Latin Quarter - Paris - page 449

Curling up with a volume of poetry in the magical bookshop Shakespeare & Company .
Paying homage to France's greatest thinkers buried beneath the neoclassical Panthéon .
Explore: Latin Quarter
The centre of Parisian higher education since the Middle Ages, the Latin Quarter takes its
name from the classical language spoken here by students and professors until the French
Revolution. A serene spot to begin the day is in the botanic gardens, the Jardin des Plantes,
before sipping sweet mint tea in the Mosquée de Paris or strolling through the engaging
Arab World Institute.
But there's no better strip to see, smell and taste the Latin Quarter than the thriving mar-
ket street rue Mouffetard, so it's worth combining a flit from food stall to fabulous food
shop with lunch at one of the restaurants utilising its produce (skip it on Mondays, when the
market stalls are shut).
After admiring the Panthéon's vast interior, the hollow of the afternoon is a contemplative
time to meander through the Musée National du Moyen Âge for the ultimate medieval his-
tory lesson.
After dinner at a local bistro, head down into a medieval cellar (many used as Revolution-
ary prisons) for live jazz and jam sessions, or join the area's students in the quarter's lively
pubs.
Local Life
Sports Join the locals playing boules and football in the 2nd-century Roman amphi-
theatre Arènes de Lutèce .
Academia Clink drinks during extended Latin Quarter happy hours and there will almost
certainly be a student or academic affiliated with the Sorbonne sitting next to you.
Cinema With at least 13 independent theatres, the Latin Quarter officially qualifies as
paradise for film buffs.