These two main streets contrast sharply. The Boulevard Raspail is tree-lined with a central promenade and scholarly dignity, while the rue de Rennes is crowded and urban, overflowing with shops and boutiques.

On the rue d'Assas, behind the Catholic Institute of Paris, former monastery of the Carmes, lies the Church of Saint Joseph des Carmes, built in 1620. To the north, is the Place Saint Sulplice with its trendy, breathtaking fashion stores, and the 6th arrondissement town hall ("Mairie").

Shops of all kinds continue throughout the area: Rue Madame and Rue Saint Placide both have many clothing stores, from current fashion to children’s wear, and along the Rue de Rennes, literally anything can be bought or rented. The Rue Bonaparte is fancy and residential, connecting the Seine to the Rue de Vaugirard. With the influx of major design houses into the area, particularly around the intersection of the Boulevard Saint-Germain and the Place Saint Sulpice, the quartier is a much sought-after locale of visiting actors, designers, and other celebrities, looking to rent an apartment.

In the back streets around the Rue Dufour, the Rue Princess, Rue Guisarde and the Rue des Canettes are posh clubs that seem to exist only for private shows and “Vernissages”. Some of the world’s most familiar faces can be seen here into the wee hours. General nightlife is more or less restricted to the quartier's northern end, near the Place Saint Sulplice and the Rue Mabillon, and the southern end of the Rue de Rennes where the activity form the boulevard Montparnasse spills over.

Mostly this is an old section of Paris, with courtyards and gated ground floor apartments hidden behind ancient high wooden doors. The only incongruous aspect to the general ancient feel is the absence of the traditional iron grills around the trees, and the smoothly paved streets (no cobblestones anywhere) testimonial to the turbulent late ‘60’s when students and other protestors used these erstwhile cobblestones as barricades in what many still refer to as Paris’ last revolution.