Montmartre in Paris: A Self-guided Walking Tour

Montmartre is a beautiful neighborhood of Paris. Visit cafes, parks, artists, antique shops, historic buildings and more. Break away from the congestion of downtown Paris and enjoy a self-guided walking tour of Montmartre – which includes Sacre Coeur and Moulin Rouge.

The trail outlined above is roughly three miles. It begins at the Anvers metro stop along the No. 2 line and stops back at the same metro stop.

While three miles doesn’t seem long, you’ll still want to make sure you have great walking shoes. Also plan on multiple, long staircases that you will go up and down along the path.

Sacre Coeur: The Carousel, Funicular, Stairs and Basilica

Sacre Coeur, which translates to Sacred Heart, is a beautiful white basilica built on a small hill outside of Paris. It’s also one of the more iconic and touristy spots of Paris.

As you arrive at the bottom of the hill, you’ll find a beautiful little carousel. If you have young kids (or you want to act young), take a ride before heading up the hill.

There are two ways up the hill. The funicular is part of a regular metro pass, and is a quick and simple way up the hill. If you want to take the stairs, beware of people who try to stop you and give you a little bracelet made of string. They will ask you to pay them after pretty much shoving a bracelet on your wrist.

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At the top, enjoy a visit inside the basilica. They will check your bag as you walk in, so have it open and ready to keep the line moving. Enjoy your visit inside and be respectful – it is a church, not a theme park.

Bonus: The Sinking House

As you make your way up the stairs to Sacre Coeur, keep an eye out to the right side of the stairs. Near the top, there’s a camera trick you can use to capture a sinking building – or what looks like a sinking building. Simply rotate your camera about 30 degrees so the green grass (hillside) is parallel to the top and bottom of your viewfinder. This becomes the new horizon. As a result, you get the above photo.

Montmartre Museum

The Montmartre Museum provides you with a little history of the neighborhood. You can learn about many of the artists and writers that called this area home.

During your visit, you’ll find works of art from many of the artists, including the largest collection of Monet’s art in a single space. You can also visit the Renior Gardens and get a nice view of the vineyard, which is the next stop on the self-guided walking tour.

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The museum is open every day from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Apr-Sept) and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Oct-March). Costs are roughly 12 Euro for adults, which includes and audioguide.

Le Clos Vineyard of Montmartre

What makes this grape vineyard unique? The fact that it’s a full-functioning vineyard in the middle of the city. Most vineyards are out in the countryside on large open areas of land. So Le Clos Vineyard is a welcome site in an area packed with houses.

The vineyard is not open to the public. But you can wander around the outskirts of the area to observe. While we were there, the grapes were covered in this netting. Not entirely sure why, but it was.

If you’re looking to point out something fun to others in your group, look at the handle on the gate into the vineyard. It’s a little wine bottle. Kind of fun, right?

La Maison Rose

La Maison Rose is a famous little restaurant in Montmartre. The pink walls will probably catch your eye as you walk by it. You learned about the artists who lived in the area earlier in this post, so it should go without saying that artists like Picasso frequented this quaint little cafe and restaurant.

Want to enjoy a meal at La Maison Rose? Book a reservation in advance of your visit, then enjoy appetizers and small plates. The cafe is closed on Tuesdays, and Thursday evening (18:30 – 23:30) and Friday to Monday (12h – 23h30).

Bust of Dalida

Dalida was a famous French singer. She isn’t well known in the English music scene, she was popular in the French culture. In fact, she sold more than 170 million albums and singles worldwide.

In 1987, Dalida committed suicide. Ten years later, Place Dalida (located at rue de l’Abreuvoir and rue Girardon) was dedicated and this bust was erected.

You’ll probably noticed the discoloration of the breasts of Dalida. It’s because of a superstition that good luck comes to those who rub the breasts of this Dalida bust. Apparently, it’s a popular thing to do and many people are superstitious. 😉

Moulin de la Galette

Along the route, you’ll find Moulin de la Galette. While it looks like just another windmill, it has a rather interesting past. The windmill was built in the 1600s and the miller used it to grind flour for bread. Famous artists that inhabited Montmartre immortalized it in paintings, like Renoir’s Bal du Moulin de la Galette.

