1. Metro station Lamarck Caulaincourt |
53, rue Lamarck. Film fans will recognize this metro station as one used by Amélie in the film 'Amélie Poulain'. Remember when she gives the blind man a tour of the shops on the street near the metro?
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The Montmartre Village Walk continues at Arnaud Lahrer's bakery and pastry shop. This will be a real hike through Montmartre, so why not get something to munch on? Walk up the stairs outside the metro and turn right onto rue Caulaincourt. Walk a few blocks until you reach Arnaud Lahrer's bakery and pastry shop at 53, rue Caulaincourt. Keep an eye out for lovely views of the city in between the buildings. |
2. Arnaud Larher's Bakery |
53, rue Caulaincourt. Nestled in Montmartre, Arnaud Larher is a creator of chocolate and pastry masterpieces. He was awarded the prestigious 'Meilleur Ouvrier de France' for pastries(Best pastry chef in France) in 2007. Distinctive chocolates such as the pistachio-filled Jade praliné and candies are to be had, as well as pastries, viennoiseries, sandwiches, and other fine products.
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The Montmartre Village Walk continues in place Constatin-Pecqueur. When you've had your share of delicacies, walk back towards the Lamarck-Caulaincourt metro station, but instead of going down the stairs to the station, cross the street and enter place Constatin-Pecqueur, a tree-lined square. |
3. Place Constantin-Pecqueur |
place Constantin-Pecqueur. This green square shelters a statue of the commercial designer, Théophile Alexandre Steinlen, who created the famous poster for the 'Chat Noir' cabaret (you'll find a commemorative plaque at 84, boulevard Rochechouart). Today his Chat Noir poster has become an emblem of Montmartre.
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The Montmartre Village Walk continues at place Dalida. Walk up the street behind the Place Constatin-Pecqueur and up its white staircase until you reach place Dalida. |
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place Dalida. If the Sacré-Coeur wasn't visible upon arriving in place Dalida, then you'd be in a French village somewhere: sleepy vine-covered residences, cobblestones, lampposts, and quiet streets. And you'd have to make the tourists disappear. Take a moment to admire the life-size bust of Dalida, the famous Egyptian-born naturalized French singer whose impact on French society ranked just behind General Charles de Gaulle in a survey conducted by Le Monde. After the her tragic suicide in Montmartre stifled her successful career Dalida was buried in the Montmartre cemetery, and in 1997 place Dalida was inaugurated.
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The walk continues down the Allée des Brouillards at 5 place Casadesus. From place Dalida, turn right onto the Allée des Brouillards, a narrow alley. Continue down the Allée des Brouillards. On your left you'll see the white Château des Brouillards. Continue to place Casadesus to see the front of the house. |
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5, place Casadesus. This little alley contains a surprising series of charming cottages. Like the homes on the left bank neighborhood Butte aux Cailles, these cottages actually have gardens! The 18th-century residence at 5, place Casadesus housed the violinist Marious Casadesus, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir lived here with his family from 1890-1897.
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The Montmartre Village Walk continues in square Suzanne Buisson. Turn left into the public garden, and walk through and up it. |
6. Square Suzanne Buisson |
Square Suzanne Buisson. Tucked away from touristy Montmartre, this public park is a haven for residents, and gives the visitor a glimpse of a moment the life of the Montmartois.
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The Montmartre Village Walk continues at the former residence of Francisque Poulbot at 13, avenue Junot. Walk up through the park and turn right on the Avenue Junot. Continue until 13, avenue Junot. |
7. Home of Francisque Poulbot |
13, avenue Junot. This Franch poster artist portrayed the street urchins of Paris (imagine Gavroche from Les Misérables, but circa World War I) in his many posters and images. He lived here from 1879 to his death in 1946. Depicting children to protest against poverty and the misery of his time, Poulbot's work became so famous that Parisian kids were sometimes referred to as 'Poulbots'. Later in the walk you may recognize his work in some of the boutiques around the famous place du Tertre.
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The Montmartre Village Walk continues at 15, avenue Junot, former residence of Tristan Tzara. |
8. Former home of Tristan Tzara |
15, avenue Junot. This 1926 home by Austrian architect Adolf Loos was home to poet Tristan Tzara, who helped found the Dada cultural movement (1916-1925). Dadaists rejected the artistic, ideological, and political norms of the time and expressed this rejection through poetry, demonstrations, public gatherings, and the publishing of poetry and literary anthologies.
