Paris breaks and Eurostar breaks to Paris

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Latin Quarter Paris Breaks

Latin Quarter Paris Breaks 5th Arrondissement - Quartier Latin

The Latin Quarter, quartier latin or 5th Arrondissement has long been the intellectual centre and heart and soul of Paris, as well as becoming a major tourist area. Bookshops, colleges, churches, clubs, student dives, Roman ruins, publishing houses, street musicians, world foodie restaurants and expensive boutiques characterize the district. Since the founding of the Sorbonne in 1253, the quarter was called Latin because students and professors spoke the Latin language, long before one particular dialect had become standardised as modern French. Follow in the footsteps of Descartes, Verlaine, Camus, Sartre, James Thurber, Elliot Paul, and Hemingway as you enjoy Paris breaks in the latin quarter. Changing times have brought Greek, Moroccan, and Vietnamese immigrants, among others, offering everything from couscous to fiery-hot spring rolls and souvlaki. The 5th arrondissement borders the banks of Seine, and you'll want to stroll along the quayside at quai de Montebello, checking the secondhand book shops with everything from antique Daumier prints to yellowing copies of Balzac's Père Goriot in the shadow of Notre-Dame.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Paris - La Pyramide du Louvre

The pyramid at the entrance to the Louvre has become one of the many iconic pieces of modern architcture in Paris

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Paris Breaks to the 5th arrondissement

The fifth arrondissement is the latin quarter and perfect for lively Paris breaks with a youthful feel, cosmopolitain cuisine and swinging nightlife.

This is the famous Left Bank, which to Londoners looking at the Paris city map looks more like the southbank but never mind that. This is teh country which has 15 days in a fortnight afterall.

So what os there to see in the 5th, well there's the Pantheon - a big temple like structure on the top of a hill with a large dome, there's the zoo and gardens and Jardin des Plantes, and the Museum of the Arab World.

The area still has a significant student presence, with several universities and schools of higher education being located in the 5th arrondissement but a lot of students and faculty have been forced to more affordable areas such as the 13th arroondissement.

So it's a tourist area now, with affordable hotels and restaurants for visitors and plenty to see and do.