10 places to see and discover: popular and hidden spots for a free, instructive visit in Montmartre
Looking for places to visit in Montmartre? The cultural escape game in the district – in adult or children’s versions – lets you discover and learn more about a dozen places that have made and still make up the identity of Montmartre. This selection has been chosen to show you the Butte’s most emblematic sites (Sacré-Coeur, Place du Tertre, Vignes, Maison Rose, Passe-muraille…), as well as some lesser-known ones that we won’t name in this article, to keep the suspense of the game intact. In addition, in this article “What to visit in Montmartre”, we’ve put together a small but varied selection of ten or so places to visit in the district.
1. Le Mur des Je t’aime
This work of art is located in the Square Jehan-Rictus, on the Place des Abbesses opposite the church. It hijacks the image of the wall to call for peace and love. It’s the strength of the bond of love that transcends all opposition. This beautiful work by Frédéric Baron and Claire Kito is made up of 40m2 of glazed lava tiles. Je t’aime“ (”I love you”) is written on the surface in 311 dialects. The red splinters scattered across the wall would form a heart if they were brought together.
2. The “Blute-fin” mill, here painted by Vincent Van Gogh in 1886
Together with the second mill, “le Radet”, located nearby, this mill forms the “Moulin de la Galette”. Le Blute-Fin is located a little further down the rue Lepic, at numbers 75-77. It is privately owned and not open to the public. It is, however, perfectly visible, and quite impressive. Its name comes from the verb “bluter”, which means to sift flour to separate it from the bran.
3. Le Musée de Montmartre
The Musée de Montmartre is located at 12 rue Cortot. It occupies the site of Auguste Renoir’s former apartments (in the museum’s left wing). The painter lived here from 1875 to 1876, before moving further down the hill to the Château des Brouillards. Suzanne Valadon and her son, Maurice Utrillo, later lived here. You can recognize Utrillo’s bedroom from the outside, by the bars on the window. A visit to the museum is also an opportunity to discover the mother and son’s apartment and studio, rebuilt exactly as they were.
4. “Erik Satie’s Closet
If you’re strolling along rue Cortot, take a look at number 6. It was at this address that composer Erik Satie lived from 1890 to 1898. Once a museum (the smallest in the world), this “closet”, as the composer called it, can no longer be visited.
5. Rue de l’Abreuvoir, extension of Rue Cortot
As its name suggests, rue de l’Abreuvoir was once the path that led Montmartre residents to a reservoir. This was fed by the Buc fountain (both no longer in existence), below the Butte, to water their animals. Until the end of the 19th century, the old “Chemin de l’Abreuvoir” was a picturesque spectacle, where artists, festivals and livestock mingled in harmony with Montmartre.
6. L’église Saint-Jean
Along with Saint-Pierre church, it’s one of Montmartre’s two parishes. You’ll find it opposite the Abbesses metro station, at number 19 rue Abbesses.
Its architecture, representative of both Art Nouveau and the research and progress of the early 20th century, is singular. By refusing to use “superfluous” materials such as reinforced cement and brick, the architect, Anatole de Baudot, proposed a new architecture in line with the development of industry. This singular characteristic – decried at the time of its construction – combined with the orientalist charms of Art Nouveau (curved lines, blue ceramics) to create a special ensemble. The interior of the church is well worth a look, if you can, for its treatment of space and light.
7. Le Moulin Rouge
A symbol of the Parisian party scene, this legendary cabaret is located in Pigalle, at 82 boulevard de Clichy. The Moulin Rouge was inaugurated in 1889, at a time when the 18th arrondissement was in full swing, having just been enlarged by decree of Napoleon III. Tout-Paris came to dance the quadrille and the cancan. The colorful appearance of the venue, the quality of its dancers and the extravagant charm of its decor have ensured the success of this establishment for 130 years.
Numerous celebrities such as Mistinguett, Elton John, Édith Piaf, Jean Gabin, Liza Minelli, Franck Sinatra, Yves Montand and Charles Aznavour have performed here.
Last but not least, for the past 50 years, the Moulin Rouge has only played shows whose names begin with an “F”, lest they fail to follow in the footsteps of the French Cancan that gave the cabaret its letters of nobility!
8. La Halle Saint Pierre
Halle Saint Pierre is a fine example of Baltard-style architecture. It is located below Sacré-Cœur, at 2 rue Ronsard, opposite Square Louise Michel. Museum. It promotes naïve, crude and contemporary art. You’ll also find a bookshop, an auditorium and a café.
9. Le cimetière de Montmartre
The cemetery was inaugurated in 1825, on the site of the former Montmartre quarries. It is the third largest cemetery in Paris, along with the Batignolles cemetery. It is located at 20 avenue Rachel, under the Caulaincourt bridge. Numerous personalities are buried here: André- Marie Ampère, the Goncourt brothers, Hector Berlioz, Stendhal, Jacques Offenbach, Émile Zola, and more recently, Dalida, François Truffaut, Jeanne Moreau…
10. L’avenue Junot
Avenue Junot links rue Caulaincourt to Place Marcel Aymé. This elegant, affluent avenue is built on the former “Maquis” of Montmartre. The “maquis” was a very poor place, made up of makeshift cottages. Many penniless painters of the early 20th century lived there.
If you’d like to take a stroll, you’ll find the houses of Francisque Poulbot and Tristan Tzara. At numbers 13 and 15 respectively, the two houses are adjoining. You’ll recognize the cartoonist’s house by its mosaic depicting Montmartre’s children. The Dadaist leader’s house is unique in that it was built by Adolph Loos, the only architect to do so in France. This Austrian architect opposed Art Nouveau and its ornamentation. He proposed an architecture based on functionality, which foreshadowed that of Le Corbusier.
11. La Villa Léandre
You can also take a look at Villa Léandre, a small, winding cul-de-sac reminiscent of an English aesthetic. It runs perpendicular to Avenue Junot. This little street was, it is said, the hideout of several resistance fighters during the Second World War.
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