Paris: Montmartre Exploration
 

Rough draft of a walk in this area is found below. Would appreciate your feedback and recommendations on places to see and where you might eat or have a drink.

Its about a two mile walk with some steep hills. I figure the best time is early in the morning or late afternoon after some of the tour busses have departed. Hike up to the church or ride the funicular (one metro ticket).

START POINT: METRO STOP ANVERS (LINE TWO)

HALLE ST-PIERRE (ST. PETER?S MARKET HALL). 2 rue Ronsard. M: Anvers. Elegant iron and glass 19C market hall at the foot of Sacre-Coeur. Café, bookstore and Museum of Native Art.

SACRE-COEUR. (Sacred Heart Church). M: Angers or Abbesses. Open: 0700-2200. Free. 3E for Dome and Crypt. Great city views from here. Romanesque and Byzantine architecture. Golden mosaics inside. Took over forty years to build.

NOTE: Skip the Dome and Crypt.

LEAVE CHURCH, TURN RIGHT AND FOLLOW TREE-LINED STREET. AT RUE ST-ELEUTHERE, TURN RIGHT AND WALK UP TO

ST.PIERRE-DE-MONTMARTRE. 2 rue du Mont-Cenis. 0800-1930. Oldest church in area.

PLACE DU TERTE. M: Abbesses. little square in the heart of Montmartre where many artists gather to sell paintings and draw pictures of tourists visiting just as they have done for more than 100 years.

LA MERE CATHERINE RESTAURANT. Favorite of Cossasks in 1814 during Russian occupation.

PLACE DU CALVAIRE, just off Place du Terte, smallest square in Paris with great city views

NORTHERN SLOPES OF LA BUTTE (THE MOUND)

FOLLOW RUE NEVINS TO RUE DES SAULES, THEN TURN RIGHT AND WALK DOWNHILL.

NOTE: View the dome of Sacre-Coeur rising above the rooftops just after the Café Consulat.

TURN RIGHT AT (MAISON ROSE RESTAURANT) UP RUE CORTOT FOR

MUSEE DE MONTMARTE. 12 rue Cortot. M: Lamarck-Caulaincourt. Tue-Sun 1100-1800. Nice
neighborhood museum set up in the oldest house on the Butte.

RETURN TO RUE DES SAULES AND WALK DOWNHILL PAST THE MAISON ROSE TO

MONTMARTRE?S VINEYARD. Rue des Saules.

CONTINUE DOWNHILL TO

AU LAPIN AGILE (1860). 26 rue des Saules. Oldest surviving nightspot in Montmartre.

CIMETIERE ST-VINCENT: Entry on rue Lucien-Gaulard via rue St-Vincent, behind Lapin Agile.

WESTERN SLOPES OF LA BUTTE

RETURN TO RUE DES SAULES AND WALK UP HILL TO THE CREST NEAR THE BAKERY

WALK DOWNHILL. HUG BUILDINGS ON THE LEFT. TURN RIGHT ON RUE RAVIGNAN FOR

Bateau-Lavior (Boar Wash house). Picasso?s studio.

WALK DOWNHILL ONE SHORT BLOCK, TURN LEFT ON RUE D?ORCHAMPS AND JUST BEYOND THE INTERSECTION WITH RUE LEPIC FIND

MOULIN DE LA GALETTE. Only two windmills remain in an area once dotted with them. Originally used to crush stones and grapes. Site of a once famous outdoor dance hall. Renoir?s Bal du Moulin de la Galette shows it in it?s heyday.

CONTINUE PAST THE MAIN ENTRY OF MOULIN DE LA GALETTE DOWN RUE LEPIC TO NUMBER 54 TO FIND

VAN GOGH?S HOUSE (1886-1888).

WALK BACK EAST TO THE INTERSECTION WITH RUE THOLOZE AND TURN RIGHT DOWNHILL ON THOLOZE

NOTE: Studio 28 at number 10 was the first cinema built for experimental films

CONTINUE DOWN THOLZE TO RUE DES ABBESSES AND TURN LEFT TOWARDS THE

PLACE DES ABBESSES. Picturesque, slightly countrified square.

