Saint-Germain-des-Prés is one of the most elegant neighborhoods in Paris. Known for its intellectual residents, its galleries, antique shops, luxury boutiques, publishing houses and classy hotels.
It is here that the famous boulevard with the same name is located: the Boulevard de Saint Germain.
This neighborhood of Paris is located on the left bank of the Seine River, a few blocks from the also famous Latin Quarter.
What to see in Saint Germain
You can come for a walk in Saint-Germain-des-Prés without any plans and it will be a pleasant walk.
Through the streets of the neighborhood, walking along the sidewalks of its elegant 17th century buildings, you will find Parisians and visitors entering its shops, visiting galleries and museums or simply sitting on the terraces of its cafes enjoying a sunny day or watching the rain. fall through the glass.
Famous cafes in paris
In Saint-Germain-des-Prés there are two historic Parisian cafes that you have probably already seen in a photo of the city, the Café des Deux Magots and the Café de Flore.
In past decades these two establishments were frequented by intellectuals such as Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir and Samuel Becket. Today you can have breakfast in the same room where these historical figures used to, and with overall good reviews of the quality and service. Of course, there is usually a bit of a wait to find a table in both.
Saint -Germain-des-Prés is also home to the historic École des Beaux-Arts , the most prestigious art academy at the beginning of the last century and whose former students included Delacroix, Degas, Monet and Renoir, among others.
Cour du Commerce Saint-André
The Cour du Commerce Saint-André is a small hidden place at 130 Boulevard de Saint-Germain. It is a pedestrian walkway with shops and restaurants that you enter through an arched portal, which takes you to the Paris of the past, with its ancient cobblestone streets.
Here you can visit Café Le Procope , said to be the oldest café in France , founded in 1686 and which throughout its history has had such important clients as Danton, Balzac, Rousseau, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.
Saint Sulpice
Saint Sulpice Church, which hosts organ concerts, is also in this neighborhood, as are several galleries specializing in 19th and 20th-century photography, engravings, and paintings.
Saint Sulpice is known for having been the setting for Dan Brown’s book and film “The Da Vinci Code” in Paris.
It is also here that you can visit one of the oldest churches in Paris , the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Germain Des Prés , dating from the 6th century and where Descartes is buried. During the French Revolution it was almost completely destroyed.
jazz in paris
In this neighborhood are some of the most famous places to listen to jazz in Paris.
