Latin Quarter: what to see, Panthéon, Sorbonne and how to get there

The Latin Quarter, on the Left Bank of the Seine, lies mainly in the 5th arrondissement and spills into the 6th. Home to the University of Paris since the Middle Ages, it owes its name to the Latin once spoken by Sorbonne students. It is explored freely on foot: bookshops, art-house cinemas, cobbled lanes climbing from the Seine to the Panthéon, and lively terraces late into the evening. Access by metro Saint-Michel (line 4) or Cluny - La Sorbonne (line 10).

Highlights

The Panthéon

This monument with a neoclassical dome crowns Montagne Sainte-Geneviève. Designed as a church, it holds the tombs of Voltaire, Victor Hugo and Marie Curie, and its dome offers a fine view over the Paris rooftops.

The Sorbonne and the university district

Founded in the 13th century, the Sorbonne remains the symbol of Parisian academic tradition, although its present buildings mostly date from the early 20th century. Around it, grandes écoles, prestigious lycées and specialist bookshops keep the student atmosphere alive.

Rue Mouffetard

This sloping cobbled street, one of the oldest in Paris, hosts a lively food market every morning. In the evening its bars and restaurants take over.

Shakespeare and Company

Facing Notre-Dame, this legendary English-language bookshop is a pilgrimage site for book lovers, with its crowded shelves and an upstairs room like an old-fashioned library.

Our guides that feature it

Neighborhood guides · 3 min read

The Latin Quarter: the Complete Neighborhood Guide

The birthplace of the University of Paris since the Middle Ages, the Latin Quarter owes its name to the Lat...

Nearby

See on the map →

Musée de Cluny – National Museum of the Middle Ages In the heart of the Latin Quarter, in the 5th arrondissement, the Musée de Cluny... 1 min walk

Museum of the History of Medicine On the second floor of the former Faculty of Medicine, now the headquarters of... 4 min walk

Paris Police Prefecture Museum On the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève, in the 5th arrondissement, the Paris Police... 4 min walk

Shakespeare and Company: Paris's legendary bookshop, opening hours and café The bookshop Shakespeare and Company, at 37 rue de la Bûcherie (5th arrondissement),... 4 min walk