Left Bank :

The Pantheon and Its History
Louis XV vowed to construct a church dedicated to Sainte Geneviève when he recovered from an illness, and he asked the architect Soufflot to draw up the plans for this magnificent edifice. Work on the church began in 1757, but Soufflot died before it was completed in 1789.

Built in the shape of a Greek cross and topped with a lantern, the building is 130 m long, 82 m wide and 83 m high. This sumptuous monument in the neo-classical style (Corinthian columns of the peristyle resembling the Pantheon in Rome) reflect the architecture of the times and its love of greatness.

During the French Revolution the Church of Sainte Geneviève was secularized and became a temple dedicated to great statesmen, as reflected by the bas relief sculpture on the pediment, showing France bestowing crowns of laurel with the inscription ìFrom a grateful motherland to the great men of Franceî.

Mirabeau was the first great man to be buried in the Pantheon, which would also become the tomb of Voltaire and Rousseau. The building was restored to its original purpose for a time before being made definitively a temple in 1885 when Victor Hugo was entombed there. Pierre and Marie Curie were the last to be buried in this highly symbolic monument.

FROM 7am to 9am :

The cyberlatin quarter starts waking up:

an early morning jog from Cluny to Maubert square.

Forty minutes of morning exercise will take you through the Ecoles area, with just enough going on at this time of day, and in front of the Cluny Museum.But wait, itís not over! Continue a few strides up the rue de la Sorbonne. Rue Soufflot, breathe in.

The Pantheon, breath out. Saint Genevieve Church, breathe! Here you are at the top of the hill, overlooking the neighborhood.

Change paces, and discover in the labyrinth of streets the Ecole Polytechnique, Collège de France and Lycée Louis Le Grand.

Your run ends at Maubert square, stretching out before you with an invitation to enjoy a well-earned breakfast.

Know-how and quality: neighborhood bakers :

FROM 9am to noon :

Taste buds, wake up!

Blend in with the neighborhood, stroll through the markets (Censier, Maubert) and discover the shops that cater to the most knowledgeable gourmets:

And all along the rue Saint Jacques:

A detour for your taste buds: the regions of France, wines and gastronomic specialties:

Or just wine:

A traditional bistro, meeting place for intellectuals:

If you would like a drink:

The Latin Quarter, still and always bubbling with life, has opened its doors to cyberspace, but the streets between Guy-Lussac and the rue des Ecoles are still a perfect place to find small bookstores and used books.

Books:

FROM noon to 2pm:

Hungry?

Too late for breakfast, too early for lunch: how about some brunch?

Noon meeting places, to relax and enjoy an ìapéritifî:

12/14 : book your table ! taste seafood:

And spots with a more Parisianî flavor:

Somewhat more conventional:

FROM 2pm to 7pm:

In the heart of the Latin quarter, from medieval novels to the Cluny gardens:

In the heart of the Latin quarter, from medieval novels to the Cluny gardens:In the middle of the Saint Germain district, the new Cluny gardens are both medieval and contemporary. Take a unique walk along the botanical gardens, listening to the comments of experts. They will lead you from the flowers used in tapestries from the Middle Ages (rewoven to match the originals identically) to the museum itself.

Visits of the gardens and museum, workshops for children, concert-conference Saturdays and ìone month, one dayî exhibitions presented on Wednesdays.

Shopping and original gifts:

Clothes creator:

Tour from the Sorbonne to Saint Séverin: preferably by foot, to enjoy all its richness. More restful than the morningís jogging route, this itinerary will take you to the most famous avant-garde cinema: the Champo.

The tour continues on to the place de la Sorbonne, rue Victor Cousin, rue Cujas and a climb to the top of the Pantheonís dome to get an exceptional view of Paris. On up Montagne Sainte Geneviève street and through a labyrinth of steep alleysÖ

Then come the mythical rue de la Huchette and Xavier Privas, Saint Séverin and Boutebrie streets, an area where the aromas of Greek cuisine will tempt your nostrils.And finally, here we are at the Saint Séverin church and the Cluny gardens.


FROM 7pm to 9pm:

The evening is just beginning :

with a dinner

From 9pm until dawn...

A cultural evening in the avant-garde cinemas, or an unforgettable evening in the areaís nightclubs, or perhaps a cosmopolitan eveningÖuntil dawn, so that you wonít miss anything of Latin quarter nightlife.

Cinemas near the Sorbonne:

After the film, the evening can continue in a ìcinematicî atmosphere:

For jazz fans:

To get away from it all, or for a complete change of scene, take a trip through the bars and restaurants:

Then take a cultural-filled stroll if you like...

