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A Montmartre tour is one of the best experiences you can have when visiting Paris. This quaint village on a hill offers enough charm that makes every visit a wonderful and memorable event.
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In this post, we are going to take you on a virtual Montmartre free walking tour of serpentine streets and ivy-covered houses to give you a little taste of the real thing that awaits you when you visit Paris. So sit back and enjoy the beautiful Montmartre, a village worth visiting and also worth a tour.
But first, some background…
About Montmartre
Montmartre is a neighborhood in northern Paris’s 18th arrondissement. Located on a hill and Paris’s highest point, it used to be a separate village outside the city walls before it became part of the city proper in 1860.
In the days of old, it gained the reputation of having a Bohemian vibe because many artists, poets, and writers in the 19th century flocked to this village, made the place their favorite hangout, and even lived there. Famous names in the art world like Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, to name a few, made Montmartre their home and playground.
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These days, portrait artists still roam Montmartre, most of them hanging out in Place du Tertre setting up their easels and offering visitors their artistic talents or selling their creations.
Montmartre is also famous for Basilique du Sacré-Coeur (Sacred Heart Basilica), the imposing white-domed church that sits on its (Montmartre) top, as well as being the place to go when you want to see some panoramic views of Paris. In fact, many climb up this Butte (as the hill is called) for the latter alone.
Best Montmartre Walking Tours
A Walk Up to Montmartre
Most climb up to Montmartre starts at the underground Abbesses métro with its iconic and captivating Art Nouveau entrance of green wrought iron arches, glass, and lights by French architect and designer Hector Guimard.
Place des Abbesses
Once you leave this underground train station and come up for air above, you’ll find yourself at the Place des Abbesses, one of Paris’s most attractive squares. In the area is a little public garden, the Jehan Rictus Garden Square.
Wall of Love
Prominent in this garden is the Wall of Love, a collection of tiles where the phrase “I Love You” is written more than 300 times in more than 200 different languages. It’s quite fascinating and a camera favorite of visitors and tourists.
Place des Abbesses is replete with street signs pointing the way to Montmartre. Just follow them.
The climb up to Montmartre is filled with stairs that pass up as streets. They don’t make the climb less tiring, but they do make it more efficient and a bit easier.
Along the way, you will pass by wine bars, boutiques, and cute little restaurants like this.
Art shops selling mementos and souvenirs and giving credence to Montmartre being an artist’s place is aplenty, too.
Near the top and before reaching Place du Tertre, Montmartre’s original main village square, you’ll pass by Galerie Montmartre with its striking red facade.
You’ll also come across Le Consulat Restaurant, an iconic establishment in Montmartre.
Windmills like these pay homage to the windmill-filled Montmartre of old. Two original windmills can still be found in the area today.
Place du Tertre
At Place du Tertre, you’ll find a bustling scene with the square filled with artists offering painting services, visitors checking out the former’s wares, and buskers giving their best performance.
Place du Tertre is lined with coffee shops, art shops, boutiques, gift shops, and restaurants—La Mère Catherine, where the Russian word “bistro” (meaning quick) was adopted from Russian Cossacks, dates back to 1793.
When it’s the weekend, which it was when we visited, you’ll find these shops brimming with people.
Musée de Montmartre
If you take a few turns and reach Rue Cortot, you’ll find Musée de Montmartre in an old (Montmartre’s oldest, in fact), fine 17th-century house along this quiet street.
It’s where many artists, Renoir for instance, once lived. It showcases Montmartre’s history and houses several pieces of artwork, some from artists who lived in the village, and most of them connected with Montmartre’s Bohemian period.
Rue de l’Abreuvoir
Just a few steps up ahead in Rue de l’Abreuvoir is the famous La Maison Rose, the picturesque pink-colored restaurant that painter Maurice Utrillo once used as the subject in one of his artworks.
You can explore Rue de l’Abreuvoir, one of the most photographed roads in Paris.
Inner Streets
The other streets of Montmartre are filled with more cafés and souvenir shops.
In some streets, you can see Basilica Sacre Coeur’s dramatic bulbous dome (right photo below).
A few more steps up ahead and you’ll start to see some views of Paris below.
Basilique du Sacré-Coeur
And then you walk some more and you’ll finally arrive at Sacré-Coeur, the crowning glory of Butte de Montmartre (Montmartre Hill).
This Romano-Byzantine church’s elevated location provides some panoramic vistas of Paris. You can sit on its front steps and grounds to catch the sprawling sight of Paris below, but more spectacular views of the city can also be seen from inside its dome.
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Wrap Up
This is the end of our short, but sweet, Montmartre tour. We hope you enjoyed going around this charming quarter with us. We hope too that you enjoy the real Montmartre tour when you finally visit Paris. For those who love food, this awesome Montmartre food tour is the way to go.
Don’t forget to share this post or save it for later. As always, happy travels!
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What a fascinating corner of Paris, so many cute corners. A very photogenic place!
Yes, it’s really lovely 🙂
I haven’t been in Montmartre for a long time. Thanks for bringing back memories
What a beautiful and charming place to visit! We have only been to France once and I would love to go back. Thank you so much for sharing!