Saint-Germain-des-Prés and Montagne Sainte-Geneviève

Starting point and access: Sèvres-Babylone underground station.
- Metro - Line 10 or 12. Take exit 1 Rue de Sèvres.

(S) When you exit the metro station, go straight ahead on Rue de Sèvres. Take the^first left onto Rue Récamier. At the end, take a quick tour of Square Roger Stéphane. Retrace your steps and continue on Rue de Sèvres (on the left when you return from the square).

At the crossroads (formerly Place de la Croix Rouge; statue of the Centaur on the right), turn left. Cross Rue de Grenelle and enter Rue du Dragon. Take the^first right, Rue Bernard Palissy. At the fork very close by, turn left into the same street. At the end, turn left into Rue de Rennes. Cross Boulevard Saint-Germain and reach the square in front of the church of the same name.

(1) Go around the church and square on the left and follow Rue de l'Abbaye on the right. At the end, make a first turn left then right to cross Rue de la Petite Boucherie and then Rue de l'Échaudée. Continue along Rue de Bourbon-le-Château.

At the end, turn left onto Rue de Buci. Cross Rue de Seine and continue along Rue de Buci. Cross Rue Mazarine and continue along Rue Saint-André des Arts.

(2) Between numbers 59 and 61, go under a porch on the right and enter Passage du Commerce. Go straight ahead to reach Boulevard Saint-Germain (statue of Danton opposite). Turn left and cross the boulevard at the first traffic lights. Then turn left into Rue de l'École de Médecine.

When you reach the front of René Descartes University, turn right onto Rue Antoine Dubois. Go up a flight of steps, cross Rue Monsieur le Prince and continue along Rue Casimir Delavigne. You will come out onto Place de l'Odéon. Go around the theatre on the right and follow Rue Rotrou. At the traffic lights, cross Rue Vaugirard and enter the Jardin du Luxembourg.

(3) Go straight ahead along the wide path with the Senate building on your right. Pass a pond and the Medici Fountain on your left and turn right along the path. At the corner of the building, turn left and walk along an octagonal pond on your right. About 50 metres further on, climb the steps on the left. Pass between the statues of Clémence Isaure (on the left) and the Duchess of Montpensier (on the right), and follow the path straight ahead.

Leave the garden and make a first turn left then right to cross Boulevard Saint-Michel at the pedestrian crossing. Follow Rue Royer-Collard opposite. Cross Rue Gay-Lussac and turn left onto Rue Le Goff. Turn into the^{first street} on the right, Rue Malebranche. Climb the stairs on the right-hand side and note the beautiful gates at numbers 15 and 13.

Leave Rue Paillet on your left, cross Rue Saint-Jacques and continue along Rue des Fossés Saint-Jacques. Take the^first left onto Rue Clotaire. At the end, cross Place du Panthéon. Go around the monument on the left, past the statue of Corneille, and you will arrive opposite the church of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont.

(4) Go around the church on the left and, when you reach Place de l'Abbé Basser, turn right onto Rue Saint-Étienne-du-Mont. At the end, turn right onto Rue Descartes. At the traffic lights, turn left onto Rue Clovis. Note the remains of Philippe Auguste's city wall after No. 5.

At the end, turn right and go up Rue du Cardinal Lemoine (note the pretty private passage on the left). Take the^first right, Rue Thouin. At the next crossroads, turn left into Rue Mouffetard to reach the lively Place de la Contrescarpe. Turn left twice and go back down Rue du Cardinal Lemoine.

Shortly afterwards, turn right onto Rue Rollin. At the end, go down a flight of steps. Cross Rue Monge and continue opposite, on Rue de Navarre. At number 7, turn left into Square des Arènes de Lutèce.

(5) Turn left immediately. Ignore a sharp right turn and go up. Climb several steps and then go back down. Cross the steps (high steps) diagonally to the right and find a narrow staircase on the right that leads down. At the bottom, turn left and head towards the centre of the old arena. Then turn left and find an exit (red and yellow marker).

Come out onto Rue Monge and follow it to the right. At the traffic lights, cross Rue des Boulangers then Rue du Cardinal Lemoine, and continue along Rue Monge. Take the^first right, Rue d'Arras. At the end, turn first left then right to follow Rue de Poissy. Walk alongside the Collège des Bernardins on your left. Cross Boulevard Saint-Germain then cross Rue Cochin on the left-hand side.

