2,000 years ago Romans walked the cobblestone streets of the Latin Quarter. Today, this ancient part of Paris oozes history and charm. It's here you find the glorious Pantheon, the Jardin du Luxembourg, market streets, great hotels, and a lot to see and do. Professionally guided tours are best ways to begin to experience this historic district. Here are our top picks for Latin Quarter activities.

Shop at a Street Market & Learn French Cooking

During this all-day activity you learn the secrets of traditional French cooking while you prepare your own 3-course lunch at a cooking school in the Latin Quarter. With your instructor you also visit a traditional Parisian street market to shop for the ingredients you will need for lunch.

Cooking classes are some of the most memorable things we've ever done in Paris and this one doesn't disappoint. After shopping at the market you head to the cooking studio to plan and prepare your lunch, working with your expert instructor. A couple of hours later you're ready to sit down and eat what you've cooked… along with a glass of wine or two!

Go Deep Into the Latin Quarter Food Scene

What could be better? You're in the oldest quartier in Paris… and on a food tour. Is it any wonder this guided activity gets rave reviews? Things start off at an iconic fromagerie on Boulevard Saint-Germain where your expert culinary guide introduces you to the best cheeses of France. Sample, sample, sample, then on to the next stops where you'll learn about and sample, sample sample, baguettes, patisserie, charcuterie, and more.

The small group size ensures that you get individual attention…and plenty of samples!

Discover The Chocolate & Pastry of the Latin Quarter

Did you guess that this is one of our favorites? It's also one of the most popular food activities in Paris, and that's no surprise when you consider that it's a walking tour along historic streets that combines your passion for Paris with your love of chocolate and fabulous French pastries.

Spend a pleasant afternoon tasting your way through chocolate shops, patisseries and boulangeries of the kind only Paris can produce. The tour size is limited to 8 people to provide individual attention. A Parisian food expert leads you through typical neighborhoods as you learn how to choose the best chocolates and pastries. Sampling is required — no hardship there !

Dive Into History on a Walking Tour

The dome of the Pantheon rises above the historic streets of the Latin Quarter

This might be one of the best ways to start off your first day in Paris. For two-and-a-half hours you explore this historic quartier with an expert guide. You meet up at the Cité Metro stop (line 4) in the middle of Îe de la Cité (the island) and walk to nearby Notre Dame Cathedral for a view of its still-standing towers and an update from your guide on the latest restoration news (following the tragic fire).

Then cross the Seine into the heart of the Latin Quarter to wander the cobbled streets and visit ancient Roman ruins, the Pantheon, Luxembourg, and even locations for Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris. This is a semi-private tour with a maximin of eight people to ensure personal attention.

The Top Latin Quarter Hotels

What to we love about the Latin Quarter? Well, it's trendy, charming, upbeat, with lots of local life, and centrally located. We've also found that some of the best Paris hotels in are found in this picturesque quartier. In fact, our top-rated hotel in all of Paris, Hotel Monge, is found here.

As you can tell, the Latin Quarter is one of our favorite places to be in the city, and you're close to so many attractions — like the Pantheon, Jardin du Luxembourg and even Notre Dame Cathedral, just across the river.