Odéon: history and sights
Served by: metro lines 4 and 10.
Did you know?
Serves the Théâtre de l'Odéon, one of France's most prestigious national theatres, opened in 1782. This lively crossroads, on the edge of Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Latin Quarter, was a hub of 20th-century literary cafés.
Anecdote
The Odéon theatre once housed the Comédie-Française before becoming an independent national theatre.
Audio guide
An audio guide for this station is available in the MétroScope app.
Around Odéon
- Fontaine Médicis, 400 m away — A melancholy fountain from 1630 commissioned by Marie de Médicis in the Luxembourg Gardens, which once inspired Hugo, Chopin and Musset.
- Polidor, 230 m away — A dairy shop turned bistro in 1890, with communal tables unchanged for a century, once frequented by Hemingway, Joyce and Verlaine.
- Le Procope, 150 m away — Paris's oldest café, opened in 1686 by a Sicilian, once frequented by Voltaire, Rousseau, Franklin and Napoleon, now a listed historic monument.
- Théâtre de l'Odéon, 230 m away — One of France's most prestigious national theatres, opened in 1782, devoted to contemporary and classic European drama.
- Jardin du Luxembourg, 600 m away — A vast, nearby 17th-century formal garden surrounding the Luxembourg Palace, home to the French Senate.
- Cour du Commerce Saint-André, 140 m away — An 18th-century paved passage where the first guillotine was tested, today lined with picturesque cafés and bistros.