Ups and Downs of Montmarte
A few weeks ago Ali and I went to Paris for the weekend. It was the last weekend before she went on her round-the-world trip and we wanted to enjoy some time together not dealing with apartment renovations. We had both been to Paris before so there was not so much pressure to see everything. We of course did the big sites. Here is a bit of the ups and downs in Montmarte.
My last trip to Paris was kind of a bust. There was a strike on and no museums were open. The most interesting part of the trip was a bit of wandering in Montmarte. It was on my list for the weekend to see more of it including the church on top.
Up
Montmarte is a hill in Paris, which from my limited experience is a fairly flat place. There aren’t any subway stops on the top of the hill. I did some reading in the guide book and found Abbesses stop. It stops halfway up the hill, so less walking up hills. However the price you pay is in stairs. Lots and lots of stairs in a spiral. We should have noticed when so many people were waiting for the elevator. Oh well, we made it. The stairs let out into a classic Paris square with a merry-go-round.
From the top of the subway stop, it is a fairly easy walk toward the Funicular. This walk leads by galleries and little restaurants, which Montmarte as the artsy area is known for. The funicular is a cog wheel railway that leads up the steep hill to the Sacré Cœur church. We decided that stairs were not our thing. Luckily the all-day passes we had for the transport system were valid on the funicular as well.
Sacré Cœur
The crown at the top of Montmarte hill is the Sacré Cœur church. It has a great view of the city. The steps zig zag up the hill to the church and were filled with people enjoying the sunny fall afternoon. Even from the top of the funicular there are still a set of steps up to the church plaza.
The church itself is a shimmery white dome that peers down across the city. We walked around the top of the hill a bit. Behind the church the streets lead into a square with more cafes and artists. We started looking for a place to sit down and have a drink. This area is artsy and such, but it is also very touristy. So the prices were pretty high even for Paris. Over 7 euro was too much for a small beer. In the end we started following streets down.
Down
Heading out from the church back toward the subway stop, we ran across a square full of artists. This was so touristy and crowded with people, we had to head out to clearer streets. Winding back toward the street we came up, we stopped in a small tree filled square. A man with a hand turned organ played music. It felt like a scene out of a movie with the fall trees and music. A bunch of guys drank beer and talked on one of the bench.
Leaving the place there was a great little bit of graffiti on the sidewalk. I love graffiti when it is creative. I kind of think it is from Princess Mononoke. Down the stairs back to the street full of cafes and to the subway stop. Although going down we picked the elevator. I think we did that one backwards.
Ok, our little wander was only a couple of hours, but it was neat to see the place. If you happen to have a week, check out a full week’s itinerary we put together on Travel-Made-Simple.
Oddly, only the sign was around. Noone selling anything.
Square behind the church
Alternative to the Funicular
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November 15, 2011 @ 1:35 am
I love Montmartre! I used to live very close to it and we had a little favorite wine bar around the corner from Abbesses. Part of that quarter is so touristy (mainly the top of the hill and the bottom of the hill), but there are quite a few parts that are really just very nice and real I think. On a trip with Marco, years after I’d lived there, we’d been walking around all day and, like you, took the funiculaire. It felt kind of silly since it’s so short, but we couldn’t stand the thought of more stairs 🙂
November 15, 2011 @ 8:44 pm
Wow you used to live there? Cool. Yeah, stairs are not so much fun. Especially when we just came up out of the Abbesses metro station on stairs. The funicular was neat though.
November 15, 2011 @ 10:12 pm
Yes, for six months – I was doing an internship in a travel agency for tours from German companies. Lots of fun and I got to see a lot since we sometimes got free tickets to shows and stuff (Moulin Rouge, Opera, Bateaux Parisien, etc.). And on the weekends I’d pick a different corner of the city and walk, walk, walk. Good memories!!
November 16, 2011 @ 12:29 am
Sweet. Do you still do tour agency stuff in the US? Did you see my twitter DM?
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November 4, 2011 @ 4:25 pm
We used to live in Montmartre and I loved it even though it was touristy – mostly because Parisians go there too and there’s always a great vibe at the Sacre Coeur. I love the views!
November 7, 2011 @ 7:09 pm
That is interesting to hear that the Parisians go there too. Do they mostly just wander or sit on steps? The restaurants and such all look so touristy. To be fair we only walked down two main streets and not the whole neighborhood.
November 4, 2011 @ 1:22 am
Montmarte is one of my favorite areas in Paris. Love just wandering the little streets!
November 4, 2011 @ 9:19 am
Yeah it is a neat little area that retains some of the old charm without the broad Napoleonic avenues of the flatlands. It is a shame that it is SO expensive. Thanks for the comment.
November 3, 2011 @ 8:30 pm
When we visited Sacré Cœur (a number of years ago) we saw a Jesus look-alike! He wasn’t a busker or anything, just a normal dude in street clothes who looked EXACTLY like Jesus. So many people were taking photos of him and he didn’t even realize it, lol.
Anyways, random tidbit that has stuck in my mind over the years. 🙂
November 4, 2011 @ 9:18 am
Well where else would he be other than among the people? There really was some great people watching in Montmarte and especially on those steps up to Sacre Coeur.
November 3, 2011 @ 9:33 am
I haven’t spent a lot of time in Montmartre and I’ve been there twice. I know some people love the area with its trendy, artistic neighborhoods. Sacre Coeur is beautiful and it offers some of the best views of Paris outside of the Eiffel Tower (maybe THE best views).
However, I prefer the steps any day – one of the best things about traveling is all the exercise I get! 🙂
November 3, 2011 @ 8:10 pm
Yeah the views from above were great and all of the people watching was great too. I would have loved to sit at a cafe and watch people go by, but couldn’t get myself to pay the prices advertised. So my big complaint of the area is definitely the price.
I like steps too sometimes, but the funicular was really awesome. I loved that it was a part of the daily transit pass that we already had.
November 6, 2011 @ 12:48 am
Best views are from Parc de Belleville and Tour Montparnasse, hands down
🙂
November 7, 2011 @ 7:08 pm
Ha, I have not heard of either of those places, but if/when head back to Paris I will definitely look for them.