Free audio walk in Paris
Discoveries in the 5th Arrondissement
- 83 min
- 5.6 km
- 8 stops
- Free
Starts at 29z Quai Saint-Bernard
About this walk
Distance: 4.5 km Time: 75 minutes This route takes you into the 5th arrondissement, a part of Paris where history and student life meet. You’ll pass through the Jardin des Plantes, walk by the university, and enjoy the lively streets that make this neighborhood so characteristic. The route begins and ends at the same location.
The stops
Walk them in order; each story plays when you reach its pin.
- 1Stop 1
The Latin Quarter
This neighborhood got its name not from ancient Rome, but from students who literally spoke Latin on the street until the 1700s.
Read the story - 2Stop 2
Arènes de Lutèce
Behind this green fence hides a Roman arena that was buried, forgotten, looted, and nearly turned into a tram depot — and it took Victor Hugo to save it.
Read the story - 3Stop 3
Jardin des Plantes
This peaceful garden hides a story of royal medicine, revolutionary survival, and a Christmas dinner so shocking it still turns stomachs today.
Read the story - 4Stop 4
Grande Mosquée de Paris
This beautiful mosque holds a secret that saved over a thousand lives during the darkest years of the Nazi occupation.
Read the story - 5Stop 5
Rue Mouffetard
This ancient street smells wonderfully fresh today, but trust us, that has not always been the case.
Read the story - 6Stop 6
The Panthéon
This building has kicked out its own dead, funded itself with lottery tickets, and still holds two men who absolutely hated each other.
Read the story - 7Stop 7
Foucault's Pendulum at the Panthéon
A failed medical student once hung a ball on a rope in his basement and accidentally proved that the Earth moves beneath our feet.
Read the story - 8Stop 8
The Sorbonne
The stones of this university have witnessed a woman's triumph, a saint's condemnation, and over eight centuries of ideas that changed the world.
Read the story
Ready when you are
Walk Discoveries in the 5th Arrondissement with ROODS.
8 stops through Paris, about 83 minutes. Open ROODS in your browser, walk to the first pin and the story plays.
- Stories on a map, with narrated audio
- Walk at your own pace, stop where you like
- Runs in your browser. An app is optional.
