Is MONTMARTRE too touristy and annoying to waste time in?
Mar 25th, 2005, 06:09 AM
#1
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Is MONTMARTRE too touristy and annoying to waste time in?
Will be in Paris in June, and our time is limited.
Can we skip the MONTMARTRE neighborhood?
I heard that it is a very touristy, seedy and generally annoying part of Paris.
Is this true?
Thank you, fellow Fodorites!
Can we skip the MONTMARTRE neighborhood?
I heard that it is a very touristy, seedy and generally annoying part of Paris.
Is this true?
Thank you, fellow Fodorites!
Mar 25th, 2005, 06:21 AM
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bettyo70, the answer to your question is "No".
Located on a steep hill overlooking the city, the white basilica of Sacre Coeur is nearly as much a symbol of Paris as the Eiffel Tower and it is just about as easy to find from any location in Paris -- perhaps even easier. It's a steep uphill climb up a long series of steps to the front door of the church, but the interior is awe-inspiring and really a must-see. You will also have a sweeping view of Paris. If you don't care to do all the climbing, you can part with a metro ticket and take the Funiculaire de Montmartre, which is located at the base of the hill on your left as you face Sacre Coeur from the front.
Bring your camera -- not just for the church and the views, but for the picturesque Montmartre neighborhood that you can enter on a narrow street just outside the entrance to the crypt below Sacre Coeur. Here you will find shops, restaurants and water holes, along with the Place du Tertre -- a public square that is jam-packed with artists selling their work in a bustling street market. Street performers and dozens of portrait artists ply their trade among the crowds of visitors. A word to the wise: this not an unsafe place to visit, but the nature of the activity, crowds and constant diversions of your attention would probably make it a great place to have your pockets picked. Don't use the currency exchange you'll see on your right-hand side on the way from the Anvers metro stop -- the attractive posted rate is far outstripped by the grotesque fees that won't be disclosed until you get your receipt. (We advise using machines and doing that elsewhere).
This is a great neighborhood to walk, but stay where the action is. Clearly a tourist center, that doesn't diminish the fact that Montmartre and Sacre Coeur are well worth the time to visit, enjoy and photograph on your trip to Paris. Montmartre has a great "village feel" to it and there is a lot to discover. Don't miss it.
Located on a steep hill overlooking the city, the white basilica of Sacre Coeur is nearly as much a symbol of Paris as the Eiffel Tower and it is just about as easy to find from any location in Paris -- perhaps even easier. It's a steep uphill climb up a long series of steps to the front door of the church, but the interior is awe-inspiring and really a must-see. You will also have a sweeping view of Paris. If you don't care to do all the climbing, you can part with a metro ticket and take the Funiculaire de Montmartre, which is located at the base of the hill on your left as you face Sacre Coeur from the front.
Bring your camera -- not just for the church and the views, but for the picturesque Montmartre neighborhood that you can enter on a narrow street just outside the entrance to the crypt below Sacre Coeur. Here you will find shops, restaurants and water holes, along with the Place du Tertre -- a public square that is jam-packed with artists selling their work in a bustling street market. Street performers and dozens of portrait artists ply their trade among the crowds of visitors. A word to the wise: this not an unsafe place to visit, but the nature of the activity, crowds and constant diversions of your attention would probably make it a great place to have your pockets picked. Don't use the currency exchange you'll see on your right-hand side on the way from the Anvers metro stop -- the attractive posted rate is far outstripped by the grotesque fees that won't be disclosed until you get your receipt. (We advise using machines and doing that elsewhere).
This is a great neighborhood to walk, but stay where the action is. Clearly a tourist center, that doesn't diminish the fact that Montmartre and Sacre Coeur are well worth the time to visit, enjoy and photograph on your trip to Paris. Montmartre has a great "village feel" to it and there is a lot to discover. Don't miss it.
Mar 25th, 2005, 06:29 AM
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We love Montmartre so much that we've decided to stay there on our trip in June. This will be our seventh or eighth trip to Paris (I've lost count), staying in a various neighborhoods, and DH and I both agree that Montmartre is one of our favorites.
Certainly parts of it are touristy--e.g. the Place du Tertre aka Place du Schlock. Seedy? Not in Montmartre proper, but down the hill in the Pigalle area it does tend to be seedy. Then as you travel farther east towards the Barbes area it's kind of gritty. The people are poorer and there are a lot of recent immigrants.
