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Montmartre has always attracted the crowds to its basilica-topped butte. Many come to lose themselves in the historic village atmosphere of cobblestoned passages, secret gardens, and tiny cabarets immortalized by their favorite artists and writers. But Montmartre is more than just a pretty postcard from the past. It’s also a lively Parisian neighborhood full of young designer boutiques and trendy local bars. You’ll discover here the magical mix of quirky inhabitants, sex shops, and modern romance featured in the film Amélie. So admire the view from Sacré-Coeur and drink the local wine at Place du Tertre, but be prepared to do a bit of exploration off the beaten track for a glimpse of the real Montmartre beyond the tour buses and souvenir shops.
Begin at the métro Abbesses, with its original 1900 Art Nouveau entrance and a never-ending spiral stairwell decorated top to bottom by local artists. Take the elevator if you must, but those aren’t the last stairs you’ll see in this neighborhood! Hopeless romantics should visit the Square Jehan Rictus, where a 430-square-foot mural created in 2000 is covered with the words I Love You, written in 311 languages. Follow the Rue Yvonne Le Tac to the Place St-Pierre, at the foot of the Square Willette. This is the heart of the Paris textiles market, with shop after shop of luxurious fabrics sold at wholesalers’ prices.
The Halle St-Pierre, a former 19th-century covered market of glass and iron, houses the Musée International d’Art Naîf (Halle St-Pierre, 2 Rue Ronsard, 18th, M° Abbesses, ☎ 01 42 58 72 89, www.midan.org), a primitive and folk-art museum and library. Open daily, 10am to 6pm; entry €6. There’s no fee to stop by the museum’s café, where you can enjoy the lovely views of Sacré-Coeur with a cup of tea and a slice of pie.
Continue up Rue Ronsard (or sneak back to the funicular railway, which works with regular métro tickets) to the steps of the Sacré-Coeur Basilica. The panoramic views here are a bit overrated, since perpetual smog and its distance from central Paris make it hard to distinguish much besides the Eiffel Tower and the Tour Montparnasse.
MONTMARTRE ON WHEELS If your legs can’t bear the stairs, there are two alternative ways of seeing Montmartre. Le Petit Train de Montmartre (M° Blanche, ☎ 01 42 62 24 00, €5 adults, €3 kids) leaves from the Place Blanche daily, every 30 minutes from 10am to 7pm, until midnight on weekends and in summer. This 40-minute tour with commentary isn’t bad for the price when you consider how much anguish it will save your feet (although your ego may suffer if anyone finds out you were on a toy train ride). The city-run Montmartrobus is a cheaper alternative (you just need a regular bus ticket or pass), although there’s no commentary. It goes in a loop around Montmartre from the Mairie (Town Hall) at Jules Joffrin to Pigalle via Place des Abbesses, the Lapin Agile Cabaret, and the Place du Tertre. |
Construction of the Roman-Byzantine Sacré-Coeur Basilica (Parvis du Sacré-Coeur, 18th, M° Anvers, ☎ 01 53 41 89 00) began after the Franco-Prussian war of 1870, funded by donations from all over the country by those convinced that the occupation (and subsequent Paris Commune uprising) was a punishment from God for their lack of faith. The grand wedding-cake structure was finally consecrated in 1919. Because of the nature of the stone used to build the basilica, each time it rains it actually gets whiter. The basilica is open daily, 6am to 11pm. The dome (656 feet above sea level) and the crypt can be visited daily, 9am to 5:45pm (entry €4.50).
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Follow the Rue Azais around to the small Eglise St-Pierre-de-Montmartre (2 Rue du Mont-Cénis, 18th), the only surviving vestige of Montmartre’s ancient Benedictine Abbey, which was destroyed during the French Revolution. Consecrated in the 12th century, St-Pierre’s is one of the oldest churches in Paris (along with St-Germain-des-Prés and St-Martin-des-Champs). The tiny cemetery next door is only open to the public on All Saints’ Day (November 1).
