Montmatre Paris

This part of Paris is famous! Visitors to the area are immersed in the evocative street scenes and the area creates a wealth of different memories. Maybe you’ll remember the bittersweet strains of Edith Piaf tunes, the truly Parisian cafes and boulangeries, the hint of naughtiness, gaiety and bawdiness of past times at Moulin Rouge, the impressiveness of the Sacre Coeur, the fun of a funicular ride, the wonderful views from the top of the Mont.

Whatever! You must spend time in this area of Paris and it is best seen on foot with a walking tour of the intriguing streets, alleyways and squares. For an overview of Paris go to Paris Travel Videos and enjoy the TravelGuide.tv short films on Paris Attractions, Tours, Museums, Nightlife, etc. Here you’ll find an interactive Map of Paris to help you find your way around Montmatre.

Montmatre was once outside the city of Paris and became linked with the gay night life, revues, bordellos, dancing drinking and more. Stroll past the Moulin Rouge in the Boulevard de Clichy and you might take in a revue and dinner. You think of the can-can, the dance hall with its famous windmill motif with gay red sails, and wonder about windmills in Montmatre. Once there were more than 20 windmills in this elevated area. They were used to press the grapes from local vineyards and to grind wheat after the harvest. Now there are only two (not the Moulin Rouge as only the sails of the windmill survive) – Moulin de la Galette and Moulin du Radet on Rue Lepic. The Rue Lepic is a browsing area for shopping with a bustling fruit and vegetable market.

If you’re into Salavdor Dali, make sure to visit the Espace Montmatre in Rue Poulbot where there’s a permanent display of hundreds of his works. Dali spent some time in Paris with Picasso before World War II, he died in 1989 and left an revolutionary mark on 20th Century art.

From Place St Pierre (near Anvers Metro station) you can crane your neck to see the startling shimmering white Sacre Coeur basilica towering up over the city. Walk up the steep hill and you’ll arrive out of breath - best and great fun is to take the short funicular trip up and be sure to watch views of Paris unfolding as you ascend.

When facing Sacre Coeur (after another few flights of steps), look to the left at one of the oldest Church in Paris, St Pierre de Montmatre. Originally it was part of the Benedictine Monastery which was built in the 12th Century. The basilica itself was completed just before the start of World War I. It has some wonderful art pieces and a creepy crypt. The dome is almost as high as the Eiffel Tower and a visit to it provides you with even more wonderful scenes of Paris. If you decide to give the Dome a miss, you can enjoy and marvel at the views from the balcony in front of Sacre Coeur – if it’s a clear day you can pick out many of the famous Paris landmarks.

Other places to visit include the Cemetiere de Montmatre Avenue Rachel (graves of Nijinsky, Offenbach and other famous Parisians), and the square behind the basilica (get a portrait done on the spot, a great souvenir and enjoy a glass of wine or cup of coffee).
Enjoy your visit to Montmatre and Paris France!