Introduction
Begin: MontparnasseEnd: Palais du LuxembourgLike its mythological namesake, Mount Parnassus, the Montparnasse neighborhood has seen its share of muses. In the early twentieth century, struggling writers and artists from all corners of the globe flocked to the area to dwell in glorified squalor and seek inspiration. (Ah! To suffer in Paris!) Gathering around tables in cafés and brasseries (pubs), the artistic community spent hours sharing ideas, debating, flirting, and dreaming (often literally, as the café tables were far more sanitary than their rat-infested apartments).Today, the atmosphere is far more commercial. There’s a mall under the tour Montparnasse and shops lining rue de Rennes. The great brasseries and cafés are still in business, but the days of taking a nap at a table for a few centimes are long gone. Multiplex movie theaters play blockbuster hits, while struggling actors keep some of the old traditions alive in small café-théâtres. But the muses have not left the neighborhood. A short walk away from the métro station and the tower, you will find people sharing ideas, debating, flirting, and dreaming in the jardin du Luxembourg. This walk will take you for a peaceful stroll through a centuries-old space for rest, play, and inspiration.Marc Olivier
#1 Tour Montparnasse
Begin at the place (square) between Gare Montparnasse and the tour Montparnasse, with the tower on your left and the SNCF train station on your right. Cross the rue du Départ so you are on the same side of the street as the supermarket across the street from the tower and Galeries Lafayette.The massive skyscraper stands out like a sore thumb amid the traditional French architecture but makes a handy landmark that you will see in more than one walk. Constructed from 1969 to 1972, the tour Montparnasse stands 689 feet tall (fifty-nine floors), making it a clear, if unattractive, sign of space-age enthusiasm for all things futuristic. Inspired by the World Trade Center, the lone Parisian tower was, at one time, slated to have a twin; however, the growth of the Parisian skyscraper family was stunted—or rather, displaced—by new zoning laws. Consequently, central Paris maintains its nineteenth-century grandeur and the La Défense area is the Parisian Manhattan. Like other towers in the world, the tour Montparnasse offers a rapid elevator ride to enjoy the panoramic view. In addition, if you like to eat overpriced food while looking at the world below, you may choose to dine at the restaurant.
#2 Boulevard Raspail
Once you leave the tower behind, continue down rue du Départ to boulevard du Montparnasse—a lively line of transition between the family-oriented fourteenth and fifteenth arrondissements that flank its south side and the even more desirable sixth arrondissement on the north side. Cross boulevard du Montparnasse and turn right to walk on the left side of the street.As you approach boulevard Raspail, you will see a variety of brasseries: La Rotonde (on the corner of boulevard du Montparnesse and boulevard Raspail), La Coupole (across the street at #102), Le Select (at #97), and Le Dôme (across the street at #108)—all former hangouts of famous expatriates, writers, and artists, including Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Picasso, Josephine Baker, and many others. Although the food is quite good at those large brasseries, the locals prefer to sip their coffee at the unassuming Atelier (at #95), leaving the historic haunts to the tourists.
#3 Rue Vavin
Turn left from boulevard du Montparnasse onto rue Vavin (just after Le Select) and cross boulevard Raspail.Rue Vavin is one of my favorite streets in Paris, largely because of its proximity to good food, boutiques, art house cinema, and the jardin du Luxembourg. At the corner of Vavin and rue Notre Dame des Champs sits the Café Vavin—a great mid-priced place for lunch or dinner (try the special of the day or one of the delicious salads).
#4 Statue of Alfred Dreyfus
Stay on Vavin until you come to rue Notre Dame des Champs and turn left onto this street for a detour that never makes it into the itinerary of the typical tourist. You will pass an art house cinema (on your right) and will soon see a small triangular place (place Pierre Lafue) with some benches, a bus stop, and a statue.The statue is of Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish officer in the French army falsely convicted of treason in 1894, stripped of his rank at the École Militaire, exiled to Devil’s Island, tried, convicted a second time, and finally pardoned by the president of France due to external political pressures. The Dreyfus affair polarized France and caused Emile Zola to write a scathing indictment of the French government: J’accuse. Even today, the affair remains a touchy subject and a reminder of deep-seated anti-Semitism in France. The placement of this statue is emblematic of the need to commemorate Dreyfus on the one hand and the difficulty of doing so on the other.Intended to be placed in the courtyard of the military school where Dreyfus was humiliated, instead, the statue was placed in an obscure corner of the jardin des Tuileries, facing a wall. Later, the government further displaced the reminder of its shame to this tiny refuge, far from the eyes of tourists. Contemplate the statue, take pictures if you like, and notice the reaction of locals waiting for the bus or sitting down for a cigarette. Perhaps one day the statue will make it to the École Militaire.
#5 Parisian Delights
Go back to rue Notre Dame des Champs and return to rue Vavin. Turn left onto the last stretch of rue Vavin.Near the end of rue Vavin, two shops will tempt your sweet tooth. On your right, is Jean-Paul Hévin, one of the best chocolate specialists in France. On the left side of the street is Amorino, an Italian gelato chain that has popped up all around Paris in recent years. Go ahead and treat yourself to something; you’ll work it off during your walk.
