Tour · 6 stops · ~90 min walking
Saint-Germain in 90 minutes
The 6th, tightly.
A dense walking loop through the densest tourist arrondissement in Paris — the oldest church in the city, the largest fountain in the city, the gardens of the French Senate, and a 17th-century covered passage that still smells of rotisserie chicken. About 2 km.
Through the6e · Saint-Germain-des-Prés
1Saint-Germain-des-Prés
The oldest church in Paris — first built 543, mostly rebuilt 990–1014 in Romanesque style. The sole surviving Romanesque tower in the city; the bells inside are 12th-century and still ring. The interior was repainted in vivid colour in a 2018–2021 restoration.
Free entry. Walk to the apse (back) for the painted ceiling — the central blue-and-gold roof is the restored medieval colouring. Mass on Sundays at 11; the choir is one of the best in central Paris. Outside, Café de Flore is across the boulevard.
From Wikipedia›
Saint-Germain-des-Prés is one of the four administrative quarters of the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France, located around the church of the former Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Its official borders are the River Seine on the north, the rue des Saints-Pères on the west, between the rue de Seine and rue Mazarine on the east, and the rue du Four on the south. Residents of the quarter are known as Germanopratins. It forms part of the Latin Quarter.
Read more on Wikipedia →Verified nearby ·Musée national Eugène-Delacroix2 minHôtel des Marronniers3 min
→Walk south on Rue Bonaparte. After 5 min you'll arrive at Place Saint-Sulpice. The Pierre Hermé boutique (Sweet Paris stop) is en route at no. 72.
48.85400, 2.33430
2Place Saint-Sulpice
Dominated by the unfinished towers of the Église Saint-Sulpice — second-largest church in Paris after Notre-Dame, begun 1646, never quite completed. The fountain in the centre (1844) features four bishop-orators of the Ancien Régime, none of them ever actually cardinals — hence the local nickname "Fontaine des Quatre-Points-Cardinaux" ("never cardinals").
Inside the church (free), the gnomon — a brass meridian line — runs across the south transept floor; sunlight strikes it at noon, marking the day of the year. Used by Voltaire and Diderot for measurements; the Da Vinci Code made it briefly famous to the wrong audience.
From Wikipedia›
The Place Saint-Sulpice is a large public square, dominated on its eastern side by the Church of Saint-Sulpice. It was built in 1754 as a tranquil garden in the Latin Quarter of the 6th arrondissement of Paris.
Read more on Wikipedia →Verified nearby ·Tiger Bar2 min
→Walk south down Rue Férou (the small street starting at the south side of the square). After 3 min you'll be at the entrance to the Jardin du Luxembourg.
48.85130, 2.33400
3Jardin du Luxembourg
The garden of the French Senate, opened to the public 1612. 23 hectares with a central octagonal fountain, sailboat pond (the wooden boats can be rented for €4), beehives, an orchard with 1,000+ apple varieties, and the Marie de Médicis fountain (1630, statuary of Polyphemus surprising the lovers).
Enter from the north (Rue de Vaugirard side). Walk to the central fountain first — children with rented sailboats every weekend. The Médicis fountain is in a small alleyway off the east side, almost always missed; one of the most romantic spots in central Paris.
From Wikipedia›
The Jardin du Luxembourg, known in English as the Luxembourg Garden, colloquially referred to as the Jardin du Sénat, is located in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France. The creation of the garden began in 1612 when Marie de' Medici, the widow of King Henry IV, constructed the Luxembourg Palace as her new residence. The garden today is owned by the French Senate, which meets in the palace. It covers 23 hectares and is known for its lawns, tree-lined promenades, tennis courts, flowerbeds, model sailboats on its octagonal Grand Bassin, as well as the picturesque Medici Fountain, built in 1620. The name Luxembourg comes from the Latin Mons Lucotitius, the name of the hill where the garden is located, and locally the garden is informally called "le Luco".
Read more on Wikipedia →Verified nearby ·The Red Wheelbarrow Bookstore3 min
→Exit at the north-east corner (Rue de Médicis side). Walk one block north on Rue Rotrou — Place de l'Odéon is right there.
48.84830, 2.33730
4Place de l'Odéon
Semicircular square in front of the Théâtre de l'Odéon (1782), one of the oldest theatres in Paris. The square was conceived as a single architectural unit — five identical limestone houses radiating from the theatre, designed in the same neoclassical style.
Café Le Rostand on the east side of the square is the literary café Sartre frequented when Café de Flore was too crowded. The theatre itself is worth a peek inside — the lobby is open before performances and is original 18th-century.
From Wikipedia›
The Place de l'Odéon is a semicircular square in the Odéon quarter in the 6th arrondissement of Paris.
Read more on Wikipedia →Verified nearby ·The Red Wheelbarrow Bookstore3 minBouillon Racine4 min
→Walk east on Rue de l'Odéon, ~3 min, to Carrefour de l'Odéon. Then north up Rue Saint-André-des-Arts or Rue de Buci.
48.84970, 2.33950
- 5
Rue de Buci
Open-air market street since 1755, now mostly cafés and bistros. Bar du Marché on the corner of Rue de Buci and Rue de Seine is the after-work locals' spot; the small fish stall opposite is one of the few traditional commerces left.
Walk the entire length, west to east. The two-block stretch from Rue de Seine to Rue de l'Ancienne Comédie is the heart of the old market. Stop at the corner of Rue Mazarine for the famous photo angle of the wedge-shaped corner building.
Verified nearby ·Little Breizh1 minMusée national Eugène-Delacroix3 min
→Turn into Rue Saint-André-des-Arts; about halfway down on the left is the small alley entrance to Cour du Commerce Saint-André.
48.85330, 2.33700
- 6
Cour du Commerce Saint-André
1735 covered passage, one of the oldest in Paris. Cobblestoned, lined with restaurants. Le Procope (1686 — the oldest café in the city) opens onto the passage; Marat's printing press was at no. 8; Guillotin built and tested his eponymous device's prototype on sheep at no. 9.
Enter from Rue Saint-André-des-Arts via the small archway with the wrought-iron sign. Walk slowly — the cobblestones are uneven and beautiful, and there's a fragment of the 12th-century Wall of Philippe Auguste visible inside one of the courtyards. Le Procope is at no. 13.
Verified nearby ·Kodawari Ramen (Yokochō)2 minLittle Breizh2 min
48.85400, 2.33890