NOTE: Le Sancerre. 35 rue des Abbesses. Raucous café with music & view of Abbesses street scene.

ST-JEAN L?EVANGELISTE (1904). First concrete building in Paris. Has Art Nouveau curves. Bricks were added to soothe offended city officials.

FROM THE SQUARE TAKE RUE YVONNE-LE-TAC OFF TO THE RIGHT

CHAPELL DU MARTYRE at number 9 is where St-Denis was beheaded. Open daily 1500- 1800.

END THE WALK AT THE ABBESSES METRO STATION.

NOTE: Entrance to the station is a curving mass of delicate iron and one of the two remaining Art Nouveau entrance canopies left in Paris.

FOLLOW-ON EXPLORATION OPTIONS:

To visit Cimetiere de Montmarte (end of ave Rachel off bd de Clichy), take metro to Blanche. Leafy refuge is moving and evocative. Resting place of Degas, Greuze and Fragonard.

To combine with St-Denis Cathedral, take Metro to place de Clincy and transfer to line 13

Hi Degas,

You're fabulous! I never have to plan another Paris trip as long as you keep posting here.

A couple of comments - walk down into metro Abbesses for the wonderful art work lining the walls; done by local artists. There's a couple of hundred stairs so I opted to walk down rather than up. On the metro entrance design is a boat with sails which is the symbol of Paris.

On rue Giradon, near place Dalida (singer - look for her bust), is a lovely small park to rest for a few minutes or have a picnic lunch.

Several artists lived at the bateau-lavoir; Picasso, Renoir, Modigliani, Braque, Dufy.

On rue Norvis is a sculpture of a man walking through the wall called Le Passe-Muraille. There's a story that goes along with this which I can't totally remember but I'm sure someone else on this board will remember or it's probably somewhere on the internet.

Keep up the good work!

adrienne

degas, looks like another winner.

Here's a little addition:

CIMETIERE ST-VINCENT: Entry on rue Lucien-Gaulard via rue St-Vincent, behind Lapin Agile. Buried here are proto-impressionist Boudin, Belle Epoque poster artist Cheret and Utrillo.

Seems like a fine itinerary. But I have a note of caution about Place Du Terte. It is very touristy, with aggressive artists who want to draw your picture and tres expensive food and drink. It's OK and rather quaint as long as you are not surprized by the aggressive selling or the prices.

Regarding the AU LAPIN AGILE, in the early days it was the favorite of Renior, Verlaine and Clemenceau. In 1880, a painter named Gil painted the sign of a nimble rabbit avoiding a pot. Poor artists used to gather here to eat and sing and were allowed to pay their bills with paintings. Picasso did so with one that was eventually worth millions.

Thanks for the great inputs so far.

Here' a little update on the BATEAU-LAVIOR (Boat Wash House).

Got its name because it was a large wooden structure (burned down in 1970) in much disrepair and was said to resemble the many floating laundry concessions anchored in the Seine. The artists who lived here were always covered in paint and people said they looked like they needed a good hosing down.

Degas, another fine addition to your growing Paris collection. Thanks for sharing all the detailed research and hard work that went in to it.

I wish I had more to add, but this might be interesting: A stairway passage from Rue Lepic climbs up ave Junot which has Art Deco houses with small gardens.

Le Maquis, 69,r. Caulaincourt, is a fine bistro, favored primarily by locals. Reasonably priced as well. After a lunch at Le Maquis just walk down the hill to the Cimetiere de Montmartre, an eerie place usually filled with feral cats sitting among the once elegant and stately burial structures. Bring a camera. JP

Great stuff - keep it coming. Here's one place you might want to try for a drink:

Le Relais de la Butte. 12 rue Ravignan. 1200 to 2300. Old fashioned, filled with plants and friendly.

While the square outside is quite touristy, Mere Catherine serves terrific food and the prices are reasonable. Best onion soup I've eaten in Paris!

Seamus, I read that it is said to be the home of the original fast-food joint. Cossacks came to eat, asking for their food to be served fast and shouting "bistro!" which is "quickly" in Russian.

Hi degas..

We did almost this entire walk 2 weeks ago..it might be 2 miles but it feels like 10! Use your stairmaster and exercise walk a lot at home before you go!

