How many neighborhoods can boast their own angel guarding over the gates? Okay, so there’s no gate, and the angel in question is the statue and fountain at Place Saint-Michel, which depicts the archangel of the same name victoriously slaying a devilish figure. It’s the heart and icon of a neighborhood that has been so relentlessly filmed, written about, and blandly praised in guidebook pages that it’s become a bit of a tourist trap (some argue, anyway). While some places in this mythic quartier have indeed become regular honeytraps for unsuspecting visitors (please avoid the terrible and overpriced restaurants on and around Rue de la Harpe, for example), St-Michel still harbors some of my favorite places in Paris, including the underrated Hôtel Cluny and Medieval Museum and many historic Paris arthouse cinemas.

To learn more, check out About.com Paris Travel Contributer Colette Davidson’s closer look at the Saint-Michel Neighborhood.

More Paris Neighborhood Guides:

• Saint-Germain-des-Prés
• Gritty and Glorious Belleville
• Rue Montorgueil Neighborhood

New Paris Neighborhood Profile: Saint-Michel originally appeared on About.com Paris Travel on Monday, January 18th, 2010 at 06:28:27.

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