Basilica Sacre Coeur – worth strolling up the beautiful streets of Montmatre to end up at this stunning monument.
We’ve visited Paris before and we could never tire of the historic and beautiful city centre. This time though, we want to see more and lose ourselves in the backstreets where we can really see the life of this city.
One of the monuments we’ve decided to visit is the Sacré-Coeur on the hill of Montmartre, just outside the city centre and our morning walk is the perfect time to do this.
It is, however, the route to the top of the hill which is the highlight for us.
While our self-guided walking tour begins at Place Pigalle taking us past more well-known sights like the legendary Moulin Rouge and the windmills on Rue Lepic we are soon walking up with steep and winding cobbled streets which take us past the pretty vine-covered houses where many acclaimed artists and writers have lived and through beautiful small parks.
We are excited to follow an out-of-the-way alley, walk down some stairs to see the strange statue of a man’s hand, leg and torso emerging from a wall and vow to make sure we read the short story Le Passe-Muraille by Marcel Ayme which inspired this sculpture.
A little further and come across the little vineyard Clos Montmartre, on a street corner. This working vineyard is one of the last vineyards in Paris and still produces a small amount of wine every year which is auctioned off for charity.
As promised, the grounds of the Sacré-Coeur Basilica provide some of the best views over the city of Paris, including the Eiffel Tower. The Notre Dame in the centre Paris attracts longs queues of visitors for its architecture, but this stunning white stone monument holds a commanding presence at the top on Montmartre hill and is well worth taking the time to venture out to.
Our favourite little find after wandering down the hill past little cafes and bistros in this eclectic neighbourhood is the small beautiful square at the base of the hill in Place des Abbesses. The shady enclave holds Le Mur des Je t’aime (the wall of love). The tiles which make up the wall are covered with the word “I love you” written in 250 languages. It’s fun to scour the wall to find the phrase written in languages you know and a lovely place to sit, reflect and soak in the atmosphere of this unique part of this unique city of love.
Travellers note:
- We designed our self-guided walking tour with the guidance of a number of online sources and the Lonely Planet – Paris, DK Eyewitness France and Frommer’s Walking Tour 1 in Paris.
- Le Passe-Muraille (the Passer-through walls) is located in Place Marcel Aymé just off Rue Norvins – see the map here for the location.
- Ale Mur des Je t’aime is located in Place des Abbesses –see the map here for the location.
- More interesting self-guided walking tours are offered here – we have completed all of them.
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