Paris offers different experiences on two sides of the city’s river. Meander along the left side with its cultural attractions revealing the soul of the city.
Alongside the River Seine, Paris’ Rive Gauche or Left Bank has an artistic charm and is subtly less hectic than its opposite side. Visit the Left Bank to relax at a café and watch the metropolis in motion. Search for one of the establishments that historically were the haunts of famous poets, authors and philosophers.
Paris has multiple sectors, each with a character of its own. The 13th arrondissement or district has a section known as Rive Gauche. Look for its sprawling library, Bibliothèque Nationale François Mitterrand, and towers resembling open books. Plan for lively nightlife spilling from boats tied along the riverbank. Near the library a stunning footbridge, Passerelle Simone de Beauvoir, connects the two shores. Travel around using the driverless Météor, also known as Metro Line 14, which serves the area.
The northerly 7th arrondissement claims one of the world’s major attractions, the Eiffel Tower, built for the International Exposition of 1889, an early world ’s fair. Also of great importance is the Musée Rodin, with displays such as The Thinker and The Kiss by the sculptor Auguste Rodin.
Visit Montparnasse in the 6th arrondissement and head a bit west to view a second Notre Dame, Eglise Notre-Dame-du-Travail de Plaisance, whose interior has vaulted steel arches that resemble the Eiffel Tower.
A trip to Cimetière du Montparnasse is an opportunity to see the burial place for many great philosophers and writers, such as Jean-Paul Sartre, Charles Baudelaire and Simone de Beauvoir.
Continue celebrating literary giants and historic figures by having refreshments in the bars and restaurants in St. Germain, 6th arrondissement. Voltaire and Napoleon Bonaparte frequently visited France’s oldest café, Le Procope, while Café Deux Magots and Café Flore have welcomed Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso and Albert Camus through their doors.
A visit to the Left Bank while in Paris is a must.
