Observatoire

Laid-back residential Paris with a rich artistic and intellectual history.

Montparnasse was the Left Bank bohemian rival to Montmartre in the 1920s — Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Man Ray, and Gertrude Stein gathered in its cafés and ateliers. The postwar construction of the Montparnasse Tower diminished some of its charm, but authentic neighborhood life persists in the residential pockets of Plaisance and Pernety.

Residential, local, and unpretentious. The famous old cafés — La Coupole, Le Select, La Rotonde — retain their literary associations, though they've become somewhat touristy. The real charm is in the smaller streets and the excellent bakeries.