#6 Jardin du Luxembourg
At the end of Vavin, cross the street and go into the entrance to the Jardin du Luxembourg, right in front of you.For those who love a checklist, see if you can spot any of the following in the course of your walk in the jardin du Luxembourg:Beehives A mini Statue of LibertyA couple kissing on a bench Old men playing pétanqueChildren riding donkeys People jogging (a rare sight in Paris)People practicing martial arts Chess playersPark security men keeping people off the grassThe path from the Vavin entrance will curve slightly to the left, and on your right, you will see a fenced-in, bee-keeping area where students of apiculture have met for centuries. Continue to the left and follow a path that will take you by the Pétanque Grounds (on the left) and a playground (on the right). Please don't feel that you have to hurry on to the next destination just because this is a guided walk. You are in a park, after all. Relax. Sit down on a chair or bench at any time and take in the sights and sounds.
#7 Statue of Liberty
Just after the playground, curve down to the left to see the small bronze Statue of Liberty that Auguste Bartholdi used as a model for the large one. Next, head up the main path. The playground and a carrousel will be on your right. Soon, the Buvette des Marionnettes snack stand will be on your left, and the theatre on your right.The marionette shows at le Théâtre des Marionnettes have been a favorite four o’clock treat for generations of French children.
#8 Statue of the Duchess of Orleans
Keep going straight until you reach the end of the chestnut trees (just before the stairs) and arrive at a white statue (on your left) of the Duchess of Orleans (1370–1409).The Duchess of Orleans is one of twenty queens whose ghostly presence and blank stares watch over the esplanade. Sculpted between 1846 and 1850, the ensemble of statues is uniformly—almost generically—regal.
#9 Pelouse Interdite
Turn right (away from the palace) and stay on the higher level, following the white statues, Marguerite de Navarre, and then Laure de Noves. Head straight toward a long narrow path with a stretch of grass that leads to an iron gate.This side of the grass is marked pelouse interdite (forbidden grass). In contrast to the free-for-all playground effect of most American parks, the rigid symmetry of the French jardin (garden), such as in the jardin du Luxembourg enforces proper order and decorum even in leisure. Garden theorists like to think of its geometry as the triumph of reason and culture over the disorder of nature.Double back at the gate and head back down the other side where walking on the grass is autorisée (authorized).You may feel that the imposition of reason and order is just as capricious and random as nature untamed. Weather permitting, the authorized stretch of lawn is likely blanketed with people in various stages of undress enjoying the sun. For you winter walkers, do not dismay. The bare geometry of a French garden looks beautiful on a cold day.
#10 Palais du Luxembourg
As you reach the end of the grassy stretch, you will see stairs heading down to the ponds facing the palace. Descend to the octagonal pond where children may be found prodding rented toy sailboats with sticks. You will be facing the palais du Luxembourg, home to the French Senate.Former residence of the Duc de Piney-Luxembourg, Marie de Médecis (widow of Henry IV) acquired the site and had the palais du Luxemboug redesigned in the style of the Pitti Palace in Florence, Italy. Due to meddling in her son’s (Louis XIII) political affairs, she was exiled before construction of the project was completed. Following the Revolution, the structure was modified and enlarged to be a legislative building, housing the French Senate since the late 1950s.
#11 Fontaine Médicis
As you reach the front of the palace, turn right and make your way to a dark, garland-lined grotto called the Fontaine Médicis.The Fontaine Médicis is a cozy little seventeenth-century niche and a prime spot for reading on a hot day.
#12 Le Quartier Latin
After looking at the grotto, go up the stairs (by the statue of a Greek actor) for a view of the Panthéon.This side of the jardin is le Quartier Latin (Latin Quarter), making the Luxembourg gardens the most beautiful shortcut from Montparnasse to the Latin Quarter. Now turn away from the Panthéon and look at the view in the other direction: the tour Montparnasse where you started this walk.
#13 l'Orangerie
Go back in front of the palace (lower level), cross among the ever-changing display of public artwork, and then to the Orangerie on your right.As the name suggests,l'Orangerie was originally built (in 1834) to house orange trees and other plants during the cold season. In 1886, the orangerie began to function as Musée de l'Orangerie. At the end of World War II, the building once again took on its original job: housing plants. Some of the plants in the orangerie date to the seventeenth century. During the warm season, it is home to free art exhibitions. Facing the orangerie is the jardin de la Roseraie, a fenced-in park reserved for young children.The Water Lilies series housed in l'Orangerie was the last to be painted by Claude Monet before his death in December 1926. In total, Monet completed about 250 of these paintings over a period of 30 years, reflecting his graden at home, purposefully landscaped and meticulously cared for with the help of several gardeners. At one point, Monet confessed to near obsession over these landscapes, never quite content that he was doing justice to nature but ever reaching to paint the exquisite beauty that he found.
The End
Continue a little further and then turn left at the pavilion where intense games of chess frequently occur.Depending on the season, the restroom facing the pavilion may be open; it is one of the few restrooms of the park. As you may have noticed by now, most restrooms are not free—and this one is no exception.
