In a city where every crack on the sidewalk seems eminently memorable, the St. Germain-de-Pres still manages to impress. Located around the church of the former Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in the 6th arrondissement, few parts of Paris have such a storied past coupled with such a breathtaking today. One of the best area to rent your Paris vacation apartment !
Saint Germain (also called Germanus), also called “Father of the Poorm” was a bishop of Paris, canonized in 754. "Pres" means "meadows” or “fields,” so Saint Germain was literally “Saint Germain of the Fields.”
Located on the Left Bank, (Rive Gauche) across the Seine from the Tuileries, it is bordered to the east by the Invalides & Tour Eiffel Quarter, to the west by the Latin Quarter, on the north by the Seine, to the south by the Luxembourg Quarter.
Luminous, beautiful, glamorous, the St. Germain-de-Pres is home of world-famous Les Deux Magots ("The Two Nest Eggs") frequented by the writers of the "Lost Generation" of the '20s and '30s, and by Existentialists Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre. Rent one of our Paris luxury apartments and come have a cup of coffee where they transformed 20th century thought.
Bistros, coffee-houses, galleries, publishing houses, bookshops, nightclubs and more can be found here, particularly at the intersection of rue Bonaparte and boulevard St-Germain. (Look for the Café Les Deux Magots, the Brasserie Lipp and the Café de Flore here.)
The oldest church in Paris is the St-Germain-des-Prés. Philosopher-mathematician René Descartes is buried here. It was built by the King Childebert in 542, to store holy relics. It was a very influential Benedictine abbey and was even burned during the Revolution.
The world’s first coffeehouse, Le Procope, founded in 1686, sits at 13 rue de l’Ancienne-Comédie. It is just a few blocks west of the cafés. According to legend, Voltaire would drink more than three dozen cups of coffee here every day! Also a haunt of the young Napoléon I, it is now a restaurant.
Some of St-Germain’s main sights include the the St-Germain-des-Prés church, the Institut de France, Palais Abbatial, the Beaux-Arts achool, Théâtre National de l’Odéon. Must-see streets include rue du Dragon, boulevard St-Germain and rue de l’Odéon. A relic of the Middle Ages, the rue du Dragon is a short street running from St-Germain des Prés to the Carrefour de la Croix Rouge. It boasts houses from the 17th and 18th century; in fact, Victor Hugo lived at No. 30 when he was 19. Why not choose from our selection of apartments in Paris and live within walking distance?
For a day of museum fun, be sure to check out the Musée Eugène Delacroix, the Musée Nationale de la Légion d’Honneur, the Musée de la Monnaie and the Musée d’Orsay. The Musée de la Monnaie (“Museum of Coins”) was once the French mint. The building, finished in 1777, was the result of a design competition won by architect Jacques Antoine. Your short term Paris rental is the best way to see the extensive collection of medallions and coins.
France’s leading school of fine art, the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, is located at 14 rue Bonaparte. It houses the imposing Palais des Etudes. The Académie Française have worked on the official dictionary of the French language in the building at 23 Quai de Conti since 1805, under the direction of the Institut de France. The Ecole Nationale d’Administration, where many well-known French politicians once studied, and once an ammunitions depot during the Revolution, is located at rue de l’Université.
The neo-classical Théâtre National de l’Odéon is at 1 place Paul-Claudel. Constructed on a site donated by the king in 1779, it was originally used by the Comédie Française. The Marriage of Figaro by Beaumarchais’ was premiered there. Find your Paris apartment rental St. Germain-des-Pres and come see a show!
There are so many wonders to explore in the Saint-Germain-des-Pres. You have to see it for yourself. With ParisStay, you will!
