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The 14th arrondissement encloses the famous and lively district of Montparnasse, a popular hang out for the anglo-american expats who escaped to Paris during the 1920s. While there’s little literary culture remaining, the bars enjoyed by Hemingway, F Scott Fitzgerald and their contemporaries are still going strong: Le Dome, la Coupole and La Rotonde are the most famous amongst the string of very expensive, but very Parisian brasseries that line Boulevard Du Montparnasse.

Towering over the district is the Tour Montparnasse, which offers beautiful views from it’s 59th floor but is something of an eyesore from the ground. Filled with offices, it’s the only skyscraper within Paris city limits - as such, it looks rather bizarrely out of place amongst the 14th’s grander, older apartments blocks.

The Fourteenth arrondissement is also filled with Paris’ dead - the Montparnasse cemetary has more than a few famous residents, including legendary crooner Serge Gainsbourg, and is a popular spot for tourists. On a similiar theme, Place Denfert Rochereau offers access to one of Paris more esoteric attractions - a dimly lit staircase leading down into the catacombs. These underground passageways are heaped full of the bones of thousands of long-dead Parisians. While the carved tunnels go on for miles, only a small section is open to the public.

Alongside many middle class and fairly well-off families, the fourteenth is also home to a significant number of students. The Cite Unversitaire at Porte d’Orleons, in the far south of the arrondissement, houses many thousands of students from all over the world in large, relatively modern halls of residence.