The Latin Quarter can be termed as Paris’s historic center for learning, artistic achievement, and scholarship. There are a lot of mysteries surrounding it as well, so you must visit the neighborhood during your private tours Paris. Below is a list of must-explore places in the Latin Quarter.
Saint-Michel District and Seine-Side Quays
The easiest way to get to the Latin Quarter is through the region that surrounds the Metro, Saint-Michel. You could start exploring the region by taking a walk across the Quai Saint-Michel. This beautiful region is located near the banks of the Seine River. You would be able to find a beautiful fountain-statue of the Saint-Michael smiting Satan in the public square of the Place Saint-Michel. You would be able to easily get to this place through the RER C or Metro line 4 to the Saint-Michel Station.
While traveling through this region, it is always best to keep away from some regions like Rue de la Harpe, as there would be a lot of overpriced items and middling restaurants at this place. Nevertheless, there are also some awesome places in the Latin Quarter too, that are well worth your time. The Rue St-Andre-des-Arts, for instance, is an amazing place filled with antiquarian dealers, cute cafés, and rare booksellers. At the same time, the place Rue Hautefeuille is popular for its Mk2 Hautefeuille art house cinema.
Shakespeare & Company Bookshop
The Latin Quarter as a whole seems like an awesome dream-come-true place for a book lover. You would be able to find open-air booksellers near the Seine with their well-crafted green metal stalls. In addition to this, you would be able to get an interesting collection of books at the Gibert Joseph and Gibert Jeune bookshops in Saint-Michel, which look really attractive with their bright and beautiful orange-yellow signs.
The Shakespeare & Company bookshop is located near the banks of the River Seine facing the Notre-Dame Cathedral. This wonderful bookstore was opened in 1951 by an experienced Parisian named George Whitman. His daughter is the one managing this store now.
The store had the name “Le Mistral” when it was first opened. Whitman changed the name to Shakespeare & Company in 1964 as a token of respect to the original S&Co that was opened in 1919 near the Sylvia Beach. Today, this wonderful shop is renowned for publishing and welcoming new authors as well. You would be able to find this shop at 37 Rue de la Bûcherie in the 5th arrondissement.
If you are planning to visit this store, always come by early morning so as to steer clear of the crowds. This would be the perfect time for you to browse the uneven shelves for the classic and modern titles. This spectacular shop also organizes interviews with great writers and hosts many workshops for the bibliophiles. They also conduct events for poets and writers at the top floor of the building, which make is a must-visit place for all book enthusiasts.
The Old Sorbonne University
This prestigious university was opened during 1257 and is regarded as an essential part of Paris’s medieval universities. The Latin Quarter of Paris got its name from this institution because most of the theology students, monks, and the religious people, who inhibited the then-Christian institution, used only Latin for their works. This is the same reason why the neighborhood retains a true air of prestige and reputation of the institute. However, only the faculty and students are allowed inside the establishment.
Nevertheless, you would be able to enter the institute if you organize your tour to this place with a group of enough people way ahead of time. This would really be worth the effort, because by doing so, you would be able to witness the mystifying interiors of one of the most historic universities in Europe.
The university frequently arranges group visits to the place with each group containing 10 to 30 people. This guided Paris tour to the campus would last for about 90 minutes. You would be able to get the appointment from Monday to Friday. Note that even though the tour information page online is in English, all the tours to this place are presented in French. Hence, it is important for you to go with a private tours Paris guide for translation, in case you do not understand French.
The tour would be really valuable and meaningful even if you were unable to take an interpreter with you, because you would surely enjoy the building’s grandeur; you can take some beautiful pictures too. The guided tours to Sorbonne University are priced at 15 Euros for adults and 7 Euros for students and big families. Remember, booking in advance is necessary to take the tour.