WALK THROUGH THE GARDENS OF THE 5th DISTRICT (1st PART)
Strolling from the medieval garden of the National Museum of the Middle Ages to the Lutetia arenas, you will pass through Paul Painlevé square with its ìthousand flowers" tapestry, the Auguste Mariette square with its rare species of tree, the Philodendron de líAmour, the Jardin Carré (once part of the Ecole Polytechnique) and Paul Langevin square with its pretty fountain.

WALK THROUGH THE GARDENS OF THE 5th DISTRICT (2nd PART)
Starting in Saint Médard square, once a cemetery where miracles were performed on the tomb of François de Pâris by his followers, and ending at the Paris Mosque with its Spanish-Moorish gardens, this stroll through the discreet charms of the 5th district will lead to the discovery of little known gardens such as Scipion square, the square on Poliveau street and Robert Montagne square.

THE MEDIEVAL GARDEN AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE MIDDLE AGES
At the intersection of Saint Michel and Saint Germain boulevards, an entirely renovated garden provides a natural introduction to the museum of the Middle Ages. It includes a vegetable garden, ìsingleî flower beds and ìa thousand flowersî tapestries in a walled garden along with modern interpretations of writings and objects from the medieval period, including the famous ìThe Lady and the Unicornî tapestry. At the end of visit you ñand your tour guideócan identify many of the plants in the garden on the superb ìthousand flowersî tapestries exhibited in the museum, including the ìVie Seigneurialeî and ìThe Lady and the Unicornî tapestries.

THE LUXEMBOURG GARDENS
Playgrounds and above all the puppet Guignol.
Between Guyemer street and Saint Michel Boulevard, in the 6th district of Paris.
75006 Paris

THE MENAGERIE OF THE JARDIN DES PLANTES
National Museum of Natural History
57, rue Cuvier
75005 Paris

PONT SULLY ñ 1874/1876
The interesting aspect of this construction is that it is made up of two autonomous metal bridges both ending at the tip of the Saint Louis island. The right-bank bridge spanning the smaller arm of the Seine has a 42 m central iron arch and two 15 m side masonry arches (vaulted arches). The left-bank bridge spanning the larger arm has three iron arches measuring 46 m, 49 m and 46 m.

FONTAINE SAINT SULPICE
Place Saint Sulpice
75006 Paris

FONTAINE SAINT GERMAIN
Place du Québec
75006 Paris
The fountain represents the explosion of the square, lifted up the force of the water.

CHURCH OF SAINT SEVERIN
1, rue des Prêtres Saint Séverin
75005 Paris
Tel : 01.42.34.93.50
Fax : 01.42.34.93.60
Construction begun in the 12th century.
Note the gate, the famous palm-branch vaults and the stained-glass windows

CHURCH OF SAINT SULPICE
Church founded by the Saint Germain des Près abbey.
The great Delacroix frescoes are found here.

CHURCH OF SAINT ETIENNE DU MONT
Place du Panthéon
75005 Paris
Tel : 01.43.54.11.39
Fax : 01.43.25.38.49
This church, built in the 15th century, is the only one in Paris with a rood-screen.
It also holds the tomb of Sainte Geneviève.

CHURCH OF SAINT GERMAIN DES PRES
3, place Saint Germain des Près
75006 Paris
Tel : 01.43.25.41.71
Fax : 01.46.3315.05
The oldest Romanesque abbey church in Paris.

PANTHEON
Place du Panthéon
75005 paris
Tel : 01.44.32.18.00
Fax : 01.44.70.32.23
A masterpiece designed by Soufflot (1712-1780). Once a church, the Pantheon was designated a mausoleum for the ìgreat men of Franceî during the Revolution. Among those entombed in the Pantheon are Voltaire, Rousseau, Hugo, Zola, Jaurès, Moulin and Malraux.Visits of the nave, upper levels and crypt. Permanent exhibits: Foucaultís clock, exhibits from Voltaire to Malraux.

MUSEUM OF NOTRE DAME DE PARIS CATHEDRAL
Tel : 01.43.25.42.92
History of the cathedral and life on the Ile de la Cité since the time of Lutetia, illustrated by objects found in the archeological crypt.

THE ARCHEOLOGICAL CRYPT BENEATH NOTRE DAME SQUARE
Tel : 01.43.29.83.51
The largest archeological crypt in Europe is located beneath the square in front of Notre Dame Cathedral. This crypt contains foundations and vestiges of buildings constructed between the Gallo-Roman era and the 17th century. Dioramas and models illustrate the origins of Paris.

