Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris
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Saint Germain des Pres - by Rosario Houdini on Google
Description
Saint-Germain-des-Prés is one of Paris' most famous and defining neighbourhoods, in the 6th arrondissement, directly across the Seine from the Louvre Museum. To the south, it extends just over Bd Saint Germain until rue du Four. The area was a marketplace in the Middle Ages with an Abbaye built in the 6th century that took its eventual name of Saint-Germain in the 8th century; it was mostly open fields ("prés" in French) until the 17th century when the then Queen of France built a residence there. The first cafe in the city opened here in the late 17th century and the Comédie-Française, a theatrical troupe, moved there. Since then, the neighbourhood has been well known for being an artist and writers haunt with several theatres and publishing companies established there. Several cafés such as Brasserie Lipp, Les Deux Magots or Café de Flore became famous as a gathering place for artists, intellectuals (Sartre, de Beauvoir, Boris Vian, etc.), actors, singers and musicians.
Access & Transport
The métro station Saint-Germain-des Prés (4) is in the center of the neighbourhood with Mabillon (10), Saint Sulpice (4) and Odéon (4, 10) on the edges. By bus, there are stops along Bd Saint-Germain.
Instructions & Recommendations
Plan on spending a couple of hours in the neighbourhood if you get interested in its history. Take a look at the church, have a break or lunch in one of the cafés and, if you like classical paintings, there is the Delacroix Museum. From there, it is a 10-15mins walk to the Luxembourg Garden, the Latin Quarter or the Orsay Museum.
Environmental & Social
Urban setting with little green spaces. Neutral from a social perspective
Conclusion
In our opinion, the Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighbourhood is quintessentially Parisian - it is what people have in mind when they think of living in the city with its cafés and surrounding culture and history. It is not always perfect and beautiful though, it is after all a city - but we think it really captures the essence of Paris, or at least that of its intellectual life until the advent of mass media and the internet.
Key positive
Variety of options: cafés, bookstores, theatres, old buildings and churches, museum, shops
Key negative
No unmissable monument or definite tourist highlight
Some of the cafés are relying too much on their fame
Suitability
Accessibility for visitors with reduced mobility depends on each store and the area is not entirely flat
About this Rating
TYPE
Desktop
RESEARCHED IN
May 2024
PROVIDER
Koreval
av. transport time:0h 25m
est. visit time:1h 30m
Sunrise / early morningNo
MorningOk
Lunch timeOk
AfternoonOk
Sunset / eveningOk
Night – bef. midnightOk
Night – aft. midnightNo