The Rive Gauche is the southern bank of the river Seine in Paris. Here the river flows roughly westward, cutting the city in two parts. When facing downstream, the southern bank is to the left, and the northern bank (or Rive Droite) is to the right.
"Rive Gauche" or "Left Bank" generally refers to the Paris of an earlier era: the Paris of artists, writers, and philosophers,
The phrase implies a sense of bohemianism, counterculture, and creativity. Some of its famous streets are the boulevard Saint-Germain, the boulevard Saint-Michel, the rue Bonaparte, and the rue de Rennes.
The Latin Quarter is a Left Bank area in the 5th and 6th arrondissements in the vicinity of the University of Paris.
