As the central axis of the Latin Quarter, it has long been a hotbed of student life and activism, but tourism is also a major commercial focus of the street, and designer shops have gradually replaced many small bookshops.

The main buildings of the boulevard are the Musée de Cluny, the Lycée Saint-Louis, the École des Mines and the university facilities of the Sorbonne.

During 1871, the Hôtel des Etrangers was the meeting place of the Vilains Bonhommes (renamed Circle Zutique by Charles Cros) which included Paul Verlaine and Arthur Rimbaud.

On 10 December 1934, the founders of the Comité de rédaction du traité d’analyse met at the Café A. Capoulade, n° 63, to discuss writing a textbook on mathematical analysis.

The closest metro stations are: A political candidate named Duconnaud famously proposed, as an electoral promise, to "extend the Boulevard Saint-Michel to the sea."