At the end, cross Quai de la Tournelle at the pedestrian crossing on the left. Turn left immediately and, after about 30 metres, turn right towards the river navigation building. Immediately, go down the ramp on the left towards the riverbank (view of the Ile de la Cité and Notre-Dame Cathedral).

(6) Turn right and walk along the Seine on your left. Pass under the Pont de la Tournelle bridge topped by the statue of Sainte-Geneviève. Continue along the quay and pass under the Pont de Sully bridge.

Immediately afterwards, climb the stairs on the right. At the top, turn right along Quai Saint-Bernard. Then turn right onto Pont de Sully and cross one of the branches of the Seine.

(7) Turn right into Square Barye. Leave the monument on your left and go to the end of the garden for a view of the Seine (on the right, you can access the riverbank, but it is a dead end). Retrace your steps, leave the monument on your left, and exit the square.

Then turn right and cross the second branch of the Seine. Cross Quai Henri IV and continue along the boulevard of the same name. Cross Boulevard Morland and head straight for Sully-Morland metro station (E).

To return home:
- Metro - Line 7.

Good trainers are sufficient for this urban route.

Toilets and water points in public gardens (shown on the map). Bars, restaurants and shops along the route.

A detailed map is required (at least the one accompanying this description).

Public garden opening hours:
Square Roger Stéphane:
- Opening: 9:30 a.m. on weekdays, 9:00 a.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
- Closing: 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., depending on the season. See detailed opening hours.
Jardin du Luxembourg: depending on the season, open from 7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m., closing from 4:45 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. See detailed opening hours.
Square des Arènes de Lutèce:
- Opening: 8:00 a.m. on weekdays, 9:00 a.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
- Closing: 5:45 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., depending on the season. See detailed opening hours.
Square Barye: open 24 hours a day.

Walk taken by the author on 23 November 2018.

From Sèvres-Babylone (S) to Passage du Commerce (2):
- Saint-Germain-des-Prés Church (10th-12th century) (1). Built in the Romanesque style, it is one of the oldest churches in Paris.
- In Square Laurent Prache (1), statue of Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) donated to the City of Paris in tribute to Guillaume Apollinaire (1880-1918), who was a friend of the artist.

From Passage du Commerce (2) to Saint-Étienne-du-Mont Church (4):
- Passage du Commerce with its old establishments, including Le Procope, one of the oldest restaurants in Paris, dating back to 1686.
- Statue of the revolutionary Georges Danton (1759-1794) on the edge of Boulevard Saint-Germain.
- Théâtre de l'Odéon (Théâtre de l'Europe).
- Jardin du Luxembourg (3): Senate building, gardens, ponds, statues, etc.
- The Pantheon (late 18th century): "To great men, the grateful nation".

From the Church of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont (4) to the Port de la Tournelle (6):
- Saint-Étienne-du-Mont Church (late 15th century). The tympanum depicts the martyrdom of Saint Stephen, to whom the church is dedicated. Inside, there is a rood screen (a gallery separating the nave from the choir). A fragment of the ancient sarcophagus of Sainte-Geneviève is preserved in a large reliquary in a side chapel of the choir.
- Tower of the former Basilica of Sainte-Geneviève. Now part of the Lycée Henri IV school buildings, it can be seen from the vicinity of the Church of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont.
- Remains of the Philippe Auguste wall (late 12th century) between numbers 1 and 5 Rue Clovis. In this area, the route follows part of the line of this ancient fortification.
- Arènes de Lutèce (1st century), which was used for both theatrical performances and gladiatorial combat. Along with the Thermes de Cluny and the excavations under the forecourt of Notre-Dame, these are the only remains of Paris's Gallo-Roman past.
- Collège des Bernardins (13th century), now a cultural centre, conference venue and theological training centre.

From the Port de la Tournelle (6) to Sully-Morland (E):
- Viewpoint over the Île de la Cité and Notre-Dame, the Seine and the Île Saint-Louis.
- Pont de la Tournelle, which owes its name to a tower in Philippe Auguste's city walls that stood on the left bank. The bridge is topped by a statue of Sainte-Geneviève (patron saint of Paris), created in 1928 by sculptor Paul Landowski (1875-1961).
- Beautiful view of the Seine from Square Barye.