Montmartre Walking Tour

Place des Abbesses

The beginning of the tour at Place des Abbesses gives a promising idea of its richness.

The Name of the Metro Abbesses (Abbess in English) is all about the former famous Montmartre Abbaye, which saw Ignatius of Loyola initiate there, with his companions, the creation of the Society of Jesus (The Jesuits).

Beside the metro exit is the famous mur des je t’aime (Wall of the I Love You).  A now famous symbol of … Love.

The Metro station itself is part of the tour as behind one of the Last famous Hector Guimard’s Art Nouveau, one remaining in Paris.

The Saint-Jean-de-Montmartre church is a famous milestone in architectural history from the same period and style.

Bateau-Lavoir & Moulin de la Galette

The zone of the first stage of the tour ascension is full of diversity.

• The Bateau-Lavoir, also called the modern Villa de Medicis for all the famous artists who stayed there: Gaugin, Picasso, Max Jacob, Modigliani, etc.
• The famous Grocery store of the Amélie 2001 multi-awarded Movie.
• The former house of Dalida, the famous Franco-Italian (born in Egypt) singer, died in 1987.
• The Moulin de la Galette made world-famous for the corresponding Renoir painting (Orsay Museum).

Rue de l’Abreuvoir & Maison Rose

This zone is probably one of the most photographed in Montmartre and maybe Paris. The Maison Rose, made famous by naive French painter Maurice Utrillo, is the most photographed Paris Monument on Instagram ©.

Not so famous but very important in Montmartre’s history is the Château des Brouillards (Castle of the Mist), which once saw Renoir as a neighbor.

Paris – Montmartre rue de L’Abreuvoir with Sacré-Coeur Dome in the background. Photo © Broaden Horizons.

Montmartre Vineyard & Lapin Agile Cabaret

The Montmartre Vineyard wine is neither the best nor the cheapest, but yes, it is a very famous one.

The Lapin Agile is said to be the oldest cabaret in Paris; a very special and famous painting was created right there.

Village Center & Place du Tertre

The penultimate stage of the tour is to climb to Place du Tertre, the “village” center.

There you will on the way take the Rue des Saules, where you will cross famous cafés and restaurants such as Le Consulat or La Bonne Franquette.

This part of the tour concentrates most memories of the famous Montmartre painters and, first of all, Vincent Van Gogh.

But we will also pass beside the musée de Montmartre (not included in the tour), which is housed in a historic house where Auguste Renoir lived from 1875 to 1877. There he painted many masterpieces, including Le Bal du Moulin de la Galette. The place also received other painters such as Raoul Duffy, Emile Bernard, and Maurice Utrillo.

Saint-Pierre de Montmartre Church

Saint-Pierre de Montmartre is the oldest church in Paris after Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

The church was part of an abbey founded in the 12th century by King of France Louis VI Le Gros (the Fat). Even if heavily damaged during the French Revolution and intrusively restored later on, it remains an exceptional witness of Romanesque architecture.

Beside the church is the smallest and most ancient cemetery in Paris, probably of Merovingian origin; it is also the highest point of Paris.

Paris – Facade of Saint-Pierre de Montmartre Church. Photo © Broaden horizons.

View of Paris from Sacré-Coeur. Photo © Broaden Horizons.