Be ready to fend off the roving portrait artists as you enter the Place du Tertre, the historic heart of Montmartre. The official, tax-paying artists are the ones sitting patiently at their easels in the center of the square (you can try haggling a lower price if business is slow). It’s best to visit early in the morning, before the café terraces and postcard stands crowd the sidewalks. Be sure to stop into the community-run information center, the Syndicat d’Initiative de Montmartre (21 Place du Tertre, 18th, ☎ 01 42 62 21 21). There’s a large binder you can browse through for local information on food, hotels, sightseeing and events. They also sell local maps, detailed history guides, and the rare Clos de Montmartre wine. Open daily, 10am to 7pm.
LA LIBERTÉ Montmartre has always had a rebellious streak. Newly annexed to Paris in 1860, its anti-conformist ideals and bohemian lifestyle attracted a number of libertines and artists. But today’s visitors may not realize that it was also here that the popular uprising of the Commune was declared in March 1871. Despite the Commune’s bloody repression two months later, the independent spirit of the Butte lives on. In 1920 the Commune Libre du Montmartre was established to preserve the village’s community ideals and camaraderie, with its own mayor who performs traditional marriage and baptism ceremonies. They have a number of festive events throughout the year – ask at the information center (above) for more information. |
Leave the crowded square by the Rue Poulbot. Devoted Salvador Dali fans won’t want to miss the “fantasmagoric universe” known as the Espace Dali (11 Rue Poulbot, 18th, M° Abbesses, ☎ 01 42 64 40 10), with over 300 of the Spanish surrealist’s prints and sculptures theatrically displayed. Open daily, 10am to 6:30pm, July and August until 9pm. Entry €7.
Explore the photogenic Rue Norvins and Rue St-Rustique, whose Auberge de la Bonne-Franquette (on the corner of Rue des Saules) was immortalized in Utrillo’s paintings, and frequented in the late 1800s by Pissarro, Cézanne, Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh and the writer Emile Zola. Want to know more about the artists of Montmartre? Just around the corner is the Musée de Montmartre (12 Rue Cortot, 18th, M° Anvers, ☎ 01 49 25 89 37, www.museedemontmartre.com), a 17th-century townhouse where Renoir, Dufy and Utrillo once lived, now a museum dedicated to the Butte’s Bohemian heyday. Don’t miss the great views from the windows. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10am to 12:30pm and 1:30 to 6pm. Entry €4.50, students €3, free for kids under 10.
Cut back behind the Basilica along the Rue du Chevalier de la Barre to the romantic Parc de la Turlure, with its vine-covered pergola and lovely views over the rooftops. Follow the Rue de la Bonne (downhill, at last) to the cobblestoned Rue Saint-Vincent. Across from #14 is the Jardin Sauvage, a wildlife preservation garden only open to the public on Saturdays from April to October, 10am to 6pm. Next door is the Clos du Montmartre, the symbolic vineyard planted in 1933 to commemorate Montmartre’s history as a wine-growing hilltop. The annual grape harvest festival takes place the first week of October (and according to those in the know, the quality of the wine has improved significantly over the past decade).
Across from the vineyard is the historic cottage of the Cabaret du Lapin Agile (22 Rue des Saules, 18th, M° Lamarck-Caulaincourt, ☎ 01 46 06 85 87, www.au-lapin-agile.com) once the haunt of Montmartre’s artists and now a place to go hear all of the old classic French chansons in an authentic cabaret décor (see the Entertainment section for more information). Continue along Rue St-Vincent, with a peek into the tiny Cimetière de St-Vincent on your right (entrance on Rue Gaulard), where the artist Utrillo and other local parishioners are buried.
Time to head back up the hill along the curve of Avenue Junot. There are some charming townhouses built in the early 1900s at the Hameau des Artistes (#11) and Villa Léandre (#25). Turn right on Rue Giradon and again at Rue Lepic. Here stand Montmartre’s last two windmills, the Moulin Radet and the Moulin de la Galette, the famous dance hall immortalized in Renoir’s Bal du Moulin de la Galette (at the Musée d’Orsay). Vincent Van Gogh lived at his brother’s flat on the third floor of #54 from 1886-1888, painting the windmills and Montmartre’s quickly vanishing wheat fields.
