Paris – Around Town : Montmartre and Pigalle (part 2) – Places to Escape the Crowds

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A Day in Montmartre


Morning

As with all the city’s busy attractions, the sooner you get to
Sacré-Coeur
 the more you will have it to yourself – it opens at 8am.
Later in the morning, enjoy the bustle of Montmartre with tourists
having their portraits painted by the area’s street artists in the place
du Tertre. There are plenty of places to choose for a coffee, but the
one most of the artists frequent is the Clairon des Chasseurs (

3 pl du Tertre

01 42 62 40 08).

For art of a more surreal kind, pay a visit to the
Espace Montmartre Salvador Dalí
. Head down rue des Saules to continue the artistic theme with lunch at La Maison Rose (

2 rue de l’Abreuvoir

01 42 57 66 75). Utrillo once painted this pretty pink restaurant.

Afternoon

After lunch, the
Musée de Montmartre
 is nearby, as are the Montmartre Vineyards, and the little Cimetière St-Vincent where you will find Maurice Utrillo’s grave.

Head back up to rue Lepic to see the Moulin de la Galette before heading towards the boulevard de Clichy. Here you will see the sleazy side of Pigalle life, although the Musée de l’Erotisme is a more tasteful interpretation.

To the east is a great bar for an apéritif, La Fourmi (

74 rue des Martyrs

01 42 64 70 35). Then end the day with a show at the world-famous Moulin Rouge cabaret.

Artists who Lived in Montmartre

  1. Pablo Picasso

    Picasso (1881–1973) painted Les Demoiselles d’Avignon
    in 1907 while living at the Bateau-Lavoir. It is regarded as the
    painting which inspired the Cubism movement, which he launched with
    fellow residents Georges Braque and Juan Gris.

  2. Salvador Dalí

    The
    Catalan painter (1904– 89) came to Paris in 1929 and held his first
    Surrealist exhibition that year. He kept a studio in Montmartre, and his
    work is now celebrated in the Espace Montmartre Salvador Dalì.




    Dalì sculpture

  3. Vincent Van Gogh

    The
    Dutch genius (1853–90) lived for a time on the third floor of 54 rue
    Lepic. Many of his early paintings were inspired by the Moulin de la Galette windmill.




  4. Pierre-Auguste Renoir

    Renoir
    (1841–1919) is another artist who found inspiration in the Moulin de la
    Galette, when he lived at 12 rue Cortot. For a time he laid tables at Au Lapin Agile.

  5. Edouard Manet

    Manet
    (1832–83) frequented Montmartre’s artist haunts and scandalized the art
    world with his paintings of nudes, including the famous
    Olympia
    .




  6. Maurice Utrillo

    Utrillo
    (1883–1955) often painted the Auberge de la Bonne-Franquette, an
    atmospheric depiction of old Montmartre. His mother was the artist
    Suzanne Valadon and they both lived at 12 rue Cortot, now the Musée de Montmartre.

  7. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

    More
    than any other artist, Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901) is associated with
    Montmartre for his sketches and posters of dancers at the Moulin Rouge
    and other dance halls. They epitomize the era to this day .




    Toulouse-Lautrec

  8. Raoul Dufy

    The
    painter Dufy (1877– 1953) lived at Villa Guelma on the boulevard de
    Clichy from 1911 to 1953, when he was at the height of his career.

  9. Amedeo Modigliani

    The
    Italian painter (1884–1920) and sculptor arrived in Paris in 1906, when
    he was 22, and was greatly influenced by Toulouse-Lautrec and the other
    artists on the Montmartre scene.

  10. Edgar Degas

    Edgar
    Degas was born in Paris in 1834 and lived in the city for the whole of
    his life, most of the time in Montmartre. He died here in 1917 and is
    buried in the Montmartre cemetery.




Places to Escape the Crowds




  1. St-Jean l’Evangéliste de Montmartre

    This 1904 church is a clash of styles, from Moorish to Art Nouveau.

    • 21 rue des Abbesses, 75018

    • Open daily

    • Free

  2. Montmartre City Hall

    On display in this fine building are two Utrillo paintings.

    • 1 pl Jules-Joffrin, 75018

    • Metro Jules Joffrin

  3. Hameau des Artistes

    This little hamlet of artists’ studios is private, but no one will mind if you take a quiet look round.

    • 11 ave Junot, 75018

  4. Musée de la Vie Romantique

    Writer George Sand frequently visited the owner of this house, artist Ary Scheffer. The building is now devoted to her works.

    • 16 rue Chaptal, 75009

    • Open 10am–6pm Tue–Sun

    • Admission charge

  5. Musée Gustave Moreau

    The former home of Symbolist artist Moreau now displays a large collection of his works.

    • 14 rue de La Rochefoucauld, 75009

    • Open 10am–12:45pm, 2–5:15pm Wed–Mon

    • Admission charge


    • www.musee-moreau.fr

  6. Halle Saint Pierre

    A fascinating cultural centre that exhibits naive, folk and “raw” art (Art Brut).

    • 2 rue Ronsard, 75018

    • 01 42 58 72 89

    • Open 10am–6pm daily

    • Admission charge

  7. Cité Véron

    This cul-de-sac is home to the Académie des Arts Chorégraphiques, a prestigious dance school.

    • 92 blvd de Clichy, 75018

  8. Square Suzanne-Buisson

    Named after a World War II Resistance fighter, this square is a romantic spot.

  9. Rue de Poteau Market

    This great food market is a long way from the tourist crowds.

    • Metro Jules Joffrin




    Rue de Poteau market

  10. Chapelle des Martyrs

    Also
    known as the Martyrium, this 19th-century chapel is said to be on the
    spot where St Denis was beheaded by the Romans in AD 250.

    • 11 rue Yvonne-Le-Tac, 75018

    • Chapel: open 10am–6pm Tue–Sun; crypt: open 3–6pm Fri

    • Admission charge