What To Do In Paris: St-Germain’s Best-Kept Secret

One of the Left Bank’s many charms is that the streets there have kept their ancient, winding ways, despite the best-laid plans of Baron Haussmann to impose order on the rest of Paris. The choices for a good wander near the Lutetia are many, and one that Bastien recommends is the two-block-long Cour du Commerce St-André-des-Arts, which runs between the bustling Boulevard St-Germain and the pint-sized Rue St-André des Arts. Make your way carefully over the cobblestones as you window-shop in quirky boutiques; stop for tea in La Jacobine (59-61 rue Saint-André des Arts; +33-1-46-34-15-95) or hot chocolate and pastry in the delightfully named Un Dimanche à Paris (4-6-8 Cours du Commerce Saint-André; +33-1-56-81-18-18). "You go into the passage at one end, and you come out the other in what seems like a completely different part of Paris," Bastien says.

For repeat visitors to Paris, finding a museum they haven’t already seen several times is the ultimate challenge and reward. Bastien likes to steer his guests to the Musée National Eugène Delacroix (6 rue de Furstenberg; +33-1-44-41-86-50). The museum is built in the home of one of the great artists and personalities of the mid-19th century, known for his iconic 1831 work Liberty Leading The Republic and for a boisterous circle of famous friends that included Frédéric Chopin, Franz Liszt, and George Sand. The museum sits in Place de Furstenberg, one of the best-preserved examples of 19th century architecture in Paris, and features a quiet, leafy back garden where visitors can rest and reflect.

Every Parisian has a favorite café, a place in the neighborhood with a warm welcome, decent house wine, colorful bistro chairs and–most importantly–a well-placed terrace to while away a few hours people-watching. Bastien likes La Palette (43 rue de Seine; +33-1-43-26-68-15), which, conveniently, is just around the corner from the Musée Delacroix. Traditionally a gathering place for students from the nearby Ecole des Beaux-Arts, it is also a hangout for artists, gallerists, and collectors. On a sunny afternoon, grab a seat on the tiny south-facing sidewalk, order a quarter-liter of rosé, and observe this year’s trends in casual fashion parading before your eyes.

Paris is full of lovely parks, but even Parisians complain that some of the nicest ones have too many pelouse interdite signs warning passers-by to keep off the grass. One of Bastien’s most prized “secrets” is the Jardin Catherine Labouré (29 rue de Babylone; +33-1-49-52-42-63), a 75,000-square-foot oasis of calm green space just five minutes from the Lutetia. Walk through the open gates, admire the fruit trees and vegetable plots, and feel free to plop down on the lawn with the other exhausted tourists, picnicking families, industrious students, and drowsy couples. "This is one of the few places in Paris where you can walk in and, in just a few minutes, feel completely refreshed," Bastien says.

Today, Saint-Germain-des-Prés connotes the finer things in this life, but the area was once a spiritual center of abbeys and convents. A vivid reminder of that history is the Chapelle de Notre Dame de la Médaille Miraculeuse, or Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (140 rue du Bac; +33-1-49-54-78-88). It was here that, according to legend, the Virgin Mary appeared to Sister Catherine Labouré in 1830 and instructed her to have a medal made with the image of a globe topped with a cross: "This globe represents the entire world … For those who wear it with confidence, there will be abundant graces." The serene chapel receives some 5 million visitors each year of all faiths, from all over the world, who come to give thanks for their blessings. And yes, you can buy a medal to take home.