Hotels near Pantheon and the Latin Quarter, 2, 3, 4 star hotels proximity from the pantheon in paris

we are in 1744 and Louis XV is very ill during the siege of Metz. So he makes a vow, a promise that if he gets better and regains his health, he will build an abbey church in honor of Sainte-Genevieve, the patron of Paris. But he gets better much too fast…..! And who pays for the costs? The citizens of Paris of course. The building starts in 1764 but is only finished in the middle of the French revolution, 1791. Very bad timing ;-)! The revolutionaries decide to turn it into a mausoleum where the great personalities of France would get their final resting place. The first to be buried was Mirabeau, followed by Rousseau and Voltaire. But when the shocking news came that Mirabeau had been a good pal of Louis XVI, he was pulled out and had to give his place to Marat. The poor “Marat” would not be left in peace for long since another problem came up! Indeed, a law of 1795 decreed that you needed to be dead at least for 10 years before earning a spot in the Pantheon. Out went Marat, finally buried at the cemetery of Saint-Etienne du Mont. In 1885 Victor Hugo found hid way to the Pantheon. Since then, the purpose of the Pantheon didn't move an inch. Emile Zola, Jean Moulin, Louis Braille (inventor of the Braille writing for the blind), Jean Jaures, Pierre and Marie Curie were all buried with great pump. The great refurbishing of the Pantheon, which is being on now, will last until 2010 at the least.

The interior of the Pantheon is mainly impressive by its extent. The floor outlay is 110 meters long and 85 meters wide in the form of a cross. But it's from a distance that the Pantheon looks the most beautiful. The best perspective is from the rue Soufflot, when you arrive from the boulevard Saint-Michel.

Stroll along the streets lying in a circle around the place du Pantheon. You will meet City hall of the 5th arrondissement, the Faculté de Droit (Law school), and the BIBLIOTHEQUE SAINTE-GENEVIEVE founded in 1624. This library has more than half a million books and thousands of manuscripts. But you must have a library card to enter this books shrine.

A short walk will bring you now to the church of SAINT-ETIENNE DU MONT, facing the Pantheon.

This church is worth a visit especially because of the very successful combination of different styles: the gabled roof above the portal is classic, the rose window in the facade gothic and the cupola of the bell tower shows Renaissance influences. Notice the remarkable choir gallery (16th century), the only one in Paris not connected with the nave of the church. All other similar galleries in Paris were destroyed during the 18th century. The baroque organ and the wainscoting of the pulpit are outstanding, and so is the stained glass window from the 16th and 17th century in the “Galerie des Charniers”.

Going back through the rue Soufflot, take the rue Victor Cousin to the right and you'll walk straight into the SORBONNE, the most famous symbol of French tradition. Its history goes back to the 12th century when it was only a small theological faculty with some private homing. The faculty was closed during the French revolution but Napoleon turned it into the first French university. The present building you see dates from the 19th century. If you manage to get inside (no problem, just act as a student or a professor), you will notice the sundial in the interior courtyard and the painted walls in the reading rooms. The chapel of the Sorbonne, where Richelieu is buried, can only be visited during special exhibitions or at special request.

Bibliography: Vie et histoire des arrondissments de Paris, ed.Hervas, 1985-1988, 20 volumes—Nouvelle Histoire de Paris, ed.Hachette (20 vol.since 1971), Le piéton de Paris, by L.P. Fargue, ed.Gallimard 1997—Paris, 2000 ans d'histoire by J.Favier ed.Fayard 1997---Guide du Routard 1998-99.

When my wife and I decided to go to Paris, we knew little of the city, other than what we had seen on television and movies. We knew the Left Bank was the traditional haunt of noted writers and philosophers so, being booklovers, we looked for an inexpensive hotel in the 6 th district, the famed St. Germain des Prés.

To our delight, St. Germain des Prés was everything we expected, and more. A quaint warren of side streets and alleyways, enclosed within the bustling boulevards of the city. We wandered through the winding streets, window-shopping, people watching and occasionally stopping at a picturesque café for cappuccino and pastries, until we were totally lost. Then, when we tried to extricate ourselves from the maze, we discovered even more of the intriguing city, around every turn.

Late, one warm May evening we set out on one of our rambles into the bustle of St. Germain. We dined on the sidewalk in front of a medieval church, bought some Cuban cigars and a beautiful print of the Eiffel Tower, then eventually found ourselves in front of the fountain at the St. Michel Square.

Taking the last unoccupied table at a busy sidewalk café we were swooning over the splendor and vibrance of the city. The fountain directly in front of us, the River Seine and the beautifully illuminated Notre Dame cathedral to our right, it was intoxicating. We couldn't believe we had been so fortunate as to choose this location for our stay in Paris.

We marveled at the antics of the taxi drivers as they jockeyed for the lead in an automobile race that only they knew about, and we watched pedestrians, young and old, in every manner of dress as they paraded around the Place St. Michel for our entertainment.

After spending quite some time taking in the wonder of the city, my wife asked me the time. We were sure it must have been getting close to the café's closing time. We were both astonished to learn it was 3:00am. Had it not been dark, the activity on the street might have led me to believe it was 3:00 in the afternoon.