This sprawling garden is just a couple minutes from The Five Hotel. Right smack in the center of the city, the park is another world. Expansive lawns dotted with statues, children playing with tiny sailboats in the fountains; The Luxembourg Gardens is the perfect place for a picnic. When you need a break from sightseeing, you can relax like the Parisians do, with a jambon beurre and a bottle of wine in one of the most beautiful parks in the world.
Paris is a great place to see dead people, Jim Morrison, Chopin, Sarah Bernhardt. Everyone wanted to be buried in Paris. But apparently the best place to be, other than still alive of course, is the Pantheon. It’s the VIP room for the dead: Victor Hugo, Marie Curie, Alexander Dumas, Voltaire and Rousseau. In fact many of them were moved here after they had been buried somewhere else! I guess it was only after they were properly famous. I’ll bet some big bouncer wouldn’t let them in immediately.
This venerable restaurant sits on the corner of Boulevard Saint Michael and Boulevard Montparnasse, making just a few minutes’ walk from The Five Hotel. Like its neighbors Le Dome and La Rotonde, La Closerie des Lilas, opened in 1847, is the former stomping ground of the likes Hemingway, Modigliani, Fitzgerald, Sartre and Cézanne. This place couldn’t come with a higher recommendation. And if you have to wait for a table, I know you’ll be perfectly happy at the bar enjoying a champagne julep and listening to the syncopated sounds of the jazz pianist. I’m sure Hemingway was.
One of the most expensive real estates districts in Paris, the Boulevard Saint Germain is a great place to shop, dine, drink, practice French, and write a timeless story of an American abroad. It worked for Maugham, Hemingway and Fitzgerald. Walk the footsteps of these Expats: you can people watch at Café Mabillon, have a glass of Pernod at Café Flore or write a classic tale of post World War angst and detachment at Café Deux Magots. Pay for the trip.
The Latin Quarter is the lively student district on the left bank of Paris. Named for the language spoken here during the Middle Ages, it is home to the Sorbonne, one of Europe’s oldest schools, so in effect, has been a college town for the last thousand years. A beautiful reminder of medieval Paris, the Latin Quarter boosts the Sorbonne, the Cluny Museum, Luxembourg Gardens, countless incredible restaurants, tiny walking streets and of course, like you would expect next to a university, lots of bars.
A hundred years ago when Montparnasse was the center of artistic Paris, La Rotonde was the meeting place for artists. Modigliani, Man Ray, Picasso and Hemingway used to come here. The story goes if an artist couldn’t afford his meal, he would leave the owner a drawing. At one time the walls were covered in enough art to make any gallery owner blush. And if these artists were to fall asleep at their tables, the waiters were instructed not to wake them. Don’t try that today, and you have to pay with money not a napkin drawing. But you will still get a wonderful wine selection, friendly waiters and delicious French fare.
This quaint walking street is a few minutes away from The Five Hotel. It is one of those streets that most people love yet it’s never packed, which bodes well for the tourist. This street has everything a quaint walking street in Paris should have: bakeries, butchers wine shops and cheese shops. Rue Mouffetard ends at Place Contrascarpe. This little square has restaurants, ice cream shops and cafes, perfectly for sunning yourself and people watching.
Throw a rock in Paris and you’ll hit a church. If you find a rock in Paris, it’s probably from a crumbling church, so just mellow out with the rock throwing. Needless to say, there are quite a few churches in Paris. One of the most interesting is the Eglise de Saint Séverin. Built in the 11th century, it is one of the oldest churches in Paris. Saint Séverin is unique because it has no transept: the cross bar portion of a church. It still has the gothic rib arches and vaulted ceilings, flying buttresses and loads of stained glass windows. Older than Notre Dame, this church is certainly sight worth visiting.
Fast food is not part of the vocabulary of the French. Well, foodie French that is. Sure there are a couple fast food restaurants, but no self respecting Frenchman (read: person) frequents them. Except Cosi. Cosi is a small sandwich shop in St Germain, on Rue de Seine. This place serves the most delectable fast food in town. Warm crusty focaccia bread is made on-site in a wood-burning oven. You can direct them to build your own sandwich or you can pick from their wonderful menu: Rare roast beef with cheddar, tandoori turkey with tomato confit or cold chicken curry salad. This is delicious food fast.