Tucked alongside the Rive Gauche (Left Bank) of the Seine, Paris’ Fifth Arrondissement is home to the quaint Latin Quarter. Laced with winding cobbled streets dotted with whimsical bookshops and ancient landmarks, mind-food museums and heaving jazz bars, this bohemian hive of history and literature inspired great minds like Ernest Hemingway, Scott Fitzgerald and Gertrude Stein. If you’re looking at Paris neighbourhoods and where to stay, read on to discover our favourite places to visit, eat, drink and shop near Le Jardin de Verre by Locke.
Visit landmarks in Paris’ Latin Quarter
Stumble across hidden ancient ruins at Arènes de Lutèce
3-minute walk
Constructed in the first century AD, this amphitheatre once seated 15,000 people for gladiator battles and is among Paris’ most important ancient Roman remains. Even many Parisians have never heard of it, which is great if you’re looking for a quiet spot to be alone with your thoughts.
Discover a who’s-who of French history at the Panthéon
12-minute walk
Originally built as a church and modeled after the Pantheon in Rome, this architectural marvel is the final resting place of some of France’s best-loved heroes – including Victor Hugo, Alexandre Dumas, Marie Curie, Louis Braille, Josephine Baker, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Voltaire.
Visit one of the oldest churches in Paris
16-minute walk
Rebuilt in the 12th century on the ruins of a church destroyed by the Normans in the 9th century, Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre Church is named after a guy who accidentally killed his parents after being told he would by a deer. Even better, it houses a bas-relief depicting the tale.
Admire gothic architecture in all its glory
18-minute walk
If you’re a fan of flamboyant gothic architecture and kaleidoscopic stained glass windows, the Roman Catholic Church of Saint-Severin delivers. Fun fact: Saint-Severin’s gargoyles are much older than those on Notre Dame (which were replaced in the nineteenth century).
Arènes de Lutèce
Stroll through parks in in Paris’ Latin Quarter
Get inspired at Jardin des Plantes
6-minute walk
For the green-fingered (actual or aspiring), this is a bona fide botanical haven. Originally created in the seventeenth century as a home for species with therapeutic properties, today’s iteration features 4,500 different plants across its many gardens and greenhouses.
Explore Jardin du Luxembourg
17-minute walk
Inspired by Florence’ Boboli Gardens, this impressive 25-hectare park features French and English formal gardens, the monumental Medici fountain, the Orangerie and the Pavillon Davioud, plus a forest, a huge pond, an orchard, greenhouses and no fewer than 106 statues.
Check out museums in Paris’ Latin Quarter
Be a big kid at the Natural History Museum
5-minute walk
This collection of museums houses thousands of botanical, zoological, paleontological and mineralogical specimens in interactive exhibitions that make you truly appreciate the beauty and diversity of nature. A great way to while away a rainy afternoon and rediscover your inner child.
Pay homage to a scientific legend at Musée Curie
11-minute walk
As the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person to win two Nobel Prizes, the first woman to become a professor at the Sorbonne, and one of only two women to be entombed in the Pantheon, it seems fair Marie Curie gets a dedicated museum. Visit the building where she made her discoveries about radioactivity to learn more about her extraordinary career.
Step back in time at the Musée de Cluny
16-minute walk
This museum of the middle ages is well worth a visit. Discover a stunning collection of tapestries – including the world-famous La Dame a la Licorne (The Lady and the Unicorn) – along with ancient Roman-Gallo baths, Gothic ivories, sculptures, artwork and stained glass windows.
Musée Curie
Where to go out in Paris’ Latin Quarter
Experience the cabaret at Paradis Latin
9-minute walk
Supposedly founded by Napoleon in 1802, then re-designed by Gustave Eiffel in 1889, Paradis Latin is proudly the oldest cabaret in Paris. Although retaining its classic Parisian roots, today’s show is thoroughly modern. A menu by Michelin-star chef Guy Savoy seals the deal.
Be transported to a bygone era at Le Caveau de la Huchette
19-minute walk
The setting of Ryan Gosling’s heart-wrenching piano solo in La La Land, this cavernous club has hosted legendary musicians like Lionel Hampton, Count Basie, Art Blakey, and Claude Bolling. Enjoy lively sets from a roster of big band and jazz acts – good for a dance.
Where to shop in Paris’ Latin Quarter
Pick up cooking ingredients at Marché Monge
3-minute walk
Every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, the Place Monge comes to life with one of the best food markets in Paris. The perfect place to pick up fresh produce if you’re cooking for yourself, or you can also buy ready-to-eat meals and browse clothes and jewellery.
Grab a walking picnic on Rue Mouffetard
7-minute walk
Held on one of the city’s oldest streets is one of its loveliest street markets. Tables overflowing with charcuterie, patés, seafood, cheeses, baguettes and sticky patisseries are a feast for the eyes and the stomach. Top tip: Most traders break for lunch, so arrive early to avoid missing out.
Join literary greats at Shakespeare and Company
17-minute walk
With dark wood interiors, low-hanging lanterns and charming clutter, this iconic English-language bookstore is famously a bohemian hangout for writers and book lovers – including Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot, F. Scott Fitzgerald and James Joyce.
Shop second-hand at The Abbey Bookshop
19-minute walk
If you can’t be bothered to queue at Shakespeare and Company, head to this less well-known gem. Tucked down a passage a stone’s throw from Notre Dame, it’s crammed with local stories, classic novels, poems, world history, travel writing and anything else you can imagine.
Where to eat and drink in Paris’ Latin Quarter
This area of the city is fit to burst with tasty eats, but you’ll need to tread carefully to avoid the tourist traps on Rue de la Huchette and low-brow student hangouts clustered in the streets around the Place de Contrescarpe. Check out our city guide for some great (pre-vetted) local options.
Where to stay in the Latin Quarter, Paris
Whether you're in town for a weekend or a month, Le Jardin de Verre by Locke is the perfect base. Set in the heart of Paris’s Latin Quarter, this converted Baroque mansion house is now a chic boutique hotel featuring 145 serviced apartments, restaurant, cocktail bar, two stunning courtyards and a gym. What more could you need?
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