Saint-Germain-des-Prés Neighborhood in Paris: Full of Charm (and Tourists)

Category: Paris

This episode features our frequent and very popular guest Elyse Rivin. If you enjoy her episodes, please consider supporting her on Patreon.

On today’s episode, Annie and Elyse talk about the things they love about the Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood in Paris. We've mentioned this charming and busy neighborhood in Paris many times on the podcast, but today we devote the entire episode to it.

Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the Stuff Dreams Are Made Of

Saint-Germain-des-Prés is the area of Paris where both Annie and Elyse would love to live if they won the lottery. It's never going to happen, but a girl can dream, right?

It turns out that St-Germain-des-Prés is the stuff that dreams are made of. From bohemian hangout for celebrities such as Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Jacques Prévert, to jazz legends such as Miles Davis, Sidney Bechet et Django Reinhardtto.

But that was long ago. By now, St-Germain is where you're going to run into a lot of English-speaking visitors in search of Bohemian Paris. Some of them will be on their way to enjoying a moment at the Café de Flore, others will be shopping, and some will follow me into the beautiful church!

Oldest Church in Paris

Come along and dream with us, we tell you tales of the oldest church in Paris, wonderful cafés, great shopping, and the wonderful artists of the 1920s who hung out there.

If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.
― Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast

The Saint Germain des Près neighborhood in Paris is as popular with visitors as Le Marais or the Latin Quarter. We think it is also just as lively and interesting. But don't go thinking you'll run into the new Sartre or Picasso. Bohemian St-Germain is long-gone.

We tell you everything you need to know to explore this bustling neighborhood and enjoy one of Paris’s most beloved historical district.