Onto the fifth arrondissement of Paris today and now we’re getting into the good stuff. The fifth arrondissement, also known as la 5eme, 5e or the Latin Quarter is one of the oldest parts of Paris. It’s where you’ll find some of the oldest monuments, including the Arènes de Luctèce, a 2nd century Roman amphitheatre that once seated 10,000 people but is today used by locals for all sorts from kid’s football to elderly games of boules.

What the 5th arrondissement is best known for however, is the Sorbonne university – the centre of literary Paris. The Sorbonne was established in the mid-13th century by Louis IX as a leg-up for 16 poverty stricken theology students. Since then it has grown and grown, shedding any signs of its humble beginnings and growing into one of the most distinguished universities in the world, sitting on par with Trinity College in Ireland, Oxford in England and Harvard in the US. Today it spans a wide variety of faculties, encompassing 13 independent universities with a combined total of over 35,000 students. The Sorbonne has played a huge role in shaping the 5th arrondissement which has been transformed from a working-class area into the literary centre of the city. This is where you would have been most likely to find Satre with his nose stuck in a philosophy book, or Oscar Wilde with a pen behind his ear (although they called the 6th arrondissement home).

The Sorbonne

It has to be said that the district has evolved in recent years, becoming a lot more elite and well-heeled. You’re much more likely to find a €500,000 loft here now than a dingy student studio but still it has retained a lot of its culture. The students may have to live a bit further away these days but this is still where they come to eat, drink and play. Bars in the 5eme are still those same great, dark spots serving bistro grub rather than delicate fare and lashing out beers on happy hour rather than after-work cocktails. There are also some great-value restaurants to be had around here and top notch crepe stands.

If you’re hungry and travelling on a budget, 5e is the place for you. More specifically the market street of Rue Mouffetard is the place to go. If you can’t find great, cheap food here, you won’t find it anywhere. The cobbled street climbs upwards lined with bakeries, cheese shops, wine shops, fish mongers and bustling cafes full of students, housewives and elderly ladies with even more elderly dogs. Although it’s not technically on Rue Mouffetard, the nearby L’Agrume at 15 Rue des Fossés St-Marcel is a top spot for great gourmet food at reasonable prices (by Paris standards anyway). The set lunch menu is a bargain.

If you can't find something to eat here...

If you want a real taste of 5e you would be much better advised to go café hopping than landmark hopping. Choose carefully and you’ll find yourself surrounded by students, lecturers and the French philosophers of tomorrow, although they’re much harder to spot these days since they don’t sport half as many holes in their clothes as they once did. Late night openings at bookshops are a treat too.

Of course there are landmarks too – lots of landmarks, lovely landmarks. One you will find it hard to miss is The Panthéon. Looking a lot like its namesake in Rome, The Panthéon is nowhere near as old. It was built in the 18th century as an abbey but its windows were bricked up during the French Revolution and it was turned into a mausoleum. Today it is a surprisingly quiet spot that houses such French superstars as Pierre and Marie Curie, Victor Hugo, Voltaire, Émile Zola, Louis Braille (who, you guessed it, invented braille), and revolutionary Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Makes a great break between café visits.

Of course this wouldn’t be any kind of student centre if there wasn’t a bit of diversity thrown into the mix. Two of the best sights in the Latin Quarter are Mosquée de Paris and the Institut du Monde Arabe. While the latter houses some fantastic temporary exhibitions, the institute is best known for its architecture. The huge façade is made up of the most interesting plate glass you are ever likely to see (see main photo). The Mosque meanwhile has a beautiful soaring minaret and visitors are welcome once they come modestly dressed and remove their shoes.

"Home Sweet Home" - Marie Curie

Too full of pastries and lunch to manage a sightseeing tour? Don’t worry, you’re in Paris so you’re never far away from an extraordinary park and in this part of town that’s the Jardin des Plantes, the city’s 24 hectare botanical gardens. It even has a small zoo inside for the kids. What more could you ask for?

Click for round-ups of the 1st arrondissement, the 2nd arrondissement, and the 3rd and 4th arrondissement.