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In Montmartre, views of the City of Paris are spectacular. If you want to see the city of Paris laid out before you in all its glory, then climb up to this hamlet on a hill.
About Montmartre
For some background, Montmartre is a village in Paris located on a butte in the city’s 18th arrondissement. It’s famous for its throng of street artists and for being once home to renowned masters like Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, to name a few.
Montmartre is really lovely and one of my favorite spots in Paris, maybe even my most favorite. I love it because it’s like a little village in the middle of a cosmopolitan city. Well, not exactly in the middle of since it’s more like sitting on the edge of Paris, but it’s sort of like that considering that it’s located in a big city like Paris.
This makes Montmartre unique and convenient if you’re looking for a spot with a small-town vibe just a few minutes from the hustle and bustle of a busy city. It’s quickly and efficiently accessible when you want a quiet escape.
Montmartre Views
So yes, Montmartre offers the best views of Paris from the city’s highest point. When you’re up there, you see the sprawling expanse that is the city of Paris. The views are especially stunning at twilight when the city lights add magic to an already splendid scenery. If you’re up for some of that beautiful vista, then head up to Montmartre.
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How to Get to Montmartre
Most journeys to Montmartre start at the Abbesses métro station, which is on Line 12. Wherever in Paris you’ll be coming from, alight at this station.
Alternatively, you can take up Line 2 to Anvers métro station. There’s a funicular there you can ride in that takes you to Sacré-Coeur Basilica, a church at the top of Montmartre.
Another option is to take the Montmartrobus, a public bus that takes you on a scenic tour through the hilly streets of Montmartre and up to Sacré-Coeur. The tour starts at Jules-Joffrin métro station on Line 12.
The Walk from Abbesses
If you’re alighting from the Abbesses métro station, you’ll see the street signs below once you get off from underground.
You can then start walking your way to Montmartre.
The walk up to Montmartre is one of the most delightful walks you can experience in Paris. You’ll be passing by structures with so much history and importance like windmills, a movie house, cabarets, buildings that were once the residence of famous painters and personalities, vineyards, cemeteries that are the resting places of famous people, museums, and centuries-old churches. You’ll be passing through famous streets and squares, too.
Montmartre is located on a hill, so admittedly the walk up to it is uphill. There are stairs, which are sort of their streets, but they don’t make the climb any less challenging, maybe just a bit easier to navigate than a full-pledged hill.
If you’re not in the mood for some walking, though, you can take the funicular instead. It costs just what a one-way métro ticket would.
Trekking Up to Montmartre
More often than not, we love a good walk, so we would usually walk our way to the top, which we did the last we were there. We also wanted to see and explore what’s in the area, so walking it was.
This was one of the stairs we climbed through on the way. It’s not so steep, but you can always rest now and then at some spots along the way if you find the climb tiring.
When you’ve made little headways, you start glimpsing little Montmartre views of Paris like this.
It was really a fun and exhilarating experience. And calming when you catch portions of Paris down below during the trek. These small glimpses are like small rewards for every few steps you took–yes, they were rewarding.
A little bit up, there are viewing balconies like this where you start getting unhampered views of Paris like this.
When you’re near the summit, you arrive at Place du Tertre, a famous square, framed on its sides with restaurants, cafés, art shops, and souvenir stores. It’s littered with street artists hawking their wares and offering their portrait-painting services. I won’t be expanding more on Place du Tertre here anymore since I wrote a post dedicated solely to it, which you can read here. At any rate, Place du Tertre is a great place to catch a breath, and maybe even grab a table at a café for some drinks.
On Top at Sacré-Coeur
And then going further, you’ll arrive at the grounds of Sacré-Coeur Basilica, the front of which offers the best views of Paris. We took this photo while we were nearing Sacré-Coeur.
The views of Paris in front of Sacré-Coeur are really top-notch. Since Paris doesn’t have skyscrapers because of some regulations or so, there aren’t any tall buildings blocking the landscape.
There are benches you can sit on to enjoy the view. If all are taken, you can just sit on the steps of Sacré-Coeur as many people did.
For more far-reaching views, you can go inside Sacré-Coeur and climb to the top of its 271-foot-high dome.
We went on a weekday, so it wasn’t that crowded. We suggest you do the same because the place is jam-packed during the weekends.
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So that’s basically how you get to see amazing views of Paris. It takes a bit of a workout to get it, but, trust me, the views are worth the climb to the top.
So on your Paris bucket list, don’t forget to include Montmartre, views of the city of Paris it offers, and all the other interesting things you can experience while there.
There are also great tours of Montmartre that you can be a part of if you want an in-depth look at this picturesque village. These tours come with more information and background stories about this beautiful part of Paris and will walk you through its famous streets and areas. Check them out below.
Montmartre Hotel
For lovely places to stay in Montmartre, here are some of the top highly-rated ones.
That’s about it for now. Until next time. Happy travels!
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My partner and I have been talking about planning a trip to Paris soon, and Montmartre looks like a lovely place to visit. The views are amazing and I loved your photos!
That’s wonderful! Montmartre is a worthy visit. Hope you have the best time there! Thank you!