Moulin Rouge

Moulin Rouge Review

When the world-famous cabaret opened in 1889, aristocrats, professionals, and the working classes all flocked to see the scandalous performers. The cancan was considerably more kinky in Toulouse-Lautrec's day, when girls kicked off their knickers. There's not much to see from the outside except for tourist buses and sex shops, but this square, called Place Blanche, takes its name from the chalky haze once churned up by carts carrying plaster of Paris down from the quarries. Souvenir seekers should check out the Moulin Rouge gift shop (around the corner at 11 rue Lepic), which sells better-quality official merchandise, from jewelry to sculpture, by reputable French makers.