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The walk continues in the Villa Léandre. Continue on avenue Junot until number 25 and enter the Villa Léandre. |
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25, avenue Junot. This collection of small houses built in the 1920s is just one of the surprising treats of the village of Montmartre. Quaint homes line this paved street.
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The Montmartre Village Walk continues at the Moulin de la Galette. Backtrack to 23 avenue Junot, and turn right into the public passage to rue Lepic. Once on rue Lepic, turn left and climb until you reach number 77. |
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77, rue Lepic. Classified a historic monument since 1958, this mill built in 1621 gave its name to a famous dance hall (guingette in French) and stands as a testament to the heady atmosphere and Bohemian lifestyle of Montmartre at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Artists like Picasso, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec and others flocked to Montmartre, attracted by cheap rents and the exhilarating atmosphere. This famous dance hall was immortalized in Renoir’s Bal du Moulin de la Galette on display in the Musée d'Orsay.
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The walk continues at the former residence of Vincent Van Gogh. Head down the winding rue Lepic until your reach number 54. Enjoy the boutiques on the way! |
11. Former home of Vincent Van Gogh |
54, rue Lepic. Vincent Van Gogh and his brother Théo lived on the 3rd floor of this building for 2 years.
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The walk continues at La Pomponnette restaurant at 42, rue Lepic. |
12. Restaurant A la Pomponette |
42, rue Lepic. If you're hungry for lunch or dinner, this restaurant will fill you up with traditional French dishes in a dining room filled with paintings. Established in 1909, it is said that the original owner knew many artists in Montmartre at the time, including Francisque Poulbot.
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The Montmartre Village Walk continues at Les Petits Mitrons bakery. Bear right and continue down rue Lepic to number 26. |
13. Les Petits Mitrons bakery |
26, rue Lepic. Easy to miss among the bustling shops of rue Lepic in Montmartre, this bakery proposes good viennoiseries (pain au chocolat, croissants, pain aux raisins, chaussons aux pommes, etc), good bread, and tarts galore, all invitingly displayed in the bakery window. The fondants au chocolat (rich chocolate cake with a liquid center) are divine and of several varieties here: pure dark chocolate, chocolate with walnuts, and chocolate with pears. Not to mention the variety of savory tarts. Mmm!
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The Montmartre Village Walk continues at Les Deux Moulins café at 15, rue Lepic. |
14. Café Les Deux Moulins |
15, rue Lepic. Stop at this café for a drink during your walk, and inspect the décor of many important scenes from the film 'Amélie Poulain'. Try playing one of the characters: the failed writer, the hypochondriac at the tobacco stand, the 'patronne', the unemployed alcoholic, or Amélie.
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The walk continues at Le Sancerre café on rue des Abbesses. Retrace your steps back up rue Lepic and at the top turn right onto rue des Abbesses. Head to number 35. |
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35, rue des Abbesses. This café caters to local Montmartois and tourists alike, this is the place to be and outdoor seating is a must to watch the neighborrhood turn. La rue des Abbesses and those that run perpendicular to it have many 'main street' shops of the Montmartre village: wine vendors, grocery stores, cheese shops, bakeries, butchers, fish stalls, etc. If the Sacré-Coeur is the heart of Montmartre, these streets are its arteries.Definitely get a seat on the 'terrasse' if you want to do some people watching.
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The Montmartre Village Walk continues at the St-Jean-L'Evangéliste church. Walk on to 21, rue des Abbesses. |
16. St.-Jean-L'Evangéliste church |
21, rue des Abbesses. Finished in 1904, this would-be art nouveau church with its cement bricks was a pioneer of its time. Completed during the heyday of Art Nouveau, it's style is modern church with art nouveau touches.Turn away from the church and move to the square, with the Abbesses metro station entrance.
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The walk continues at the Abbesses metro and square. Turn away from the church and head to the entrance to the Abbesses metro station. |
17. Abbesses metro station and square |
place des Abbesses. You have arrived in place des Abbesses, named after the Benedictine abbey founded here in 1133. Tourists and local Montmartois mingle in the cafés and restaurants and fill the park benches, giving the square a unique tempo. The square is truly the nerve center of the quarter. The main structure found in the square is Hector Guimard's beautiful Art Nouveau metro station. Made with green wrought-iron and amber lights, this structure was built in 1900 for the Hôtel de Ville metro station on line 1. Hector Guimard's metro station entrance was moved to Abbesses in 1972, when an underground parking lot was built at the Hôtel de Ville.
