A district in Paris, stretching from around Sciences Po and its major bookstore on 187 St Germain Boulevard to around University of Paris, offers both a great view of Parisian student life, ambience of Parisian universities and France best designer brands stores flowering with some of the best Parisian Cafes and Restaurants.
A good beginning to explore this district is Sciences Po bookstore, 187 St Germain Boulevard, with Sciences Po university behind it neighboring Chanel’s former designer, Karl Lagerfeld’s head quartering on rue Saint-Guillaume 27. Sciences Po curriculum has to be studied closely to choose from a large volumes of programs, many taught in English only, to see how these programs may fit with your future career plans. Some ideas about Sciences Po programs and how they compare with a few other Paris based higher learning institutions are provided in this reading.
Out of Sciences Po university, past Karl Lagerfeld head quarter, turning from rue Saint- Guillaume east bound on St Germain Boulevard takes you right to Louis Vuitton and Moncler, on St Germain 170 and 171, respectively. A visit to Moncler and Louis Vuitton is a must before heading for Hermes later on after a break close by Place des Jean-Paul Sartre, one of the most famous French existentialist philosophers enriched by this area and Parisian ambience of life.
The Gucci store on 161 St Germain Boulevard stretches into rue du Dragon. Rue du Dragon actually meets rue de Sevres where one of Paris most famous Hermes store is located on number 17. Before heading for Hermes store on 17 rue de Sevres, a few points are important to take note of about rue du Dragon. Firstly, there are a number of classic Parisian cafes and restaurants here that are bound to entice any cafe lover. Secondly, one of the most interesting aspects of rue du Dragon is a number of hairstylists salons with reasonable rates. So why not put one of them to test at what they are supposed to be good at, namely, French hairstyle. There is a lot of buzz about Tony&Guy. They are on 28 rue du Dragon. Chris Lee (Li Yuchun), the Chinese singer who has stolen hearts of most French designer brands and has been on the cover-page of most famous fashion magazines comes to mind as a perfect shot of French hairstyle that should be on the iPhone when heading into one of the hairstylists on rue du Dragon. By the way, passing by the Gucci store on 161 St Germain, it is not too difficult to recall that Gucci has also fallen in love with Chris Lee (Li Yuchun) as an ambassador for some of their products. Rue du Dragon can be remembered by the Gucci store on one end and on the other end it meets rue de Sevres. There is a lot buzz about Hermes new store on 17 rue de Sevres. Walking from the Gucci store on St Germain 161 is not more than some 10-15 minutes to Hermes store on rue de Sevres from rue du Dragon and it is absolutely a must-visit in case you are in the neighborhood.
Back on St Germain from a visit to Hermes store on 17 ru de Sevres, walking past 161 St Germain the Gucci store and then passing by Emporio Armani store on St Germain 141, we reach an interesting stretch Parisian cafes flower together with Chinese, Thai and Japanese restaurants. Two options of note here are Le Canton and Yen. Le Canton on 5 rue Gozlin (staying on the Emporio Armani side of the street) has been around since 1954. Yen is a Japanese restaurant with a great patio facing Louis Vuitton St Germain on 22 rue Saint-Benoit. Several other options, from both bohemian Parisian cafes to restaurants offering tastes of four corners of the globe are available along St Germain Boulevard.
East bound on St Germain, past Emporio Armani store and the major intersection, there are many more must-sees within 10-20 minutes walking distance. To name a few, the Apple store, the vicinity around Cite University of Paris by Odeon, Soua-Quan which is one of the best places to shop for those hard-to-find ingredients for any Pacific-Asian, that is, any Chinese, Thai, Japanese or Korean cuisines and finally the most famous library in Paris for studying, i.e., library Saint Genevieve, are all on your way east bound.
Apple store is on Boulevard St Germain 131 right by Marche Saint-Germain, a large scale plaza/mall worth visiting. Apple store and its logo is difficult to miss as you approach the mall/plaza. Marche Saint-Germain can be viewed as a good sign marking the beginning of the district close to University of Paris, Cite. Metro station Odeon is right by University of Paris, Cite. There is a lovely Starbucks right by Odeon with a view upstairs toward Odeon. This Starbucks is home to many University of Paris students, a sort of hangout after school for gathering, studying, exchanging lecture notes and getting the latest tips on the forthcoming exam questions. There are a number of smaller discovery pathways around University of Paris, Cite, to look into for student hangouts such as cafes and restaurants. Make sure to explore this area.
From University of Paris, Cite on 85 Boulevard St Germain east bound there are a few noteworthy stops to keep in mind, especially, if you are a fan of classic Asian-Pacific cuisine (Thai, Chinese, Japanese or Korean). Sou-Quan is on Boulevard St Germain 58. It is a stone cast from Metro Maubert line 10. Sou-Quan has been around since 1970s. Sou-Quan can be considered a speciality grocery store with fresh produce and most of the hard-to-find ingredients you would need for preparing any Asian-Pacific dish. Close to Sou-Quan is a classic Parisian market with daily fresh fish, vegetables and most famous variety of French cheese.
Another stop of note on this stretch is certainly Eyrolles on 57-61 Boulevard St Germain. Eyrolles carries one of the most comprehensive selections of books, from academic writings that maybe difficult to find at Sciences Po bookstore to all kinds of technical books and hard-to-find comic books. Eyrolles has also an interesting selections of Wacom tablets that might be worth taking a close look at in case Apple store dose not carry large tablets for the graphic design work you have in mind.
Finally, of note on this journey of discovering the district from Sciences Po to University of Paris, is the symbol of what it means to be a student in Paris and study in the emblem of libraries, namely, library Saint Genevieve. It is right on your path here on Boulevard St Germain. As soon as you are about to pass 49 Boulevard St Germain make sure to take a look right inside rue des Carmes. Yep, what you see at the end is one of Paris most famous sites, Pantheon. Guess what is right by it? Library Saint Genevieve. Happy touring St Germain.
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