We really enjoyed the Musee Montmarte, in the oldest house there, small and compact, nice collection, overlooks the vineyard so you can skip that if you like. Email me at [email protected] if you want to see the pictures.

ttt

degas, did some research regarding the MOULIN DE LA GALETTE:

Built in 1622. During the 1814 Siege of Paris, the mill owner, Pierre-Charles DeBray, was crucified on the blades of the mill in macabre retribution for trying to stop the invading Cossacks. His grave has a small sculpted-stone windmill for a headstone. It became a respectable entertainment venue for families, students and artists to gather on Sunday and evenings. It acquired its name from a popular dish, the griddle cake (gallette) that was made from locally milled grain. Locals referred to it as "The Biscuit Windmill."

degas, I know you like historical tidbits, so here's one for you.

Picasso was the subject of a practical joke engineered by a cabaret owner and a famous art critic of the time. Spoofing the "New Style of Painting," they tied a canvas to the back of a donkey and dipped its tail in paint. The animal proceeded to do his natural thing, switching his tail, but this time with paint and canvas. He and his helpers produced several paintings that, to their great delight, actually SOLD.

> On rue Norvis is a sculpture of a man walking through the wall called Le Passe-Muraille.

Made by Jean-Marais, the French movie star of "the Beauty & the Beast" and Fantoma series among others.

This past Spring we tried something never done on any of our previous trips. We'd done a walking tour on our own in 1998, in 2002 made the mistake of trying to repeat it on a Saturday. YIKES! But this time we met up at the Abeysses Metro stop for one of the Paris Walks tours. It was worth it just to get the full story behind "Le Passe-Muraille." Very entertaining, and much better than trying to read about/view stuff at the same time. We did the morning tour, and ended up at the bottom of the funicular. A block or two up the road was a terrific bar/resto called Le Progres They had a 10Euro special that was fantastic, and it was a really cool place to hang out as well. Amazing choice of beer/ale and wine by the glass.

This seems like a great walk. We are staying in Montmarte during Christmas is anyone familiar with Hotel Fromentin? Degas would you recommend 1st timers to skip the dome of Sacre Couer?

Thanks for all the additional info and recommendations - will incorporate and make the walk better.

hms, the view from the front of the church is super at sunset. I think you can see, on a good day, close to twenty miles.

Lots of stairs and steep hills around the church so your legs get a good workout. I did the dome the first time around, but not on repeat visits.

Still, it doesn't cost much or take much time. Do it if the spirit moves you.

Be sure to take a good look at the artwork of Francisque Poulbot at the Musee du Vieux Montmartre. He specialized in drawing the little street urchins of Paris.

Regards,

Jinx Hoover

I don't have a lot to add -- I don't know of any special places to eat, except Sancerre, but there are plenty of places that you can choose that just look good, I think there's a decent bistro at the corner of rues Lepic and Abbesses.

I would say Eglise St-jean l'Evangeliste is worth a look, the Art Nouveau influence is in the interior, but the outside has Moorish influences. It's an interesting church.

If one is interested in architecture, I'd just take a walk along ave Junot, which is really the elegant street of this area. I think I did this area sort of in reverse, getting off at Lamarck Caulincourt and then going downhill down ave Junot towards Abbesses. There are a lot of interesting houses and villas, including some artists, on ave Junot. Poulbot, as mentioned above, lived here next to a house designed by Loos, which is wellknown (around 11-13 ave Junot).

There are good fabric stores/markets around that at Marche Saint-Pierre, also, the area is known for that. Dreyfus is a big one. You may not want that, but for those who are interested, it's worth noting. Here is a URL for that market:
http://www.marche-saint-pierre.fr

Couldn't resist adding my 4 eurocents worth, given that this was my neighbourhood for a couple of years...

The Relais de la Butte is divided into two parts. The bar, and the restaurant, with separate entrances. I wouldn't call the bar "old fashioned and full of plants." It has tables outside in warm weather but the indoor bar is fairly modern, nothing to write home about. The restaurant next door is more old fashioned (but you can't stop just for a drink, I don't think...), serving decent Italian food (no pizza).

