6th Arrondissement - Paris

The center of the Roman-period Paris, this arrondissement is located in the heart of the Left Bank. Head here for book shopping, café life, people watching, and streets steeped in literary and artistic history. Such is the literary gravitas here that the district became home to many French publishing companies (and prompted restaurant names like “Les Éditeurs”).

Speaking of eating establishments, although there are many fine restaurants in the 6th, the district is often (and somewhat nostalgically, perhaps) associated with cafés like Café de Flore (172 Boulevard Saint-Germain) and Les Deux Magots (6 Place Saint-Germain-des-Prés) - former hangouts of writers and intellectuals, now largely overtaken by tourists and the bourgeois.

“Nature”-wise, one of the most celebrated public parks in Paris, the Jardin du Luxembourg (Luxembourg Garden), is located in the eastern part of the district. On its northern edge is the Palais du Luxembourg - the current (and active) seat of the French senate.

See all 6th Arrondissement photos (12) »