Exploring the Left Bank
📍 Le Pont Alexandre, Paris
Dress || Sneakers || Tote Bag || Sunglasses || Earrings
The beautiful Seine River. It’s one of the most important markers in Paris and is a great guide to help navigate the city. Paris is often divided into two areas, Rive Gauche and Rive Droite. This translate to Left Bank and Right Bank. While frequent visitors and locals alike may be partial to one over the other, they are both worth exploring. The Right Bank boasts the Louvre and other incredible museums, while the Left Bank seems to have more history and renowned vintage shopping. On previous trips, I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Rive Droite via Le Vendome and Le Marais. That’s why I decided to make the Left Bank a top priority on this most recent trip. Join me for some exploring on Left Bank.
Breakfast at a Historic Cafe
Excited for the full day ahead of us, we got bright and early and started from our hotel in the 2nd arrondissement. The first destination was for a quintessential Parisian breakfast at one of the famous Left Bank Cafes. Essential their are two camps, Les Deux Magots and Café de Flore. Both were a favorite amongst the Paris literary set, think Hemingway and Fitzgerald, and have an identical menu. While I can’t strongly recommend one over the over, I genuinely loved our breakfast at Les Deux Magots. We watched the city come alive with our croissants, café alongé, and jus d’orange. Next time, I’ll give Café de Flore or La Bonaparte a try.
Visiting the Musee Rodin
After breakfast and some aimless exploring, we made our way to the Musée Rodin. Auguste Rodin is best known for The Thinker and The Kiss (see above) but is also considered the founder of modern sculpture. Many friends so highly recommended this particular museum. I was so excited to see the space in person. He had such a gift for expressing such emotion in his 3-Dimensional work, and it was a joy to see it up close and personal. As always, I highly recommend the audio tour to completely understand what you’re taking in. After the interior tour, enjoy a coffee to stay and enjoy the back gardens that have even more of Rodin’s work.
Exploring Les Invalides
most widely talked about museum, especially compared to the Louvre and D’Orsay. If you’re a history buff or francophile, I cannot recommend this museum enough. Inside this complex, you’ll find several museums about the military history of France. Just beyond the cathedral, which was absolutely stunning, you’ll also find the tomb of Napoleon. Although he was exiled twice, I was in awe of how much his country still feels for him and the memorial that was created in his honor. With its gilded sculptures, the famous Pont Alexandre III bridge leads straight to Les Invalides and serves as the perfect path to fall in love with French history.
There’s just so much more to be said about Le Rive Gauche. From picnicking under the Eiffel Tower to dinner at Le Procope, one of the oldest restaurants in Paris, there’s is so much to love about the Left Bank. If you’re planning your very first trip to Paris, please be sure to make both sides of the Seine River a priority.
Love from Paris,
Katie
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