Here are all the great places on the Rive Gauche that you can explore. It’s very nice to walk across one of the many bridges and around the small islands Île de la Cité or Île Saint-Louis in order to get to the left riverside, but you can also take the metro, of course.
A highlight on the Rive Gauche is the department store Le Bon Marché. Part of the beautiful, huge shop is also the exquisite food hall La Grande Epicerie de Paris across the street. From here you can walk along Rue de Chere-Midi and around Saint Placide to find shops like Vintage store Chercheminippes, sweet flower shops and delicious patisserie L’Etoile du Berger.
Notre Dame and the lovely but touristy Marché aux Fleurs et aux Oiseaux are located on pittoresque Île de la Cité. From here just cross the bridge Pont des Coeurs and find the famous, historic bookshop Shakespeare & Company.
Around Place Jussieu in the heart of the Quartier Latin you find many nice bookshops and cafes, like Cafe Nuance where you get delicious hip food like pancakes, avocado toast and flat whites. Across the street there is the lovely small park Square Capitan. For interesting art and photography exhibitions visit the Institut de monde arabe. The building also has a great rooftop with views of Notre Dame and the Seine.
Around Panthéon there are many cafes and shops and the lovely Musée de Cluny, the museum of the Middle Ages. Another beautiful museum is Musée Bourdelle, the former atelier of sculptor Antoine Bourdelle near gare Montparnasse. There is also the famous and impressive Musée d’Orsay, the interesting art museum Fondation Cartier in the 14. Arrondissement and the most beautiful Musée Rodin.
Around Rue Bonaparte and Rue Jacob you can find many beautiful shops, especially antique stores and galleries. But there is also Parfum shop Officine Universelle Buly 1803 and bookstore Studio 7L.
Enjoy a small lunch at brasserie Les Antiquaires and stroll along Rue du Bac to Deyrolle, a magical shop specialized in taxidermy where they sell real, stuffed animals. A hidden gem is the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts, it’s part of the university but you can go inside, gaze at the beautiful artful buildings and often also visit a small exhibition. From here it’s not far to the pedestrian bridge Pont des Arts, which is very romantic in the evening, because you can see the shimmering Eiffel Tower perfectly. Another little gem is Place de Furstenberg, a small, perfect Parisian square. Close by you find nice shops like the interior store Flamant, restaurant Semilla and the historic Cafe Les Deux Magots.
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