Celebrated as Paris’ most “Parisian” district, Saint Germain des Prés has been a hub for artists and intellectuals of all genres for decades. Painters, singers, writers, poets, students of the Ecole des Beaux Arts, créateurs and fashionistas alike flocked to St. Germain to work, study, play, to be inspired, to see and be seen. And no wonder – this part of the Latin Quarter is still as exciting as it ever was, as throes of visitors on any given day will attest.
These are Hemingway’s old stomping grounds, where he hung out with the likes of Gertrude Stein, Picasso, Modigliani and Ezra Pound; where Colette, Sartre, Marcel Proust, T.S. Eliot, James Joyce, Juliette Greco and Léo Ferré were familiar faces. Even today the narrow streets of this bohemian paradise lure celebrities likes moths to light. Just walk past Café de Flore some evening and look around!
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| Simone de Beauvoir in St. Germain des Prés. |
The streets are overflowing with boutiques, galleries, cafés, bars and restaurants and people everywhere! So it will come as no surprise that strolling through this particular neighborhood creates an irrepressible desire to plant oneself somewhere - preferably outside - with a coffee or an apéritif to watch the people go by… it’s fascinating! One of my fondest memories arriving in France for the first time as a college student is sitting for hours on the sidewalk terrace of Les Deux Magots sipping café au lait in an altered state of jet lag and culture shock (of the best kind), fervently jotting down my first impressions of the incredibly cool and vibrant cosmos I had just landed upon.
Dynamic, hip and fun, St. Germain is the place to be in Paris, no matter what time of year, but Fall is actually a fabulous time to go – vacations are over, businesses have reopened, and the tourists have retreated from whence they came. The air is crisp, offering ample incentive for an extra layer of clothes and something delicious to feast upon to warm the soul! So we thought we’d take a little virtual stroll around the neighborhood and feed our bohemian souls...
Boulevard St. Germain:
Les Deux Magots
6 place Saint-Germain-des-Prés
75006 Paris
01 45 48 55 25
This “café litteraire” made famous by many of the world's greatest artists is where celebrities and neo-intellectuals convene, and where waiters dressed in black and white serve up cocktails, coffee and pots of hot chocolate still made à l’ancienne with chocolate bars in hot steaming milk!
Café de Fore
172 bd. Saint Germain-des-Prés
75006 Paris
01 45 48 55 26
Synonymous with the Boulevard St. Germain, the Flore presumably owes its name to a sculpture of the goddess Flore that stood across the street. The place to be seen in Paris, this café is frequented by the cultural elite of Paris – intellectuals, artists, filmmakers, editors… in short “les People” (stars) of the French capitale. A must see!
Brasserie Lipp
151 Boulevard St Germain
75006 Paris
01 45 48 53 91
World famous restaurant of Alsatian origins, Brasserie Lipp has been serving France’s cultural and political elite for 120 years. Some call the Lipp a subsidiary of the Chambres des Députés! While you sit back on your “banquette” and peruse the menu, who knows, maybe you'll find yourself right next to BHL (Bernard-Henri Levy), Fabrice Luccini, Jean Paul Gaultier, Sophia Coppola, or Johnny Depp!
In the neighborhood:
Le Bar du Marche
75 rue de Seine
75006 Paris
01 43 26 55 15
Locals refer to this bohemian hangout simply as “le BDM”. They might mingle here with Charlotte Gainsbourg and the crew from Canal Plus. You’ll find the best Croque Monsieurs in town made with “pain Poilane” – maybe one of the best slices of bread you will ever taste from nearby, famous boulangerie “ Poilâne” (at 8 rue du Cherche-Midi).
L'Ecole des Beaux Arts
4 Rue Bonaparte
75006 Paris
01 55 04 56 97
Paris’ distinguished school of fine arts is worth a visit. The buildings and gardens ramble between rue Bonaparte and Quai Malaquais. The oldest part of the building, a chapel, dates from the early 1600's. This is also the location of the very first French museum, installed during the French Revolution.
L'Alcazar
62, rue Mazarine
75006 Paris
01 53 10 19 99
For a more modern experience, you might stop by the Alcazar. Decorated by Terence Conran, this restaurant/bar/lounge with its slick decor and skylight roof, might make you think more of London than the Rive Gauche, but the food is 100% French. The Mezzanine bar is also famed for its DJ, so don’t forget your dancing shoes!
La Durée
21 rue Bonaparte
75006 Paris
01 44 07 64 87
For hot chocolate and pistachio macaroons!
Le Bar la Palette
43 rue de Seine
78006 Paris
01 43 26 68 15
Another rendezvous for artists, intellectuals and students from the “beaux arts”...
So there's a start. Enjoy. Bon voyage, bonne proménade and bon appétit!!
Be sure and tell us your favorites in the Quartier Latin for our next rendezvous...
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