Left Bank

The Left Bank in travellers' terms generally refers to the "Left Bank" (French, Rive Gauche) of the River Seine in the French capital city of Paris.

The Left Bank defies precise definition but generally refers to those arrondissements (districts) on the southern bank of the river as it flows though central Paris:

• the 5th arrondissement - the "Latin Quarter" and the Sorbonne
• the 6th arrondissement - St Germain-des-Prés
• the 7th arrondissement - the Eiffel Tower and its surroundings

Extending beyond being a simple geographical region, the Left Bank has become a byword for a particular style of life, fashion, or "look", with connotations of high style, the avant-garde and intellectualism.

The Left Bank is mirrored by the term Right Bank (Paris), referring to arrondissements north of the river within central Paris, the general meaning of which contrasts strongly with that of the Left Bank.