Montmartre is an iconic hilltop neighborhood located in the 18th arrondissement in Paris. About 30 minutes from the city center, the area has historically been a home to numerous artists including Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dalí.
Today, it offers sweeping views of the city from Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, restaurants, shops, an art market, and a three-story sex mall. Visiting Montmartre is an lovely way to spend a half-day, but here are a few things we wish we knew before making our visit.
How to Get to Montmartre
If you’re taking a metro to Montmartre, you want to make sure you get off at the right stop.
We didn’t consider this beforehand and routed and got off at Château Rouge directly east of the Sacré-Cœur Basilica. This was a scary experience since this area felt dangerous and run down and we were carrying valuable items like Ethan’s camera.
Instead, route to the Abbesses train station, southwest of the Sacré-Cœur Basilica. This area is a cute little area with restaurants and a park and will make for a nice walk up to Sacré-Cœur.
Visiting Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre
The Basilique du Sacré-Cœur is a Gothic-style Basilica located at the highest point in the neighborhood. The building is free and open for visiting everyday from 6:30 am to 10:30 pm.
The Benedictine Sisters of the Sacré-Cœur of Montmartre lead prayers, play music, and sing in French. They ask that you are silent as there is almost always a mass in session. There are chairs close to the altar and farther away in front of large projection screens. The basilica is designed in such a way that allows guests to circle around the perimeter where the shrines are located.
Taking a tour of the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur dome
Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre offers guests the opportunity to climb up to the dome for a 360 view of Paris. It is 300 steps to reach the top of the dome. Adult tickets are eight euro each.
What is the Montmartre neighborhood like?
When I was in Montmartre, I was charmed by the cobblestone streets. There were a variety of restaurants and bars right next to each other. The area had a cozy village feel. This was different from the area by the Louvre which felt more like a city with bars and restaurants spaced out from one another. There was a lot of decorative street art, including the Wall of Love located beside the Jehan Rictus garden square. This is next to where the art market is located.
You may want to consider taking a tour of Montmartre with Context Travel, this tour includes the basilica as well as other notable landmarks to explore. There is also an awesome cheese, wine, chocolate and pastry walking tour offered by GetYourGuide.
Recommendations when visiting Montmartre
- Make sure that you get off at the correct subway stop!
- Go early in the day, this will ensure that you have the chance to shop at the art market.
- Stay for lunch or dinner, there are so many cool restaurants and bars to explore.
