Saint Michel

The Saint-Michel district is in the 5th and 6th arrondissements of Paris.  It has an ideal location, it is close to many other famous historic areas of the French capital such as the Latin Quarter and Saint-Germain-des-Prés with its abbey and literary cafés. Place Saint-Michel and its monumental fountain is one of the Parisians' favorite meeting places. It looks over the embankments (quai) of the Seine with its famous booksellers and offers lovely views over Notre-Dame to the East, the Palais de Justice just opposite and The Louvre to the West. The quarter is full of bars and clubs, popular among young people and students from the nearby universities. Its restaurants, bookshops and trendy shops are loved by Parisians and tourists alike. Boulevard Saint-Michel is one of the city’s oldest thoroughfares; beginning at Port-Royal, it runs alongside the Luxembourg Gardens and the Sorbonne, crosses Boulevard Saint-Germain and ends at Saint-Michel Square. If you stretch your journey as far as The Odéon you will see the famous “Le Procope”, one of the oldest restaurants in Paris which opened in 1689 and was a meeting place for artists, intellectuals and revolutionaries.  Down on the embankments the long façade of the Hôtel des Monnaies or Mint is right next to the domed Institut de France, famously the headquarters of the Académie Française and overlooking the Pont des Arts. There are quaint old narrow streets all around where you can wander and discover magnificent seventeenth and eighteenth century mansions. PARISCityVISION offers you a journey through the Saint Michel area on its classic Paris City Tour.