From the Place St-Germain-des-Prés, after you’ve visited the Deux Magots and the Flore, and toured the inside of the centuries-old church, go north, then take a right onto the rue de l’Abbaye. Pass along some of the narrow, winding streets here, and you may notice that some of their names relate to another time (rue de la Petite Boucherie, rue de l'Echaudé...), a time when these charming hausmannian buildings, with their shops, galleries, and interior design studios, were a rural village on the outskirts of Paris.

Keeping along the rue de Bourbon le Chateau, you’ll come out onto the rue de Buci. The street is long, winding, and bustling, full of people sitting at outdoor café tables that crowd the sidewalk. There are few cars here, and many shops, especially devoted to books and fashion – two St-Germain-des-Prés trademarks. And then, towards the middle of the street, you’ll find le marché de Buci (Buci market)– an enclave of stores selling fresh produce, flowers, meats, and cheeses. Here, vendors chat with customers, and sometimes even call out the praises of their wares. Here, old woman bustle through the crowds, dragging plaid shopping bags on wheels behind them. They are led forward by their little dogs, who sniff at the produce-perfumed planks of the stalls.

The rue de Buci is a reminder of the area’s past in more ways than one. Its name actually dates to the Middle Ages. At this time, the city was searching for a name for a door in the city walls, located near the present-day Passage du Commerce St-André. The people of the area wanted the door to be named for Monsieur Buci, who was the kind and generous advisor to King Jean le Bon. The street rue de Buci took its name for him soon after, and has kept that name ever since.

In your travels through St-Germain-des-Prés, it’s likely that at some point or another you’ll come across the rue de Buci, since it cuts neatly through the area’s southeastern side. When this happens, we advise you to slow down as you try to get in everything there is to see in the quartier. Instead of rushing off to sites like the Musée Eugene Delacroix, or the Flore and the Deux Magots, take some time to gaze at the fresh produce, to listen to the calls of the vendors. If you’re hungry or thirsty, sit at one of the streets’ bustling cafes and have a drink while people watching.

If you do this, you’re sure to find what so many residents and admirers of Paris know already: just as St-Germain-des-Prés’ famous sites contribute to a picture of this neighborhood, the rue de Buci contributes an entirely different view, that of the neighborhood as a pleasant village, quiet, bustling, and tied to “the fields”, more than by name only.