Latin Quarter Map Poster, Paris

Key Streets & Landmarks

Did you know?

1. 1

   The Sorbonne, founded in 1257 by Robert de Sorbon, is one of Europe's oldest universities and educated thinkers such as Descartes, Pasteur and Marie Curie.

2. 2

   The Pantheon, completed in 1790, houses the remains of 81 distinguished French figures including Victor Hugo, Emile Zola, Marie Curie and Josephine Baker.

3. 3

   The Arenes de Lutece, a 1st-century Gallo-Roman amphitheater, could seat 15,000 spectators and is one of the oldest surviving structures in Paris.

4. 4

   The Latin Quarter owes its name to Latin, the language spoken by university students from the Middle Ages until the French Revolution of 1789.

Neighborhood Vibe

The Latin Quarter buzzes with a thousand years of student energy. On Rue Mouffetard, one of Paris's oldest market streets winds between medieval facades. The Luxembourg Gardens offer a green pause amid the lecture halls, while the cinemas on Rue Champollion still screen films in their original language. This is a neighborhood where debates at midnight are as common as those at noon.

Discover on foot

Start from Place du Pantheon and admire the neoclassical dome that crowns the Montagne Sainte-Genevieve. Walk down Rue Soufflot to the Luxembourg Gardens, where Parisians read, play chess and sail toy boats on the pond. Head back toward the Sorbonne along Rue Saint-Jacques, one of the oldest streets in Paris, traced by the Romans. Turn onto Rue Mouffetard, an open-air market with colorful stalls of cheese, fruit and wine. Finish at the Arenes de Lutece, a Roman amphitheater hidden in a peaceful square, then walk along the Quai de la Tournelle for a stunning view of Notre-Dame.