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Paris hotel

Hôtel des Grandes Écoles

75 rue du Cardinal Lemoine · 75005 Paris

A 51-room courtyard-and-garden hotel beside Ernest Hemingway’s first Paris address, for travelers who want the village-like upper Latin Quarter.

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Watercolor illustration of the leafy courtyard and pale pink façade of Hôtel des Grandes Écoles.
Hôtel des Grandes Écoles’ courtyard and garden. Editorial illustration.

A closer look

Inside Hôtel des Grandes Écoles

Three original editorial illustrations based on the hotel’s documented rooms, décor, and private pool.

Editorial illustration of a Hôtel des Grandes Écoles twin room with blue toile de Jouy wallpaper, cane headboards, and worn wood furniture.
A toile de Jouy twin room, interpreted from the hotel’s documented country-house style. Editorial illustration.
Editorial illustration of a Hôtel des Grandes Écoles double room with botanical fabric, antique wood furniture, and doors toward the garden.
A garden-facing room, interpreted from the hotel’s documented furniture and leafy courtyard setting. Editorial illustration.
Editorial illustration of the Hôtel des Grandes Écoles breakfast salon with antique tables, toile curtains, and morning garden light.
The breakfast salon, interpreted from the hotel’s documented family-pension and garden character. Editorial illustration.

About Hôtel des Grandes Écoles

Hôtel des Grandes Écoles sits behind a gated entrance at 75 rue du Cardinal Lemoine. Its three buildings face a planted courtyard and garden, creating a country-house atmosphere that feels separate from the street. The 51 rooms keep an intentionally traditional look, with Jouy-patterned wallpaper, distressed wood furniture, and no televisions.

The address is especially useful for a trip following Ernest Hemingway. Ernest Hemingway and Hadley Richardson lived next door at number 74, and place de la Contrescarpe and rue Mouffetard are uphill. The Panthéon is also in the upper Latin Quarter, while Notre-Dame and today’s Shakespeare and Company belong to the lower quarter.

Rooms range from 10 to 25 square meters and can be arranged with double or twin beds. The garden and setting are the principal draw; an independent AFAR review describes the rooms as small by American standards and the bathrooms as simple. Travelers who need more space should compare categories carefully rather than booking on atmosphere alone.

Good to know

AFAR describes the rooms as small by American standards and the bathrooms as simple; the courtyard and neighborhood are the main attractions.

Who this hotel suits

Best for

  • Ernest Hemingway and rue Mouffetard itineraries
  • Travelers who value a courtyard and garden
  • Guests who prefer traditional character over in-room technology

Consider another area if

  • You want generous entry-level room sizes
  • A television or contemporary hotel design matters to you
  • Most of your plans are around Saint-Germain or Montparnasse

Location

What is nearby

75 rue du Cardinal Lemoine, 75005 Paris

Open in OpenStreetMap

Ernest Hemingway’s first neighborhood

Across the Latin Quarter

Plan a day from the hotel

Must-visit places nearby

Three cultural places that fit naturally into a stay at this address. Open each place for its history and practical visitor details.

Apartment

74 Rue du Cardinal Lemoine

Ernest Hemingway and Hadley Richardson's first Paris apartment, on the fifth floor with no running water. He describes it in the opening pages of the book.

Square

Place de la Contrescarpe

The small square at the top of the rue Mouffetard, a minute from Ernest Hemingway's first flat — now one of the quarter's prettiest corners. The novel visits it after dark.

Park

Jardin du Luxembourg

Ernest Hemingway's daily shortcut and his hungry-day refuge — the park where he walked to avoid the smell of food, and studied the Cézannes in its museum on an empty stomach.