Artistic Montmartre Walking Tour: From Moulin Rouge to Sacré Coeur
Montmartre’s art and cabaret history: we explore the neighborhood from the grand boulevards up to the Sacré-Cœur Basilica on the hill—Moulin Rouge, Café des Deux Moulins (the Amélie café), Van Gogh’s house, Moulin de la Galette, and the Montmartre vineyard.
Basic Information
Total time
2h 15m
Language
English (check the calendar for availability)
Price
„Pay what you wish” tours do not have a fixed price. It is up to you to evaluate your guide’s work and reward it. Some people give 10€, others 50€ depending on their satisfaction and abilities.
Meeting point
In front of the Metro Blanche, the only exit Nearest public transport: Boulevard de Clichy metro station; Rue Caulaincourt metro station
Additional info
☂︎ This tour is organised by Walkative Paris guides. Look for the guide with the yellow umbrella.
♿️ Tour not suitable for people with reduced mobility or strollers
❗Our tours run no matter the weather. High or low temperatures, rain or snow is not a reason for us to cancel our tours. We are always here for you. The only reason for cancellations are extreme weather conditions (like heavy storms…), guide's sudden sickness or no minimum number of people (5) to run the tour, but we will always let you know using the data you provided during registration for the tour.Booking rules
Booking is obligatory. Our pay as you wish tours are designed for individual travellers and small groups. We don’t accept parties of more than 7 people on them. If you travel in a party of 8 or more (school groups, bigger groups of friends etc.), please choose a paid option of 18€ per person or book a Private Tour. For more information on the latter, please contact us.
About the tour
The name of the neighbourhood comes from Latin Mons Martyrum and means “Hill of Martyrs.” It is associated with the quite creepy story of the first bishop of Paris, Saint Denis. He was beheaded by the Romans for not renouncing his faith. Afterwards, he collected his severed head and walked with it down the hill, where he finally dropped dead. So much the legend, but before it got world-famous, Montmartre was a simple, sleepy village set on the hill surrounded by vineyards, gardens, and orchards. As many as 13 mills were built on its slopes to grind wheat, barley, and rye. Of those only two survived and now people around the world recognize the mill as a symbol of this fascinating neighbourhood.
But finally the time has come when this sleepy village changed forever. Because of its many drinking establishments, cheap wine, low rents and specific, relaxed and friendly atmosphere, 19th century Montmartre became the hotbed where many artists from all corners of the world were flocking in. Who can tell what was first? The dancing halls, cafés, and cabarets like Le Chat Noir or Moulin Rouge where girls dancing the cancan were throwing their legs up indecently high or the artists settling down there and allowing for all that to happen. One is certain, Montmartre became the most interesting neighbourhood in Paris (and perhaps in the entire world) at the turn of the 19th and 20th century. Who has not lived, worked (drank, took drugs, had sex…) there? Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh, Picasso, Modigliani, Matisse, Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec to name just a few.
Today Montmartre lures everyone with its colourful history, anecdotes, and scandals associated with the artistic community once living here, but it does not only dwell on the past! It is still one of the most intriguing Parisian quarters. A place looking as if it were taken straight from a fairy tale, with its steep, winding streets and crooked buildings overgrown with ivy. At almost every corner there is a café, restaurant, or drinking parlour you want to stop at. No wonder that until the present day it is loved both by artists, photographers, film directors as well as Parisians and tourists who are combing the streets in search of places famous from hit movies filmed here.
Join our tour to discover our favourite district of Paris and let yourself be enchanted by one and only Montmartre!
Highlights
- 1
Moulin Rouge
World-famous cabaret, birthplace of the can-can dance, known for its iconic red windmill.
- 2
Amelie's Café
The charming Parisian café made famous worldwide by the 2001 film "Amélie".
- 3
Van Gogh's House
The former residence where the famous Dutch painter lived with his brother Theo from 1886 to 1888.
- 4
Moulin de la Galette
One of the last two surviving windmills in Montmartre, immortalized in paintings by Renoir.
- 5
Place des Abbesses
A picturesque square featuring an Art Nouveau metro station and the famous "I Love You" wall.
- 6
Artists' Studios
See where artists like Picasso and Modigliani lived, worked, and changed the course of modern art.
- 7
Montmartre Vineyard
The last working vineyard in Paris, a charming reminder of Montmartre’s rustic, village-like past.
8Sacré-Cœur Basilica
The stunning white-domed basilica at the summit of Montmartre, offering panoramic views of the city.
Map
In front of the Metro Blanche, the only exit Nearest public transport: Boulevard de Clichy metro station; Rue Caulaincourt metro station
