The Left Bank of Paris was traditionally known as the area of scholarly learning, free-thinking, and a more casual bohemian cafe life. All of this can especially be found in the 5th and 6th arrondissements of the city.
5e Arrondissement
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The Quartier Latin (Latin Quarter) was once associated with students studying the classic languages but today is more identified with bustling Greek restaurants, winding bookstores, and tourist gift shops (1996/2020)
I love finding the little bits of ancient Rome scattered throughout France and it all started when I was amazed to stumble upon the Arenes de Lutece, an old Roman amphitheater now a public playground where old French men play a game of boules (1996)
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The Sorbonne, Paris’s ancient university (2003/2004)
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A delightful blending of old design and new architecture on the Institut du monde arabe (Institute of the Arab World) (2003)
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6e Arrondissement
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The fountain at Place St. Michel has become my traditional first spot to come up from the metro for a visit to the city (2011)
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The central lawn of the Jardin du Luxembourg with a view of the palace behind (2003)
The statue ‘L’acteur grec’ beautifully situated at the edge of the garden with a view down to the Pantheon (2003)
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Les Deux Magots, famous as one of the cafes used by entre-guerres writers and thinkers like Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beavoir (2020)
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Paris’s oldest existing church, l’Eglise Saint-Germain-des-Pres, recently refurbished to brilliant color inside (2020)
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An overview of 6th and 5th including the gardens and the Pantheon (2004)