Paris/5th arrondissement

The 5th Arrondissement of Paris is one of the best known of the city's central districts, located on the Left Bank (Rive Gauche) of the river Seine. Also commonly known as the "Latin Quarter" (le Quartier latin) because the first great Parisian university, the Sorbonne, was founded (and can be still be found) here and Latin was the language the medieval period students used once to speak. The 5th was also the core of ancient Gallo-Roman Paris, as revealed in a number of otherwise rare archaeological remains that can be seen within the district.

The area still has a significant student presence, with several universities and schools of higher education being located in the area. However, due to gentrification, most student and faculty have been forced to more affordable areas such as the 13th.

By Métro
connects the 5th with the 1st, 4th, and 13th, stopping at Jussieu, Monge and Censier/Daubenton.

cuts east-west across the northern and most touristed part of the arrondissement stopping at Cluny/la Sorbonne, Maubert/Mutualité, Cardinal Lemoine, and Jussieu with terminus just east of the 5th's border with the 13th at Gare d'Austerlitz.

coming all the way from Charles de Gaulle Airport stops at St. Michel and Luxembourg.

By bus
27, 87, 86, 24, 21, 47, 89, 84

Many tourists rely on the subway system to get around. However, while you are there to visit, why not see the city from the bus? Unlike other big cities, the buses in Paris are a first class ride for the same price. They are very clean and usually arrive every 7-10 minutes. The system is very easy to understand (there are big maps and the lines are color coded) and you can ask anyone on the bus to tell you where you should stop. Buses typically go faster than other cars too because they benefit from special bus lanes on all main avenues and boulevards throughout the city.

Landmarks




Do
The 5th arrondissement is the perfect place to wander and people watch. If you are brave and have any French skills, engage a student in conversation. Many, if addressed in French, will be more than happy to talk about politics and social issues in English.

Buy


The lower end of rue Mouffetard as it runs away from the Panthéon hosts an ongoing fruit and vegetable market, and is lined with food and wine shops of all kinds.



Eat
A lot of travellers arriving in the 5th from across the river are lured into the restaurants and fast-food outlets between rue St Jacques and boulevard St Michel (in Rue de la Huchette, rue Saint-Séverin). This area may be handy for a quick snack (say, a "Greek sandwich" in a pita), but the quality of restaurants there is not so good - beware especially of restaurants advertising typical French specialties. A similar phenomenon occurs around rue Mouffetard, where many students from the Jussieu Campus and the École normale supérieure have snacks; most of the "French" restaurants are overpriced tourist traps.