Left Bank Cafés, Writers and Curiosities

The stops, in walking order

1. 1

   

   Stop 1: Café de Flore

   ~3 min here

   Café de Flore is a historic coffeehouse at the meeting point of Boulevard Saint-Germain and Rue Saint-Benoît, in Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

2. 2

   

   Stop 2: Deyrolle

   ~3 min here

   Deyrolle is a public shop and cabinet of curiosities devoted to natural science, where taxidermy and entomology meet a long tradition of teaching.

3. 3

   

   Stop 3: Église Saint-Sulpice

   ~15 min here

   Église Saint-Sulpice is a Catholic parish church whose name honours Sulpice the Pious.

4. 4

   

   Stop 4: Mètre étalon

   ~3 min here

   Mètre étalon is a marble plaque set into the wall at 36 rue de Vaugirard, carrying a precisely measured line.

5. 5

   

   Stop 5: Jardin du Luxembourg

   ~3 min here

   The Luxembourg Garden unfolds around formal paths, lawns, flowerbeds, sculptures, and a broad water basin where children sail model boats.

6. 6

   

   Stop 6: Le Procope

   ~3 min here

   Le Procope is a historic restaurant whose story reaches back to 1686.

7. 7

   

   Stop 7: Cour du Commerce Saint-André

   ~3 min here

   Cour du Commerce Saint-André is an open-air passage lined with shops, running between boulevard Saint-Germain and rue Saint-André-des-Arts.

8. 8

   

   Stop 8: Rue du Chat Qui Pêche

   ~3 min here

   Rue du Chat Qui Pêche is a remarkably narrow lane linking quai Saint-Michel with rue de la Huchette.

9. 9

   

   Stop 9: Shakespeare and Company

   ~3 min here

   Shakespeare and Company is a bookshop with sleeping places hidden among its shelves, where aspiring writers and artists have stayed while helping with the work of the store.

10. 10

    

    Stop 10: Square René Viviani

    ~3 min here

    Square René Viviani is a small urban park in Paris, named for René Viviani.

More walks in Paris

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• NeighbourhoodsMontmartre: Cabarets, Artists and Sacré-Cœur5 stops · ~1 hr 55 min · 2.1 kmSee the walk
• Grand MonumentsEiffel Tower and Monumental West Paris7 stops · ~3 hr 40 min · 6.6 kmSee the walk
• Food & DrinkOpéra to Les Halles: Passages and Pâtisseries6 stops · ~1 hr 15 min · 3.6 kmSee the walk
• Local LifeEastern Paris: Markets, Rail Relics and Painted Houses4 stops · ~30 min · 1.6 kmSee the walk