The hill, the village and the view. Go up the back way and you’ll see the Montmartre the crowds miss.
The short version
- Take line 12 to Abbesses, not line 2 to Anvers. Abbesses puts you in the village; Anvers puts you at the bottom of the tourist steps.
- Walk up rue Lepic and rue des Saules to the top. It is steep, the streets are quiet, and it is the Montmartre in the paintings.
- Sacré-Cœur is free, open 6:30 to 22:30 every day; the dome climb is a paid ticket at the door. Details at sacre-coeur-montmartre.com.
- The funicular from the foot of the hill to the basilica takes a standard metro ticket. Ride it up if your legs say so; walk down.
- Place du Tertre is the painters’ square and the busiest spot on the hill. Look, don’t eat there.
- Keep your phone in your pocket on the basilica steps and say no to the string-bracelet men. They work the crowd at the bottom of the hill all day.
The walk
From Abbesses metro, under Guimard’s glass canopy, walk to the Wall of Love in the little square behind the station, then up rue Lepic past the Moulin de la Galette, one of the last two windmills on the hill.
At the top of rue Lepic, turn onto rue des Saules: the Clos Montmartre vineyard is on your left, still harvested every October, and the Lapin Agile cabaret, where Picasso drank on credit, is at the bottom of the street. The Musée de Montmartre is around the corner on rue Cortot, in the house where Renoir painted.
Then the Place du Tertre, and Sacré-Cœur two minutes on. Go in, climb the dome if you like heights, and come down the front steps for the view over Paris. The funicular is at the side of the steps if you want to save your knees.
Or let the car do the hill: our private Paris in a Day is eight hours with a driver-guide, Montmartre with the Louvre and Notre-Dame, and the drive up the hill is part of it.
Where to eat
Rue des Abbesses and rue Lepic are the food streets: bakeries, cheese shops, wine bars and bistros where the people who live on the hill eat. Buy a picnic on rue Lepic and eat it on the basilica steps.
Avoid the restaurants on the Place du Tertre. The view of the painters is the product, not the food, and the prices show it.
For dinner, the streets between Abbesses and Pigalle have the bistros. The Pigalle end is the red-light district, loud and harmless in the early evening and best left alone late at night.
When to go
Early morning, before 9:00, when the steps are empty and the light is on the city from the east. Or the last hour of daylight, when the lights come on below the basilica.
Weekend afternoons from April to October the hill is at capacity: the funicular has a line, the Place du Tertre is shoulder to shoulder, and the steps are full. A weekday is a different place.
The Montmartre harvest festival, the Fête des Vendanges, takes over the hill for a weekend in early October, with a parade and wine stands. It is crowded and it is fun.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Montmartre funicular included in a metro ticket?
Yes. It takes a standard Paris metro ticket or any pass that covers the metro, and runs every few minutes from the bottom of the hill to the terrace below Sacré-Cœur.
Which metro stop is best for Montmartre?
Abbesses on line 12, for the village and the back way up. Anvers on line 2 puts you at the bottom of the steps under the basilica, which is where the crowd and the hawkers are.
How long does Montmartre take?
Half a day for the walk above with Sacré-Cœur. Add an hour for the Musée de Montmartre and another for lunch on rue des Abbesses.
Is Montmartre safe?
In the day, yes. Watch for pickpockets on the basilica steps and the funicular, and ignore anyone who wants to tie a bracelet on your wrist. The Pigalle end at the bottom of the hill is best avoided late at night.
Is there a tour of Montmartre?
Our half-day Paris walking tour is about three hours with a private guide, start times from 9:00 to 18:00, and a Montmartre route takes the back streets from Abbesses to the top.
Our Most Popular Day Trips From Paris
Louvre, Montmartre and Notre Dame in eight hours with a private driver-guide.
Half a day on foot with a private guide, routed around what you want to see.
