usually filled with students heading to and from bars. Standard city sense applies: keep valuables out of sight, stay alert in crowds, and you’re unlikely to run into trouble.
More About Travel in Paris