Other good choices for food: la Queue du Chat (the cat's tail) at the top end of Rue Tholozé. Excellent cuisine at very reasonable prices. Used to eat there regularly. My absolute favourite for dinner in this area is Chez Toinette on Rue Germain-Pilon (which runs down from place des abbesses to the boulevard below). This is a small restaurant run by two guys, who cook up great Provençal style food, always fresh, always delicious. Menu changes every day. No prix fixe, but who cares when it's this reasonable!

Of the cafés on the rue des Abbesses, le St Jean, which is on the square, does decent bar food. Also the Chinon further along the street. If you really want to hang out with the locals, visit the Cave des Abbesses, at 43 rue des Abbesses. Walk through to the back of the wine store and you'll find a little bar tucked away where you can taste a selection of great wines (tasting menu changes every month) and enjoy a plate of charcuterie, or cheese, or roasted vegetables, or bread and pesto.

If you fancy something sweet, buy a pastry from Les Petits Mitrons near the intersection of rue lepic and Rue des Abbesses. By far the best in the neighbourhood!

Another place you might want to check out when up at the Sacré Coeur is the little park hidden away behind it. Walk round the Basilica (miraculously the crowds of tourists will disappear) and you'll see a gateway leading into a little garden. There are alcoves covered in vines, and as you walk through the terraced park you'll come across the waterfall fountain, and huge clumps of lavender. It's only a tiny place, but it's a lovely spot to stop for a picnic or just to rest legs weary from all the stairs and hills of Montmartre!

maybe i missed it while reading your posts.
i liked the collection of Dali's sculptures in the museum near the PLACE DU TERTE very much.

For Amelie Fans:

Café des Deux Moulins, 15, rue Lepic; (33-1) 42.54.90.50; Métro: Blanche. Classics like salade frisée aux lardons ($8.85, at $1.18 to the euro) and a demi-Camembert with a glass of Ctes du Rhne ($7).

Au Marché de la Butte, 56, rue des Trois Frères; (33-1) 42.64.86.30; Métro: Abbesses. Closed Monday. A traditional French neighborhood convenience store that still looks very much like the épicerie in the movie.

The Café des Deux Moulins on the Rue Lepic where Amélie worked as a waitress has become one of the most frequented cafes in the neighborhood since the movie opened. When its longtime owner, Claude Labbé, announced he was selling it last year, there were rumors it would become an Amélie theme bar or even worse, a fast-food restaurant.

Indeed, Marc Fougedoire, the new owner, eliminated the classic cigarette stand, an important focal point in the film, to make room for more tables. Cloth tablecloths were replaced by paper.

But the copper-topped bar, mustard-colored ceiling, lace curtains and 1950's décor have been preserved, including the neon wall lamps. So has the unisex toilet that is the scene of a frenzied coupling between Georgette, a hypochondriac cigarette seller, and Joseph, a rough patron whose life is transformed by love.

>... the unisex toilet that is the scene of a frenzied coupling between Georgette, a hypochondriac cigarette seller, and Joseph, a rough patron whose life is transformed by love.<

Ah, the wonder of romantic Paris.

For park and garden fans: after visiting the basilica, most people walk to the left towards the Place du Tertre, but just behind and to the right of the church lies a lovely place called Parc de la Turlure. Its a triangle spot of green with park benches, green lawn, flowerbeds and a most unusual arbor adorn this quiet haven. The benches under the arbor seem to attract young lovers and avid readers while the framework and vegetation create a sense of seclusion from everyday life. Only a few hundred feet away, the steps were teaming with people and music, but amazingly little if any of that noise reaches behind the church.

ttt

I would say that my friend and I enjoyed going to the top of Sacre Couer, and the view was lovely.

Note: It also had no two-hour line like the Eiffel Tower did.

Splendid plan. I have attached a google maps direction for anyone interested

http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=ME...13,17&t=m&z=16

Not only is this post 9 years old, but I believe that Degas is no longer with us. And lots of cafés, restaurants and shops have changed over that period.

That's one long url! http://www.tinyurl.com comes in handy for that type of thing...

bookmarking

Yeah, kerouac, this is very strange. This is the second Europe thread that has come up recently where I had posted on it several years ago.