INSTITUT DE FRANCE
23, quai Conti
75006 Paris
Tel : 01.44.41.44.41
Fax : 01.44.41.43.41
The Institut de France encourages the Arts, Literature and Science. It includes five learned societies: the Académie Française (1635); Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres (1663); Sciences (1666); Beaux-Arts (1816) and Sciences Morales et Politiques (1795). The Academy of Beaux-Arts is in fact the result of the union between the painting and sculpture academy (founded in 1648) and the architecture academy (founded by Colbert in 1671), while the Academy of ìSciences Morales et Politiquesî, indeed founded in 1795, was eradicated in 1803 and reestablished in 1832.

NOTRE DAME DE PARIS
6, place du Parvis de Notre Dame
75004 Paris
tel : 01.42.34.56.10
Fax : 01.40.51.70.98
Notre Dame Cathedral, a masterpiece of gothic art designed by Maurice de Sully, was constructed between the 12th and 14th centuries (1163-1345) and restored by Viollet le Duc in the 19th century.Distances on French roads are calculated from the ì0 kmî point in Notre Dame square.

LUTETIA AMPHITHEATER
47, rue Monge
75005 Paris
The only vestiges of the Gallo-Roman visible in Paris, aside from the Cluny Thermes.Constructed between the 1st and 2nd century. The emplacements of the circus and theater are visible.

MIDDLE AGES ñ THERMES DE CLUNY
6, place du Painlevé
75005 Paris
Tel : 01.53.73.78.16
Fax : 01.46.34.51.75
Travel through nearly 15 centuries of history, from Gallo-Roman times to the 15th century. The museum includes vestiges of the Lutetia baths (thermae) of the 2nd century. Collection of embroideries, tapestries (The Lady and the Unicorn), sculptures, etc.

CENTRE DE LA MER ET DES EAUX
Institut Océanographique
195, rue Saint Jacques
75005 Paris
Tel : 01.44.32.10.90/94
Fax : 01.40.51.73.16
Discover the ocean world. Exhibits, presentations, models, reconstitution of underwater seascapes, interactive exhibits and audiovisual aids.

MUSEUM OF THE ARABE INSTITUTE
Institut du Monde Arabe
1, rue des Fossés Saint Bernard
75005 Paris
Tel : 01.40.51.38.38
Fax : 01.43.54.76.45
Built in 1987 by Jean Nouvel and Architecture Studio, this museum is devoted to Arab and Islamic art and civilization from their origins to the present day. Numerous art objects, calligraphy from the Koran, miniatures.

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
Jardin des Plantes
57, rue Cuvier
75005 Paris
Tel : 04.40.79.30.00
Fax : 01.40.79.34.84
The Royal Garden of medicinal plants created in 1635 became the Museum of Natural History in 1793.The museum includes: the Mineralogy and Paleo-botanic gallery, the Entomology gallery (currently closed to the public), the tropical greenhouses, Alpine garden and menagerie.The museum also includes the Grand Gallery of Evolution.
Tel: +33 1.40.793.39.39
This gallery, reopened in 1994 after a complete renovation of the former Zoology Gallery (closed for nearly 30 years), presents the history of life, mechanisms of evolution and links between man and nature. Specimens of endangered and extinct species.

EUGENE DELACROIX NATIONAL MUSEUM
6, rue de Furstenberg
75006 Paris
Paintings, drawings, watercolors, pastels, sketches and preliminary studies presented in the artistís apartment-studio, along with letters and photographs of his family and friends.

Right Bank

Musée du Louvre:
75058 Paris cedex 01
01.40.20.53.17
Collections from Western civilization (from the Middle Ages to 1848) and from the civilizations that preceded and influenced it are presented in this former royal palace. The museum has seven departments: Oriental, Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities, Paintings, Sculpture, Objets díart and Drawings and Prints. The museum also has a section devoted to the history of the Louvre itself and galleries that exhibit art from Africa, Asia, the Pacific Islands and North and South America.

La Tour Eiffel:
This 317-meter high monument weighs 10,100 tons. Built by Gustave Eiffel to be the star of the Worldís Fair, it has both fans and detractors. It is in any case the worldís most well-known monument

Les Champs Elysées:
The famous Champs Elysées avenue. At the top of the avenue, in the middle of the Place de líEtoile, is the Arc de Triomphe, built in memory of Napoleonís Grand Army.

Arc de Triomphe:
Symbol of the Napoleon epic. Admirable view of Paris: in the foreground the twelve large Parisian avenues reaching out in a star-shape.

La Place de la Concorde:
In this unique square, continually embellished since it was first laid out, the landscape architect has created a natural space in which the statue of the king on horseback is surrounded by other statues (created by Pigalle) symbolizing Peace, Justice, Strength and Prudence.