| Montparnasse was once the great arrival and departure point for boat travellers across the Atlantic, whether impoverished emigrants or passengers on luxury cruises, and for Bretons seeking work in the capital. The Breton influence is still evident in the names of some of the nearby restaurants, and the Atlantic connection is remembered in the recently created Jardin Atlantique (access by lifts on rue Cdt. R. Mouchotte and bd Vaugirard, or by the stairs alongside platform #1), suspended above the tracks behind the station and surrounded by high-rise blocks. Facing out onto the garden, the tiny Musée Jean Moulin (daily except Mon 10am–5.40pm; €4) may be worth stopping in at if you're waiting for a train to Chartres. It gives a rather dry potted history of the Resistance illustrated by a few photos, posters and newspapers, with a special section on Jean Moulin, wartime prefect of Chartres and hero of the Resistance. The front of the station is unappealing, the prospect of the city blocked by the colossal Tour Montparnasse, one of the city's principal and least-liked landmarks, most tolerable at night, when the red corner lights give it a certain elegance. The view from the top is arguably better than the one from the Eiffel Tower in that it has the Eiffel Tower in it, plus it costs less to ascend (daily: summer 9.30am–11.30pm; winter 9.30am–10.30pm; €7.60 to the open-air tower-top on the 59th floor, €6.40 to 56th floor gallery room; entrance on the north side). Alternatively, you could indulge in an expensive drink in the 56th-storey bar, from where you get a tremendous view westwards, especially at sunset. Just east of the station, Rue de la Gaité, the street where Trotsky lived, is a slice of turn-of-the-century theatreland, with the Théâtre Montparnasse facing the Théâtre Gaité-Montparnasse, and a fair share of porn outlets and junkies. At no. 17, the Comédie Italienne has commedia dell'arte painted scenes on its yellow exterior, while the Rive Gauche, at no. 6, has an equally spectacular frontage. The street is featured in a mural that's visible as you look south from boulevard Edgar-Quinet.
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