Montmartre Walking Tour in Paris

Montmartre is a neighborhood on Paris’s highest hilltop. Its name is derived from “Mons martyrium,” meaning “mountain of martyrs.” 

Montmartre was once home to painters such as Renoir and Picasso. A historical enclave, it features the headless statue of Saint Dennis and the Basilica of Sacre-Coeur. 

Of the 20 neighborhoods you might visit in Paris, this Bohemian neighborhood should be on your list. Check out my reel on my Instagram page.

Paris-Walks.com Tour

I recommend booking the two-hour Montmartre walking tour with Paris-Walks.com, which is offered twice weekly. My guide, Richelle, is an ex-pat who has called Paris home for decades. She will help us discover anarchy, artists, and architecture on her tour.

Walking up the Abbesses Metro station steps, you see cobblestone streets, sycamore trees, and an Art Nouveau Catholic church. The plaza feels cloistered, and the autumn leaves form a canopy over your head.

“We are on the highest hill in Paris in Montmartre,” explains Richelle Sheppard. “We wind up to the tourist sections and the Sacre-Coeur. This Metropolitan (Metro) station is one of the last three stations with a glass awning.”

Art Nouveau Metro

French architect Hector Guimard created the Metro’s signage in the Art Nouveau style, which was popular in the 1900s. Features include floral and curving motifs, cast iron, and glass. He also designed the script letters; it subsequently became known as the Métro style (style Métro).

Guimard installed his trendy signage between 1900 and 1904. It was not popular. “Parisians did not care for this style. They wanted classical architecture,” said Richelle.

Most of his Metro station entrances are now demolished. The remaining entrances are protected historical monuments.

I Love You: The Wall

After leaving the Metro plaza, your first stop is the nearby park, where you can see the “I Love You: The Wall” mural. Musician Frederic Baron invented the wall and collected the “I love you” statements. You’ll see 1,000 examples written in 300 languages and different dialects.

Baron always had the person write his phrase on the same size paper (21 x 29.7 cm), but he could choose his color (blue, green, black, etc.). On the original, Baron noted the origin (country).

Since Baron gave his first piano concerts at several Montmartre cafes (such as Chez Ginette, Au Tir Bouchon, and Au Piano Bar), he decided it was the perfect place for his street art.

I could gaze for hours at this “I love you” mural. The blue background reminds me of the night sky, but the language of love illuminates instead of the stars and the moon. There is even an “I love you” written in sign language. (Louis Braille was French.) A portrait of actress Rita Hayworth, a 1940s American actress known as the “Love Goddess,” is a paste-up on the wall.

Street Art

You can turn around on any corner to find street art, which lines the sides of buildings. Graffiti grows like weeds. The topics range from comic to modern to political.

I also saw the Space Invaders street art throughout Montmartre. The artist is anonymous. He defines himself as an UFA, an Unidentified Free Artist, and chose Invader as his pseudonym. 

The artist relies on several techniques, including paste-up, to adapt to the time and place of the invasion. To avoid detection, he has to calculate the size of the mosaic and the height of the wall.

But the masterful portraits of children most absorbed me.

Bishop of Paris

On the walking tour, you may be surprised to walk through a children’s playground and discover the headless statue of Saint Denis. He was sent to Gaul to evangelize the territory around 250 A.D.

The site is hallowed ground—the Mount of the Martyr. The Romans severed his head, but according to legend, he walked six kilometers with his head in his hands. “Poppies and wheat grow from his grave. He was the first Bishop of Paris,” explains Richelle.

Martyrium of Saint Denis

Montmarte is a large hill located in Paris’ 18th arrondissement. It is 430 feet high. “The hilltop is a sacred hill,” explains our guide. “There was a miracle in the 3rd century. By the 12th century, the king of France founded the Montmartre Abby, which was the first step until the founding of the Jesuits. Joan of Arc came to pray here. After the French Revolution, the revolutionaries took away property.

(In the 15th century, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Saint Francis Xavier, and five other companions bound themselves by vows to the martyr Saint-Denis.)

Art Nouveau Church

Since you are touring Montmartre, you also should stop and see Saint-Jean de Montmartre. This Catholic church is located at 19 Rue des Abbesses, at the foot of Montmartre.

“Opened in 1904, the church was shocking to Parisians,” explained Richelle. “It was built in red brick instead of marble. It is Art Nouveau. The church was built on a sloop; the pillars were slanted. It was condemned before it was open.”

This church is dedicated to St John. The natives’ nickname for the church is “St. John of the Bricks.”

Architecture

What distinguishes Montmartre from other Parisian neighborhoods is its medieval style—skinny alleys, curving avenues, and chaotic streets. You won’t confuse Montmartre with Haussmann Saint-Lazare’s wide avenues and imposing boulevards.

