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1. Carrefour de L Odeon starting point 2. 5 Carrefour de L Odeon Le Comptoir du Relais 2b. 4-6-8 Cour de Commerce Un Dimanche à Paris 3. 13 rue de l Ancienne Comedie Le Procope 4. 41 rue St. Andre des Arts Allard 5. St. Severin Church 6. St. Julien le Pauvre 7. 56 rue Galande Aux Trois Mailletz 8. 50 & 52 rue Galande Le Chat Huant 9. 14 rue St. Julien le Pauvre the Tea Caddy 10. 4 rue St. Julien le Pauvre Hotel Esmeralda 11. 37 rue de la Bucherie Shakespeare and Co. 12. 21 Quai Montebello Café Panis 13. Eglise Notre Dame 14. Square de Ile de France - Memorial des Martyrs 2
15. 55 Quai de Bourbon Brasserie de l Île St. Louis 16. 31 rue St. Louis-en-L ile Berthillon Ice Cream 3
This tour takes between 2 and 4 hours depending on how long you linger. Begin at the 1. Carrefour de l Odéon near Blvd St. Germain. Near the metro stop Odeon. Notice the statue of Georges Danton, an early leading figure in the French Revolution. You might want to start with lunch at 2. Le Comptoir du Relais, at 5 Carrefour de l Odeon (01 44 27 07 97) which is a café by day where no reservations are required for lunch, and a fancier bistro by night, when reservations are a must. Head north towards the Seine crossing the Blvd. St. Germain but do not go up rue de l'ancienne Comédie. Continue a bit further along Blvd. St. Germain to the right, heading east, and take a left very quickly on Cour du Commerce. This is a lovely little back way stroll. 2b. Un Dimanche à Paris, 4-6-8 Cour de Commerce, which you'll notice on your right is a new chocolate store, actually it's more a chocolate experience. Not only do they sell chocolates, pastries and wonderful edible gifts, they have a chocolate lounge with chocolate inspired cocktails and a chocolate focused restaurant, no joke! This chocolate wonderland exists thanks to the imagination of Pierre Cluizel, whose family has been making chocolate since 1948. Notice the historic 3. Restaurant Le Procope 13 rue de l Ancienne Comedie on your left where Benjamin Franklin dined. (We don t recommend the restaurant, as it is too touristy for our tastes.) There is also a cute toy store further down on the left. This passageway will lead you to rue St. André-des-Arts turn right here. This is a fun day or evening stroll. There are some cute shops along St. André-des-Arts but nothing terribly chic or original. The area is enchanting as this is actually what Paris looked like before the architect Haussmann tore down these small neighborhoods in order to make the wide boulevards we now see on the right bank. Note the 4. Bistro Allard at 41 St. André-des- Arts (01 43 26 48 23) which is a classic bistro and worth remembering for dinner. They are famous for their whole duck covered in olives. It s a very friendly place though a bit touristy. Continue along St. André until you reach Blvd Saint- Michel and cross over, zigzagging a bit as you enter the 5th Arrondissement and continue on rue St. Séverin all the way through to rue St. Jacques. The 5. Church St. Séverin is worth noting for it is a very old gothic example and its organ is quite famous duck in for a look. The church began construction in the 11 th century, but most of what you ll see dates from the 15 th century. Cross over rue St. Jacques and pick up the angled rue St. Julien-le-Pauvre to see what is often thought of as the oldest church in Paris, dating back to the 12 th century. 6. Église St. Julien-le-Pauvre. Here they frequently have music performances such as Vivaldi s Four Seasons or the Ave Maria, which we highly recommend. Look for the schedules posted around town and near the church itself. They also have these performances at Sainte-Chapelle, Église St. Germain and other notable churches. Across the street, if you are here at night, there is a funky little café called 7. Aux Trois Mailletz 56 rue Galande at the corner of rue St. Julien-le-Pauvre and Galande (01 43 54 00 79) complete with a bad Edith Piaf imitator singing in the back. The basement has a café and more jazz. If you are in the mood for kitsch, have a couple of glasses here. Also on rue Galande, there is a special little Japanese store called 8. Le Chat Huant, 50 & 52 rue Galande (01 46 33 67 56). We have found some charming tea cups in there and other goodies from Asia that are finely crafted. Heading 2 4
