The quarter’s main street, the Haussmann-designed Boulevard St Germain, is lined with chic boutiques and cafés with outdoor terraces, perfect for people-watching. Travelers have myriad options to explore the enchanting area as part of a half-day, full-day, group, or private sightseeing tour, each with a special focus, such as culture (museums, perfume workshops for kids, pétanque, jazz), food and wine (chocolate, charcuterie, macarons, and champagne tastings), and even fun Polaroid photo safaris. Transport on tours run the gamut too, from walking and cycling to Seine hop-on/hop-off cruises.
The main Métro stop for the neighborhood is St-Germain-des-Prés (line 4); from there, walk north toward the Seine to reach a stretch of galleries and cafés. For shopping and restaurants, cross Boulevard St-Germain and walk south. Or get off at the RER stop at Luxembourg and walk northwest through the Luxembourg gardens.
Paris is a place of wonder and beauty at any time of the year, as each season brings its own charms. The best weather is from late spring through early fall, May through September. Deals on hotels may be found during the winter and early spring months. Festivals abound year-round; highlights include Bastille Day in July, the springtime jazz and blues festival, Banlieues Bleues, and the summertime city-wide music festival, Paris, Quartier d’Été.
One of the quarter’s most sublime pleasures is to spend time in the Luxembourg Garden (Jardin du Luxembourg). Marie de' Medici, the widow of King Henry IV, created these perfectly manicured lawns and flower beds placed around sumptuous fountains and pools as part of her palace here. Within the gardens is Paris’s oldest public museum, Musée du Luxembourg, which opened in 1750.
