Must-see attractions in Latin Quarter

  • Top Choice
    Panthéon

    Elegant and regal in equal measure, the massive neoclassical dome of the Left Bank's iconic Panthéon is an icon of the Parisian skyline. Louis XV…

  • Top Choice
    Institut du Monde Arabe

    The Arab World Institute was jointly founded by France and 18 Middle Eastern and North African nations in 1980, with the aim of promoting cross-cultural…

  • Musée National du Moyen Âge

    The National Museum of the Middle Ages is undergoing renovations through at least mid-2021. It will close completely for a minimum six months starting in…

  • Mosquée de Paris

    Paris’ central mosque, with a striking 26m-high minaret, was completed in 1926 in an ornate art deco Moorish style. You can visit the interior to admire…

  • Jardin des Plantes

    Founded in 1626 as a medicinal herb garden for Louis XIII, Paris’ 24-hectare botanic gardens – visually defined by the double alley of plane trees that…

  • Église St-Étienne du Mont

    The Church of Mount St Stephen, built between 1492 and 1655, contains Paris’ only surviving rood screen (1521–45), separating the chancel from the nave;…

  • Grande Galerie de l’Évolution

    The highlight of the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle for kids is the Grande Galerie de l’Évolution, with imaginative exhibits on evolution and…

  • Square René Viviani

    Opened in 1928 on the site of the former graveyard of adjoining church Église St-Julien le Pauvre, this picturesque little park is home to the oldest tree…

  • La Ménagerie

    Like the Jardin des Plantes in which it’s located, this 170-species zoo is more than a tourist attraction; it also doubles as a research centre for the…

  • Galerie des Enfants

    This hands-on science museum tailored to children from ages six to 12 is located in the Grande Galerie de l’Évolution, part of the Muséum National d…

  • Arènes de Lutèce

    The 2nd-century Roman amphitheatre Lutetia Arena once seated 10,000 people for gladiatorial combats and other events. Found by accident in 1869 when rue…

  • Église St-Séverin

    Extensively renovated in the 15th century, this Gothic church contains one of the oldest bells in Paris, cast in 1412. Also of note are the seven modern…

  • Sorbonne

    The crème de la crème of academia flock to this distinguished university, one of the world’s most famous. Today ‘La Sorbonne’ embraces most of the 13…

  • Abbaye Royale du Val-de-Grâce

    One of the city's grandest remnants of pre-Revolution Paris, Chapelle de la Val-de-Grâce was built in 1645 to celebrate the birth of Anne of Austria and…

  • Ernest Hemingway's Apartment

    At 74 rue du Cardinal Lemoine is the apartment where Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961) lived with his first wife, Hadley, from January 1922 until August 1923 …

  • George Orwell's Boarding House

    In 1928 George Orwell (1903–50) stayed in a cheap boarding house above 6 rue du Pot de Fer while working as a dishwasher. It's closed to the public, but…