back up rue St. Julien-le-Pauvre towards the Seine there is a darling tea salon called 9. the Tea Caddy that has been at number 14 rue St Julienle-Pauvre since 1928. At 4 rue St. Julien-le-Pauvre you ll find the 10. Hôtel Esmeralda immortalized in the children s book Linnea in Monet s Garden (01 43 54 19 20). Take a quick look inside it s about as old Paris bohemian chic as you can get as well as a real bargain. We understand that apartment 3 is particularly charming. Continue along towards the Seine to the Quai de Montebello turn left on rue de la Bûcherie. Here you ll find our favorite bookshop in Paris and one of the most unusual bookshops in the world, called 11. Shakespeare and Co. at 37 rue de la Bûcherie (01 43 25 40 93). There are a number of books written about it but our favorite is Time Was Soft There by Jeremy Mercer. George Whitman, an American now in his 90s, began the bookshop in 1951 and everybody and we mean everybody has done readings here. They still have poetry and other readings on Monday nights at 7pm. Check the website for details. Take a long look around this place and you ll find many surprises. George has let struggling writers stay here over the years and you ll see evidence note the small beds placed here and there. The place is open until 11pm and you ll undoubtedly meet some interesting folks here. George s daughter now runs the shop but his motto remains on the wall on the 2nd floor Be not inhospitable to strangers lest they be angels in disguise. This place harkens back to a lost time that somehow manages to live on strongly here in this tiny shop across from Notre Dame. If you need a quick coffee, stop in at 12. Café Panis, 21 Quai de Montebello (01 43 54 19 71) where all the Shakespeare & Co staff go for drinks or tea. Café Panis is just outside the bookshop to your right, about half a block down the street past the park. After your literary exposure, you ll be ready for spirituality! Go across on the pedestrian bridge (on the weekends this bridge turns into a rollerblading and skateboarding stage) to 13. Notre Dame. Stand in line to see this monumental Gothic beauty even if you have seen it before we try to go in each time we are in Paris. It is simply amazing that this church is nearly 850 years old. If you haven t done it, circle around to the side and stand in line to climb to the top, there s a great view from the roof. Then walk around to the back of Notre-Dame on the Seine side through the lovely gardens and take a much needed rest in the back garden, which is often very quiet even when Notre-Dame is swamped. The back of Notre-Dame is just as impressive as the façade with its famed flying buttresses and gargoyles. Further behind Notre Dame is a serene and moving monument that is a bit hard to find. It s at the very tip of Île de la Cité and is called the 14. Mémorial des Martyrs de la Déportation. This is a memorial to the 200,000 Jewish people and others who were deported from France during the German occupation of the 1940 s and sent off to Nazi concentration camps. Pick up your mood by crossing over the bridge to Île Saint-Louis and try the 15. Brasserie de l'île St. Louis at 55 Quai de Bourbon (01 43 54 02 59). This is a perfect stop for a pint of frosty cold beer and some French fries or choucroute (the famous Alsatian dish of potatoes, wieners and sauerkraut). A drink on the terrace in fine weather is just what the doctor ordered. Or, stroll further down the rue St. Louis-en l Île and sample some of the famous 16. Berthillon Ice Cream at 31 rue St. -Louis-en-l Île (01 43 54 31 61.) Continue down the rue St. Louis-en-l Île until the end and cross over to the right bank onto Blvd Henri IV and continue on into the Marais or go 3 5
back to your hotel or apartment for a much deserved rest, you ll be near Metro Sully-Morland. Points of Interest Addresses 1. Carrefour de L Odeon starting point. 2. 5 Carrefour de L Odeon Le Comptoir du Relais 2b. 4-6-8 Cour de Commerce Un Dimanche à Paris 1. 13 rue de l Ancienne Comedie Le Procope 2. 41 rue St. Andre des Arts Allard 3. St. Severin Church 4. St. Julien le Pauvre 5. 56 rue Galande Aux Trois Mailletz 6. 50 & 52 rue Galande Le Chat Huant 7. 14 rue St. Julien le Pauvre the Tea Caddy 8. 4 rue St. Julien le Pauvre Hotel Esmeralda 9. 37 rue de la Bucherie Shakespeare and Co. 10. 21 Quai Montebello Café Panis 11. Eglise Notre Dame 12. Square de Ile de France - Memorial des Martyrs 13. 55 Quai de Bourbon Brasserie de l Île St. Louis 14. 31 rue St. Louis-en-L ile Berthillon Ice Cream 4