“Haussmann didn’t come here,” declares Richelle. (Baron Haussmann was chosen by Napoleon III for a massive urban renewal program. He leveled sections of Paris in the 19th century.)

In Paris, every village (neighborhood) had a commercial street. This is where the residents shop for their local fare. 

On our rambling walks, we saw a cheese shop, butcher, flower shop, chicken roaster, coffee bar, and chocolate shop. Everyone has flowers on their restaurants since Covid. It is spring in Montmarte. 

Absinthe

You’ll also see many bars in Montmarte on every street. The neighborhood attracted the poor and struggling artists, who drank their worries away.

“The muse of the poets was absinthe, known as the “green hour.” You will take the direct train to the insane asylum,” said Richelle.

The reveler put a sugar cube on top, stirred, and drank. The French government outlawed absinthe during World War I.

(The painter Edgar Degas portrayed the ill effects of drinking absinthe in his asymmetrical painting of a drunk woman and man. The problem was alcohol poisoning.)

Moulin Rouge

The section of Paris is renowned for its French cabarets. Moulin Rouge opened in 1889, the same year as the Eiffel Tour and the Paris World Fair. It is famous as the birthplace of the “can-can” dance.

Moulin Rouge is translated as Red Mill. This illustrious cabaret is decorated with a red windmill outside.

“The cabaret was lit by light bulbs. You pushed open the door to see live donkeys swinging from trees and cancan dancers kicking their heels up. Moulin Rouge had some famous dancers,” said Richelle.

You can still enjoy a dinner and show at the Moulin Rouge today. The Féerie Revue show features 80 artists from all over the world and 1,000 costumes made of feathers, sequins, and rhinestones.

Home of Artists

From the start of the Impressionist era in 1872, Montmartre attracted many famous painters who lived or worked in the neighborhood.

The list includes Claude Monet, Pierre-August Renoir, Edgar Degas, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and Camille Pissaro. In their footsteps would follow Pablo Picasso, Vincent van Gogh, Maurice Utrillo and Paul Cezanne. Many painted idyllic scenes of life in Montmartre.  

Van Gogh lived here in 1886 with his brother Theo. His work changed after moving to Paris and meeting the Impressionist artists. He resided in Montmartre for two years (1886-1888).

Renoir’s Final Home

Renoir lived in the neighborhood. “He lived here until his 80s. His hand was gnarled up, and they tied a paintbrush to his hand. His son became a filmmaker,” says our guide.

Jean Renoir wrote a book about his father called  “Renoir My Father.” He talked about how the painter is driven by “satisfactions of the mind,” while material needs are relative.

“Painters perhaps come closest to discovering the secret of the balance of forces of the universe, and hence of man’s fulfillment.”—Jean Renoir

Green Fountain 

If you need to refill your water bottle, stop at Montmarte’s iconic green fountain. Wallace Fountains of Paris has dispensed clean drinking water to residents and visitors for 150 years.

“An Englishman bequeathed the green fountains after the Germans destroyed the city in the Hussein War in 1870s,” explains Richelle. Sir Richard Wallace gifted the green fountains to the people of Paris.

Daleda Statue

Don’t be surprised if you find a corner and see a statue of a singer. Place Daleda is a square in Montmartre. There is a bust of Daleda, a popular Egyptian artist and singer who lived there between 1962 and 1987.

It is supposedly good luck if you rub the statue. Dalida is buried a few hundred meters away in the Cemetery of Montmartre.

Le Passe-Muraille

Don’t be confused if you see a man walking through a brick wall. He has two arms and one leg suspended in the air. The Walker Through Walls is a Parisian icon.

This famous statue is a memorial to Marcel Ayme’s short story about a famous bank robber who walks through walls.

“He got himself caught by showing off in front of his friends. It is a short story with a surrealist twist—Mr. Peekaboo. It was installed in the late 1980s,” explains Richelle.

Sacre-Coeur

As you wander up and down hills, you will pass the old vineyard and the congested town square. Painters will come waving a brush and offer to paint your portrait. Food will be overpriced at the crowded cafes.

This is not the real Montmartre. Continue up the hill to the Basilique du Sacre-Coeur, the city’s most sacred point.

If you enter the church, you can stroll through the chapels to admire the mosaics. You can light a candle and pray. If you climb the Dome, you can enjoy a fantastic view of Paris.

Time Travel

Speaking of Ayme’s story, you might feel like a time traveler who bursts through a sandstone wall into the 19th century.

Don’t be surprised if you see Monet in the vineyards painting a landscape or Degas hanging out in a cafe, like Au Lapin Agile. Surprises abound. Be quick like the agile rabbit and jump into the scene.

Postscript: Montmarte is no longer a cheap bohemian French neighborhood. “Wherever the artists go, it gentrifies,” says Richelle. Luckily, you can probably afford the 25 euros for a Paris-Walks.com walking tour of Montmartre.