Take Rue de la Montagne Sainte-Geneviève, for example, which was originally part of the ancient Gallo-Roman road linking Lutetia to Fontainebleau. This later became the route that Saint Geneviève took (in the early-6th century) to go and pray at the Monastery of the Holy Apostles, founded in 502 by Clovis and his wife Clotilde, the future Abbey of Sainte-Geneviève. But Montagne Sainte-Geneviève is also a hill located on the left banks of the Seine and Bièvre rivers. At its summit stands the Panthéon, the mausoleum where many national celebrities have been laid to rest, now particularly sought-after by wealthy families for its majestic setting and proximity to excellent schools. Another of the district’s major thoroughfares is Rue Gay-Lussac, named in 1864 after French chemist Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac (1778-1850). Excavations carried out by the Institut National de Recherches Archéologiques Préventives (National Institute of Preventive Archaeological Research, INRAP), at 64 Rue Gay-Lussac and 3 Rue des Ursulines in autumn 2002, unearthed a number of Gallo-Roman remains dating from the 1st and 2nd centuries in the deepest layers, including the piers of the Arcueil aqueduct surrounding Montagne Sainte-Geneviève. Just a stone’s throw away, Rue Saint-Jacques is probably the oldest street in Paris, its layout having remained unchanged since the 1st century BC, although it did become far less important once prefect Haussmann built Boulevard Saint-Michel under Napoleon III. Popular among families for its proximity to a number of secondary schools and universities, a nice bourgeois apartment in this neighbourhood will set you back around €14,000/sq.m - the highest price per sq.m in the arrondissement.w

Former workshops at the rear of a courtyard

The image of the 5th arrondissement has much improved in the hearts of Parisians in the space of a generation thanks to the fact that it has managed to retain its authenticity and village-like feel with a number of micro-neighbourhoods that epitomise Haussmannian Paris. Rue Mouffetard, Rue Monge and Place de la Contrescarpe are now popular with young couples, families and foreign buyers, a growing number of whom are looking for a charming pied-à-terre in the neighbourhood. The houses in this hilly part of the city, of which there are quite a lot, are in a different league entirely. Priced at between €10,000 and €16,000/sq.m depending on their condition and location, they are without doubt a sound medium to long-term investment. It’s also worth noting that the property market in the 5th arrondissement regularly sees very small houses (spanning less than 30sq.m or 323 sq ft) come onto the market, many of them tastefully renovated former workshops located at the rear of a courtyard. Demand for this type of quintessential Parisian property seems to be growing, with prices nudging - or even exceeding - the symbolic €16,000/m2 mark. At the other end of the spectrum, family homes located in the Maubert-Mutualité area, between Quai Montebello, Quai de la Tournelle and Boulevard Saint-Germain, or in the Val-de-Grâce neighbourhood, which are few and far between, often sell for in excess of €3 million. The best value for money is likely to be found on the eastern side of the arrondissement, around the Jardin des Plantes and bordering the 13th arrondissement, an area that was somewhat neglected in the late-20th century but has since found a new lease of life, thanks in particular to the very high-end new residential developments to be found there. 
 

Often admired for its academic heritage and charming Latin Quarter, the 5th arrondissement offers a refined lifestyle in the heart of historic Paris. Luxury real estate here is complemented by nearby gems like the 6th arrondissement and 7th arrondissement, each with their own unique allure. For a broader look at luxury apartments on the Left Bank, visit Paris Rive Gauche.