Where it gets interesting is during the early 1800s and the end of the Napoleonic Wars. During one of the sieges of the area, many men were killed trying to defend the windmill. When the miller was killed, his body was nailed to the wings of the windmill.

Currently, the Moulin marks the entrance of a bistro known as Le Moulin de la Galette. If you need a bite to eat on your walk through the neighborhood, it’s worth checking out.

Fountain of the Ancient Reservoir

I knew nothing about this fountain before walking past it on our stroll through the streets. But it was a picturesque stop on a beautiful day. The gates around the fountain were closed, so we weren’t able to get any closer to the bronze urn.

The fountain/reservoir was built in 1835 to hold water for the surrounding neighborhood.

Le Consulat Restaurant

Like many of the stops in Montmartre, there are many spots to walk where the great artists walked. Le Consulat is one of those locations. It reminds me a little of the Flat Iron building in New York City – it stands alone on a narrow strip of land, lined by streets on both sides.

If you want to grab a quick coffee or glass of wine, stop in Le Consulat. If you’re looking for more of a quick bite or lunch-time meal, you can grab a seat inside or out and enjoy some French cuisine.

Place du Tertre: Artists Square

We both loved wandering around Artists Square, also known as Place du Tertre. When watched as several artists created some amazing works of art. The artist above used nothing more than a knife to paint. Others used brushes, some pencils or charcoal.

All of the artists sell their paintings. If your looking for something more custom for your home, they’ll paint a portrait of you – either solo, as a couple or a family. If you decide to have that done, plan on sitting for a while. I also recommend scoping out the artists to make sure you pick the artist that will paint the style you want for your home – because each one is unique.

The Wall of “I Love You”

When I was dating my wife, she said she knew how to say “I Love You” in several languages. When I found out there was a Muir de Je t’Aime (Wall of I Love You) in Montmartre, I wanted to surprise my wife by not telling her about this stop until we got there.

Once there, I pulled out a red ring pop and asked her to marry me again. I’d used a ring pop in my initial marriage proposal, so it was something I thought she’d enjoy. We shared a laugh about it and then started looking for all the different ways to say I Love You. We were able to identify a few of the languages, but since I Love You is written 311 times, it may take some time to find the languages you recognize.

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The area can get pretty packed, but hopefully people will be courteous and people will let you step up to the wall for your photo – or even marriage proposal if you’re looking for a romantic spot. 😉

Moulin Rouge

The iconic red windmill of Paris, known as the Moulin Rouge, is one stop along the walking tour. I would’ve loved to photograph it at night with the lights all a glow, but we hit it up midday.

Moulin Rouge is a cabaret club, so there are dinners shows available each evening. However, it should be noted that those shows are cabaret – topless women in ornate costumes. In the United States, kids wouldn’t be allowed in such a club, but from what I’ve seen on various Facebook groups about things to do in Paris, the age requirement was pretty low.

After grabbing a photo of the Moulin Rouge, the route along the Boulevard de Clichy has numerous adult toy and lingerie shops. If you’ve got your kids with you, you may want to take the side streets. But that’s just me.

Antique Shop: Objet qui Parle

Although there are many souvenir shops throughout Montmartre, one I had read about and was interested in visiting was an antique shop. Sadly, the month of August typically has several small stores closed while the owners take their annual vacation. L’Objet Qui Parle (which translates to Object that Speaks) was closed. But it’s worth checking out to see what antique treasures you can find in Montmartre.

Summary

Montmartre is a beautiful and classic-Parisienne neighborhood. From the Sacre Coeur Basilica to the artists square, you won’t regret your walk as you explore the small streets. And if you wander off the marked path above, you’ll likely discover other hidden gems of Montmartre. And don’t forget to have a good pair of walking shoes or your feet will remind you often that you wore the wrong shoes.

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