Get ready for a change of scenery at the Place Blanche, where the neon red windmill of the Moulin Rouge (82 Boulevard de Clichy, 18th, M° Blanche, ☎ 01 53 09 82 82, www.clubmoulinrouge.com) stands proudly in the center of Pigalle’s sex shops, night clubs and peep shows. Although the public adored its frilly petticoated cancan dancers, the Moulin Rouge caused a real scandal in 1890 when the first woman appeared onstage as Cleopatra – completely nude! It’s had many ups and downs before evolving to its current Vegas-style show. Read all about it on their web site, or see the Entertainment section for information on booking a seat.
Just west of the Moulin Rouge is the Musée de l’Erotisme (72 Boulevard de Clichy, 18th, M° Blanche, ☎ 01 42 58 28 73) This museum suffers from its seedy location, because it’s not just a collection of dirty pictures. There are seven floors dedicated to evolution of eroticism in art, from primitive sculptures and Far Eastern illustrated books to Belle Epoque furniture and contemporary cartoons. Okay, and lots of dirty pictures. The most interesting part of the exhibition presents the glory days of 19th-century Parisian brothels. All of the descriptions are in French and English. The neighborhood may scare off some visitors, but the museum is tastefully done and not at all intimidating, even for solo female visitors. Open daily, 10am to 2am. Entry €7, €5 for students.
NOMO DETOUR If you haven’t already noticed, the north side of Montmartre (NoMo) has quite a different atmosphere than the rest of the Butte. There may not be any museums or ancient winding streets, but this is where actual Parisians eat and shop, without a postcard stand, tour bus, or portrait artist in sight! Take the stairs down past the métro Lamarck-Caulaincourt to Rue Francoeur, then left down Rue du Mont-Cénis to the Place Jules Joffrin. A tiny microcosm of Parisian life, this bustling square with its Haussmann-style press kiosk and mini merry-go-round is framed dramatically by the neo-Gothic Notre-Dame de Clignancourt on one side, and the majestic local town hall, the Mairie du 18ème, on the other. Inaugurated in 1892, the Mairie has a beautiful glass and wrought-iron-ceilinged courtyard, which is open to the public. Hidden from sight is one of the most beautiful Salle des Mariages in Paris, with paintings and frescos depicting Montmartre at the beginning of the 20th century. This Mairie is the only town hall in Paris with its own wine cellar, where bottles of the rare Clos Montmartre are carefully stored for special occasions. Around the corner are the market streets: Rue Duhesme, with fresh fruit, vegetable, fish and meat stalls, and the Rue du Poteau, with a wide variety of boutiques selling everything from sausages and chocolates to shoes and home decorating supplies (market closed Monday). Don’t miss the Fromagerie de Montmartre at #9, where they’ll vacuum-seal your cheeses for travel. Gather some picnic supplies and head to the tranquil Square de Clignancourt, a small park with children’s playground and vintage bandstand, surrounded by listed residential buildings and tall trees. Back on the Place Jules Joffrin, take the Montmartrobus back up to the Butte, or Bus 85 to the Marché au Puces in St-Ouen (see Where to Shop for more information). |
Continue along the same side of the boulevard to the tiny Avenue Rachel, a tree-lined pedestrian street with a few cafés and restaurants spilling out onto the sidewalk in nice weather. At the end of the street is the main entrance to the Cimetière de Montmartre (20 Avenue Rachel, 18th, M° Blanche, ☎ 01 53 42 36 30), with the elevated Rue Caulaincourt passing right overhead. Set in the hills, it’s deceptively small until you start going up and down the steps. Ask for a printed plan at the office just inside, which has the locations of famous residents such Berlioz, Offenbach, Degas, Stendhal, Fragonard and Dalida. Open weekdays 8am to 5:30pm (from 8:30am on Saturday, and 9am on Sunday).
AMELIE FEVER Baz Luhrmann’s modern film version of Moulin Rouge may have given the aging cabaret’s image a sexy new lease on life, but it’s nothing compared to the frenzy of Amélie fans who’ve been flocking to Montmartre by the busload since the release of the 2001 runaway hit Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain, titled Amélie for American release. The most popular pilgrimage points are the Brasserie des Deux Moulins (15 Rue Lepic; the tabac counter is gone, but the rest is the same), Au Marché de la Butte (56 Rue des Trois Frères; the film’s Epicerie Collignon), métro Lamarck-Caulaincourt (where she leads the blind man), and #56 Rue des Trois Frères, (Amélie’s apartment). |
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