Paris - Saint-Germain-des-Prés

The Saint Germain des Prés quarter, celebrated in the 40s and 50s as the base of the existentialist circle round Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir and other renowned writers and artists, adjoins the western part of the Quartier Latin. Its approximate boundaries are the Seine to the north, Rue des Saints Pères to the west, Rue de Vaugirard to the south and the Odéon

In a host of small art galleries, the Ecole des Beaux-Arts (Rue Bonaparte) and a series of legendary cafes and restaurants something of the quarter's artistic and intellectual milieu still remains. Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir were habitués of the Cafe de Flore on the Boulevard Saint-Germain, where they read, worked and talked with other leading figures in the intellectual life of Paris. Round the corner are two other famous literary cafes - the Deux Magots, once frequented by André Gide, Jean Giraudoux, Ernest Hemingway and André Breton, and the Brasserie Lipp, where the literary world of Paris used to meet for a petit noir. Saint-Germain-des- Prés is also noted for its excellent jazz bars, boutiques and designer shops, colorful markets and friendly bistros. As in the neighboring Quartier Latin, there are numerous cinemas offering a wide choice of programs throughout the year; foreign films are almost always shown in the original.

On a stroll through the Saint Germain quarter you will feel something of the inimitable charm of Paris. Beside the old abbey church there is a charming little garden planted with nut-trees which may tempt you to linger. It contains a piece of sculpture by Picasso (whose studio was near here), "Hommage à Apollinaire".