From Odeon to Luxembourg, Culture and Gardens

Take rue de l'Ancienne Comédie up to Odéon square. Don't miss the Procope: it's the oldest restaurant in Paris, lying on an alleway. At Odéon, movie maniacs gather for a fix in one of the numerous cinemas all day long. At n°108 boulevard Saint-Germain, the imaginative Patrick Roger will delight you with his magnificent chocolate creations.

If you take rue de Tournon after rue des Quatre-Vents (from the crossroads) and go past the Odéon Theatre you'll reach the Luxembourg Gardens. Note the impressive scale of the streets as compared to the alleys you visited earlier. At Left hand when arriving on rue de Vaugirard, don't miss the beautiful Rostand Café. Its impressive (and heated) terrace is very popular and its brasserie cuisine really good. Just in front, the railings are hidden by temporary photo exhibitions.

From Rostand square, enter the gardens. The gates are lined with ice cream vendors. At right hand after the bandstand, enjoy a stop in front of the atmospheric Médicis Fountain. The main pond is in the middle of the gardens. Well-behaved kids in conservative outfits play with their little boats. The majestic building which dominates the Gardens is the Sénat (Senate or Upper House).

Climb the impressive stairs leading to the upper side of the gardens, and enjoy the very spirit of this Parisian green lung. Children ride ponies, old Spanish people play dominoes under centenary trees, pretty young things enjoy a game of tennis... Turn at right hand facing the back of the Gardens, and go out at the rue Guynemer gate. You'll find the Musée du Luxembourg, which welcomes beautiful arts and history displays. If you turn on rue Bonaparte, you'll arrive at posh Saint-Sulpice.