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The walk continues in the passage des Abbesses. From the metro station, walk back along rue des Abbesses until you reach the passage des Abbesses, just after 20, rue des Abbesses. Enter the passage. |
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20, rue des Abbesses. One of the many mysterious passages snaking through Montmartre, this one provides a welcome escape from the frenzy of the Place des Abbesses. Indeed it serves as a transition to rue des Trois Frères, where chic restaurants, apartment buildings, workshops, and boutiques quietly coexist.
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The walk continues outside the Au Marché de la Butte grocery store. Walk through the passage and at the top of the steps cross the street. Pause at the grocery store at number 56. |
19. Au Marché de la Butte - Maison Collignon in the movie Amélie |
56, rue des Trois Frères. Who could forget the mean Monsieur Collignon from 'Amélie Poulain'? Well, this is were these scenes were filmed with Jamel Debbouze, the French actor of Moroccan origin, stealing the show.
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The walk continues in place Emile-Goudeau, site of the Bateau-Lavoir. Continue up rue des Trois Frères and turn right into place Emile-Goudeau. |
20. Place Emile-Goudeau and Le Bateau-Lavoir |
place Emile-Goudeau. In the early 20th century this building became an artists' colony and home to the following residents: Max Jacob, André Salmon, Pablo Picasso, Juan Gris, Kees Van Dongen, Georges Braque, Modigliani,and Guillaume Apollinaire. Picasso painted the first Cubist painting, his Demoiselles d'Avignon here in 1906-1907.Starving artists, squalid living conditions, cabarets, alcohol, and a carefree atmosphere shaped the ambiance in the colony. The collections of the Musée de Montmartre, a site later on this walk, take the visitor back to this heady time.
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The walk continues with a view of the Moulin Radet. Walk to the top of place Emilie-Goudeau, walk straight up rue Ravignan, which winds up to the right up to rue de la Mire. At rue de la Mire take a left and walk up the steps. While you catch your breath at the top of the steps, find the moulin Radet on your left. |
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83, rue Lepic. On your left you should have a good view of the Moulin Radet, the second of Montmartre's two remaining windmills, and a remnant of the area's long-gone wheat fields and thriving agriculture. Twelve windmills graced its vineyards and fields in 1740. Together the moulin Radet and the moulin Blute-fin formed the famous ensemble, le Moulin de la Galette, a dance and music hall where Renoir painted his 'Bal du Moulin de la Galette'. Van Gogh, Utrillo, Dufy, Bernard, Toulouse-Lautrec et Picasso also immortalized this famous place, where all of Paris came to dance and enjoy live performances.
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The walk continues at the Petite Maison Rose. You're now on the edge of place Jean-Baptiste Clément, which cuts through rue Lepic. Walk up the winding rue Lepic to your right then turn right onto rue Norvins. Take an immediate left onto rue des Saules. Walk down rue des Saules jusqu' à la Petite Maison Rose, at 2, rue de l'Abreuvoir. |
22. La Petite Maison Rose |
2, rue de l'Abreuvoir. This little pink house was depicted by Maurice Utrillo in a painting, making him a renowned painter in early 20th century Paris. His painting 'La Maison Rose à Montmartre' has since crossed the Atlantic and hangs in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
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The Montmartre Village Walk continues at the last vineyard of Montmartre. Continue down rue des Saules and admire the vineyard on your right. |
23. Le Clos Montmartre - The last vineyard in Montmartre |
18, rue des Saules. In the Middle Ages, the Abbesses owned the vineyards of Montmartre. Today Le Clos Montmartre produces 1700 bottles per year, which are auctioned off every October. The current vineyard was planted in 1933, well after the end of the phylloxera insect plague that destroyed most of the vineyards in France in the late 1800s.
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The Montmartre Village Walk continues at Le Lapin Agile cabaret. Continue down rue des Saules until you reach number 22. |
24. Cabaret Le Lapin Agile |
22, rue des Saules. Paris's oldest artistic cabaret, this little pink house welcomed the artists, bohemians, and all those who wanted to share their art at the turn of the century: poets, musicians, writers, sculptors, painters, actors, comedians. All demonstrated their art here, and several were inspired by this place: Pablo Picasso with his 'Au Lapin Agile' and Maurice Utrillo with his 'Le Lapin Agile'. Today the owner of the cabaret is dedicated to preserving French songs and traditions and also to revealing new talent.
