The JB Walking Tour of Paris
This weekend, I’m hosting my dear friend Jenny from the US. I want to show her some of my favorite places in Paris, so I’m calling it ‘the JB Walking Tour of Paris’. (Throughout my adult life people have called me ‘JB’, including Jenny.) So I thought, since I’ll be busy showing her around, this could be the theme of this week’s newsletter.
The Latin Quarter
God, I love this neighborhood. Any time I’m walking around the winding cobblestone streets, I can feel the history oozing out of the building walls. It’s as though the spirits of the artists, writers, and intellectuals who roamed these petits rues for hundreds of years are still among us today.
The Latin Quarter is a blend of the 5th and 6th arrondissements of Paris and features some of the oldest parts of the city. Until now, I never thought about why it’s called the Latin Quarter. But it actually refers to a.) Paris’ academic institutions, including the Sorbonne, being located in the 5th and 6th arrondissements, were scholars lived and studied, and b.) Latin being the language spoken among these scholars during the Middle Ages. So, the Latin Quarter.
If I had to choose the best places to show someone around in this area, this is where I’d begin. Note: some of these highlights are places I’ve written about before, so they have links.
Allons-y! (Let’s go!)
The 5th arrondissement
Rue Mouffetard - I used to live on Rue Mouffetard when I first arrived here in 2022. It’s one of the oldest streets that still has the remnants of centuries past. It features restaurants, little shops, several good bakeries, and places to get a good cup of coffee.
Arènes de Lutèce - we know Paris is old, but back when construction workers were tearing up the area to build a tramway line, they happened upon this old Gallo-Roman arena. This is a little gem in the heart of the 5th arrondissement, just off Rue Monge.
Marché Monge - if you’re in the 5th arrondissement on a Wednesday, Friday or Sunday, you have to stop by this place. You can get your fruit, veg, fresh meat, pates, artisan breads, fish — you name it.
Pharmacie Monge - have you heard about French pharmacies? They’re not just for filling prescriptions! Depending on which one you go to, you can discover a world of skincare that you never believed could exist. This one is clearly on some best-of lists because *every* time I’m in there, there are visitors from Korea and China buying things up like crazy. In fact, they have Chinese and Korean speakers on staff!
Cafés galore - I’ll tell you about a few of my favorites. First is Café d’Avant at 35 rue Claude Bernard. It’s nothing fancy; wooden tables and chairs, big picture windows looking onto a pedestrian streetlet and a great ambiance. This is where the real Parisians hang out, whether to grab a morning coffee or lunch. Then there’s L’Enclos de Ninon, which is hiding behind Place de la Contrascarpe on 68 Rue du Cardinal Lemoine. They have great coffee and cake and at lunchtime they have a little menu of hot food to choose from.
The 6th arrondissement
This neighborhood is home to the old artists, writers, intellectuals and bohemians. My quickie tour of this area would have to include the following:
Jardin du Luxembourg - technically it’s a privately-owned park but the Sénat has made it public to all. This is a lovely place for people-watching, reading your book or newspaper, or going for a lazy walk.
The Red Wheelbarrow bookstore - this terrific English-language bookstore is located on Rue du Medicis across from the northern gate of the Jardin du Luxembourg. It’s a great opportunity to support a local business and to pick up a novel to read in the park!
Rue de Fleurus - this is where Gertrude Stein used to live with her partner Alice B. Toklas. Stein held salons at their apartment and cavorted with and supported the works of Georges Braque, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Henri Matisse, and Pablo Picasso. She had a keen eye for art and acquired pieces that would be worth many millions of dollars today. You can read a very interesting BBC article about Stein and Toklas here.
Patisserie Viennoise - let’s say it’s mid-afternoon and you’re looking for a place to chill out for an hour…maybe with something sweet. THIS is the place to go. It’s about a 10-minute walk from the Jardin du Luxembourg, tucked away on a side street off of Boulevard St Michel. It feels as though it hasn’t been updated since 1928 — when it was first opened — with wooden tables and chairs and a very cozy local vibe. Address: 8, rue de l'Ecole-de-Médecine.
The entire area of Odéon and St-Germain-des-Prés - this is heaven for wanderers. It features winding little streets with fantastic little shops and restaurants. Very, very old buildings live here and it’s absolutely delightful. St-Germain-des-Pres is highlighted by a boulevard and 6th century church of the same name, while Odéon is the area between that boulevard and the Jardin du Luxembourg. Both of these areas also have tons of cinemas and bookstores to choose from, which speaks to their artistic and creative vibes.
Rue Jacob and Le Pré aux Clercs restaurant - do you know who Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg were? They used to live near this area, and when they split, Birkin took an apartment on rue Jacob. I love this street because it’s quite long and takes you right through an old, classic area of Paris. When I came to Paris in 2022, I discovered Le Pré aux Clercs and decided to go there for a meal. It has a very warm atmosphere and their menu is pretty standard French brasserie food. Located on 30 Rue Bonaparte, just off Rue Jacob.
Well, that’s a wrap of the JB Walking Tour of Paris, the short version anyway.
Bon week-end!
Nice armchair tour for me. Hope you and Jenny have a good weekend.
Loved reading this, JB!😂 Can’t wait to come back and experience tour faves! Enjoy your time with your friend Jenny!