6 Best Sights in Montparnasse, Paris

The sculptor Ossip Zadkine spent nearly four decades living in this bucolic retreat near the Jardin du Luxembourg, creating graceful, elongated figures known for their clean lines and simplified features. Zadkine, a Russian-Jewish émigré, moved to Paris in 1910 and fell into a circle of avant-garde artists. His early works, influenced by African, Greek, and Roman art, later took a Cubist turn, no doubt under the influence of his friend, the founder of the Cubist movement, Pablo Picasso. This tiny museum displays a substantial portion of the 400 sculptures and 300 drawings bequeathed to the city by his wife, artist Valentine Prax. There are busts in bronze and stone reflecting the range of Zadkine's style, and an airy back room filled with lithe female nudes in polished wood. The charming, leafy garden contains a dozen statues nestled in the trees, including The Destroyed City, a memorial to the Dutch city of Rotterdam, destroyed by the Germans in 1940.

This 38-acre park on the southern edge of the city is one of Paris's best-kept secrets. Home to an enormous variety of flora and fauna, as well as a small rose garden, one can stroll or jog around the hilly footpaths or lounge and picnic on a number of giant lawns. There are free playgrounds for children and a small lake with ducks and other waterfowl. If you're feeling especially energetic and adventurous, cross Boulevard Jourdan and explore the campus of the unique and historic Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris. The campus is home to a variety of architectural wonders, both modern and historic, which house visiting professors and students from around the world.

Built above the tracks of Gare Montparnasse, this park nestled among tall modern buildings is named for its assortment of trees and plants typically found in coastal regions near the Atlantic Ocean. In the center of the park, what looks like a quirky piece of metallic sculpture is actually a meteorological center, with a battery of flickering lights reflecting temperature, wind speed, and monthly rainfall. It's not really worth a detour, but it's a good green space if you're already nearby.

To experience local living in one of the best ways, visit this excellent street market that takes place every Wednesday and Saturday morning. On Wednesday, there are produce and food stands, but also inexpensive clothing, jewelry, household items, and fun souvenirs. Saturday is a food lover's paradise with multiple stands selling fresh produce, spices, olives, fish, cheese, meat, and other gastronomic pleasures. It's a good place to pick up lunch (the Lebanese stand across from No. 42 makes excellent sandwiches to go) before paying your respects at Cimetière du Montparnasse across the street.

Designed by Claude-Nicolas Ledoux in the late 18th century, this landmark structure was originally built as a customs station for merchandise entering Paris. It's now home to a museum dedicated to the French heroes of the resistance during World War II (including Jean Moulin and General Leclerc) and the liberation of Paris. The museum features a fascinating collection of historic memorabilia, photographs, documents, and video archives.

At the busy intersection of Rue de Rennes and Boulevard du Montparnasse, this small square commemorates an impassioned radio broadcast Charles de Gaulle made from London on June 18, 1940. In it he urged the French to resist Nazi occupiers (who had invaded the month prior), thereby launching the French Resistance Movement. It was also here that German military governor Dietrich von Choltitz surrendered to the Allies in August 1944, ignoring Hitler's orders to destroy the city as he withdrew. The square (in fact, a triangle) has been restored and now has a bench and one of the city's sculpted, cast-iron Wallace drinking fountains, which run with clean clear water and where you can fill up your water bottle. There are about 100 of these fountains around the city, most of them painted green (though there is at least one red one in Chinatown) and named after Sir Richard Wallace, an English art collector who funded the project in the 19th century.