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The walk continues in Erik Satie's closet. From the Lapin Agile take rue Saint Vincent and walk along the vineyard. Continue along rue Saint Vincent, then turn right onto rue Mont-Cenis and climb those stairs. Turn right onto rue Cortot and head to number 6. |
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6, rue Cortot. Former home of Erik Satie, the French composer and pianist lived in a 'closet' of 9 square meters from 1890 to 1898. Call 01 42 78 15 18 to make an appointment to visit Satie's 'placard'.
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The Montmartre Village Walk continues at the Montmartre museum at 12, rue Cortot. |
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12, rue Cortot. This museum tells the story of Montmartre, from Roman days to the present through artifacts, drawings, documents, and photographs. Going through the collection is a good way to soak up the Bohemian lifestyle and there is even a reconstruction of the Café de l'Abreuvoir, a favorite place for a drink(s) for artists. The building itself, was yet another living and studio space for artists, such as Maurice Utrillo and Auguste Renoir, who painted his 'Le Bal du Moulin de la Galette' there.
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The walk continues at the Espace Salvador Dali. Continue along rue Cortot, turn left onto rue des Saules, then turn left onto the overcrowded and overtouristy rue des Norvins, turn right and walk down the tiny rue Poulbot to number 11. |
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11, rue Poulbot. This is the only exhibition space wholly dedicated to the master of Surrealism, Salvador Dali. The visitor will find an impressive collection of sculptures, engravings, and lithographes. Dali the sculptor, Dali the illustrator, Dali the designer, Dali's life in Montmartre...everything Dali!
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The walk continues in place du Tertre. Continue along rue Poulbot until you reach the place du Calvaire, and don't miss the great views of Paris. Then turn left and walk to place du Tertre. |
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place du Tertre. Once the public square for the village and a place for the penniless painters of the early 20th century, the place du Tertre now is home to artists and cartoonists, who hawk their wares to hordes of tourists. The local authorities granted 140 spots around the square for these artists, who are understandingly forced to take turns. Around the square are expensive cafés and restaurants. Still, if the visitor arrives early in the morning, a village feel hangs about the square.
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The walk continues at the Saint-Pierre de Montmartre church. Leaving the place du Tertre turn right onto rue Norvins and head to the end of the street. The church will be in front of you at 2, rue Mont-Cenis. |
29. Saint-Pierre de Montmartre church |
2, rue Mont-Cenis. Look beyond the 18th-century façade to the inside of this church, and its romanesque interior. The church was consecrated in 1147 but even more ancient remains from Roman times can be found inside, notably 4 marble pillars from a Roman temple.
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The walk continues at the Sacré-Coeur Basilica. Turn left out of the church, walk a few steps, then make an immediate left onto rue Azais, and continue until you reach the basilica. |
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35, rue du Chevalier-de-la-Barre. The Sacred-Heart Basilica stands at 127 meters of altitude and dominates Paris. People are drawn to this visible symbol of the city for its views of Paris, architecture, and religious significance as a place dedicated to eternal prayer.
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The Montmartre Village Walk continues in square Louise Michels. Descend the steps of the basilica to the garden in square Louise Michels. |
31. Square Louise Michels |
Square Louise Michels. Jean-Camille Formigé intended to highlight the basilica with this series of terraces and lawns. The square is named after Louise Michels, once a resident and teacher in Montmartre. She is known for her political activism and stance as an anarchist during the Commune. Returning from exile in 1880, she lost none of her revolutionary zeal, and continued her struggle against the government.
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The walk continues at the Halle Saint Pierre exhibition space. Turn left out of the park and walk along the sidewalk that wraps around the park until you get to the Halle Saint Pierre at 2, rue Ronsard. |
32. Halle Saint Pierre Art Museum |
2, rue Ronsard. The 19th-century iron and glass Halle Saint Pierre was converted from a fabrics market into a museum of naïve art, folk art, and outsider art. The fabrics market has moved elsewhere, notably next door into the 5-floor Marché Saint Pierre store on rue Charles Nodier. A beehive for creative art, the museum holds temporary exhibitions and has a permanent collection which includes the naive art paintings and sculptures from the collection of Max Fourny. The local Montmartmois come here to have a cup of coffee and read the newspaper surrounded by creative works.
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This is the end of the Montmartre Village Walk. The nearest metro is Anvers. Exit the Halle Saint-Pierre and turn left, walking down rue Ronsard. Take a right onto the boulevard de Rochechouart and walk a few steps to the metro station. |
