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The northern half of the 6e arrondissement, St-Germain , centred on place St-Germain-des-Pres, is the most picturesque and animated square kilometre in the entire city. It's got money, elegance and sophistication, but also an easy-going tolerance and simplicity that comes from a long association with mould-breakers and trend-setters in the arts, philosophy, politics and sciences. However, increasingly the fashion business is taking over from the literary world, with many names more associated with the Right Bank opening up shop here, pushing out booksellers and the like who cannot afford the spiralling rents.
The most dramatic approach to St-Germain is via the Pont des Arts footbridge, across the river from the Louvre, giving you a classic upstream view of the Ile de la Cite.
Historical associations in the area are legion. Picasso painted Guernica in rue des Grands-Augustins. Moliere started his career in rue Mazarine. Robespierre et al. split ideological hairs at Le Procope - Paris's first coffeehouse, opened in 1686 - in rue de l'Ancienne-Comedie. In rue Visconti, Racine died, Delacroix painted, and Balzac's printing business went bust. In the parallel rue des Beaux-Arts, Oscar Wilde died, Corot and Ampere - father of amps - lived, and crazy poet Gerard de Nerval walked a lobster on a lead. South along rue Bonaparte, the tranquil church of St-Sulpice is the focal point of stylish place St-Sulpice. Further along, the Jardins surrounding the Palais du Luxembourg bustle with activity, particularly on afternoons and weekends.
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