But the western part is lovely and quaint, sprinkled with many sites important in the artistic movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
I wouldn't miss it, and I know there are a few others here who feel this way too. Budman, where are you?
Mar 25th, 2005, 07:00 AM
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Yes, Montmartre is too touristy and annoying. So are the Louvre, Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower. Never go to places like that. Do not go to Venice or Florence. Do not go to Agra or to Giza. Do not go to the Great Wall. All touristy and annoying. Only go to places nobody else wants to go to.
Mar 25th, 2005, 07:11 AM
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It is not touristy or annoying. But, whether you go there depends on how much time you have in Paris and what other things you must see.
We generally get to Montmarte about every third trip to Paris. On the other hand, I wouldn't go to Paris without seeing Ste. Chapelle, the Musee D'Orsay, the Tuilleries, etc. each time.
Do your research and decide what is most important to you in your limited time.
We generally get to Montmarte about every third trip to Paris. On the other hand, I wouldn't go to Paris without seeing Ste. Chapelle, the Musee D'Orsay, the Tuilleries, etc. each time.
Do your research and decide what is most important to you in your limited time.
Mar 25th, 2005, 07:12 AM
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If you will be in Paris more than 5 days, you should consider taking a 1/2 day or full day to explore Montmartre.
Only a small fraction of the neighborhood can be (lacking better terms) "touristy and annoying".
Only a small fraction of the neighborhood can be (lacking better terms) "touristy and annoying".
Mar 25th, 2005, 07:22 AM
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I have a painting I bought up there framed and hung in my guest room, along with other Paris momentos. I love it and it's always a pleasure to look at. Not great art, but Monet is a bit out of my price range. Had some great escargot there sitting outside watching all the people on the square. Very nice afternoon so how bad can that be? Tourists? Oh yes, many, and I happened to be one of them.
Mar 25th, 2005, 07:35 AM
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Have not been back to Paris for 15 years. However, Montmartre made such an impression on me that after all these years I do not need to look at a picture to remember the place. It is also an important place since it was the playground of many painters. So why does it matter if it is touristy? It is touristy for a good reason.
Mar 25th, 2005, 07:42 AM
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Look at it this way, Betty. If you don't like the looks of Montmartre, you can always get back on the Metro and go somewhere else. You won't have wasted more than an hour of your time, tops. On the other hand, if you do visit, you might find that you like it a lot. My husband and I fall into the "like it A LOT" category and I'd have kicked myself if I ever skipped it based on other people's impressions of it being "seedy and generally annoying."
Mar 25th, 2005, 07:52 AM
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The walk up to Montmartre from the Abbessess metro station is quite nice, full of charm, a little kitsch, and atmospheric stores and cafes. The area immediately behind the Sacre Coeur has a cheesy theme park feel to it.
Mar 25th, 2005, 07:57 AM
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Hmmm, I'd say the area in front of (and to the side of) Sacre Coeur is the cheesy part. South and east, but if you head east through the Place du Terte, you do come out in a very nice section. I love wandering about behind (to my mind, north) of the basilica.
Mar 25th, 2005, 08:47 AM
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The only reason Montmartre becomes touristy and annoying is when an annoying tourist, like the OP, starts asking this non-sensical question without making any effort to read-up or reasearch about the area and then makes his/her way into the area in question.
Mar 25th, 2005, 09:07 AM
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that last obnoxious posting is by someone who only joined this forum this week, a bit suspect itself imo--much too soon to be that sincerely annoyed.
Anyway, I'm with some of those, starting with ira, who asked how much time you will have. I would wonder about that with regard to any question about what you would like to see.
If you have a full week, of course see Montmartre, and everything else mentioned above. If you have only 3 days, perhaps not. What else do you want to see, and what do you enjoy?
Anyway, I'm with some of those, starting with ira, who asked how much time you will have. I would wonder about that with regard to any question about what you would like to see.
If you have a full week, of course see Montmartre, and everything else mentioned above. If you have only 3 days, perhaps not. What else do you want to see, and what do you enjoy?
Mar 25th, 2005, 09:17 AM
#17
I visited Montmarte, the first time years ago, not only to see Sacre Coeur, and that much photographed staircase and ride that tram but to see that wall with the sculptiure of the man passing through that wall. as it was based on a story by one of my favorite French writers, Marcel Aymé.
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