The Latin Quarter is an area that occupies a majority of what is today Paris’ 5th Arrondissement, as well as a bit of the northeast corner of the 6th. A little less than a thousand years ago, Paris already had a few Church-sanctioned schools established here, on the Left Bank of the river Seine. The city soon became a center of learning. In 1253, King Louis IX’s confessor, Robert de Sorbon, established yet another Left Bank college, the famous Sorbonne (located in the modern-day Sorbonne-Panthéon quartier). People from throughout Europe flocked to the city to study, learn, and, often, subsequently engage in religious debates (which often broke out in the Place Maubert quartier). Since the students were from such diverse areas, and even those from France often spoke different dialects, Latin, the language used in oratory and church services, became the lingua franca, spoken by students on the streets as well as in classes.

Going even further back in history, when Paris was occupied by the Romans in the early centuries A.D., a large number of the city’s houses and municipal buildings were located in this area. Today, one can see the remains of the baths (beside the Musée de Cluny, in the Saint Michel-Saint Severin quartier) and the amphitheater (in the Jussieu quartier, main entrance off the rue Monge), and can walk along roads (the rue Saint-Jacques in the Port Royal quartier, the rue Mouffetard in the Monge and St.-Médard quartiers)) that actually followed the adage and did indeed lead to Rome. Thus, some people believe that the term “Latin Quarter” also refers to the Roman influence in this area.

The Latin Quarter schools have gone through some major changes over the centuries, such as the inclusion of women, and secularization (though one branch of the University of Paris does still teach theology). The area itself has continued to be the center of Paris’ student and intellectual life. Not only are a majority of the city’s colleges still located here, but so are countless general and specialized bookstores. Being a student also means having fun. At the beginning, it was all gambling, prostitutes, and swimming in the Seine. Today, that has changed (or, at least there are now a few more options), and so the area offers countless restaurants with food from all over the globe, as well as stores to buy music, inexpensive and/or funky clothes, comic books, toys, games, camping equipment – just about anything. Not to mention dozens of local theaters, art-house cinemas, karaoke bars, galleries, Internet cafes, and a bowling alley, for good measure.

The Quarter’s racked up additional street cred from the many artists, writers, and other creative individuals (like Ernest Hemingway, to name just one) who have depicted and, mostly, celebrated it for hundreds of years. All of this has made it a draw for just about anyone who visits the city. Though its popularity means that some parts can get a bit crowded at times, a walk, or even a stay, here is a must. It is an area that will consistently amuse, astonish, and impress visitors. After all, with its fascinating past and exciting present, the Latin Quarter is a major part of the myth of Paris that draws so many of us to the City of Lights.