Paris: What to See & Do: Walks: Montmartre, 18th arrondissement

Montmartre, 18th arrondissement

This bohemian neighborhood is one of my favorites in Paris—it’s perfect miniature version of the city. Parts of the area are well-heeled—the Avenue Junot, for example—but much of it remains bustling and profoundly heterogeneous. For this walk, start by going north on the Rue Dancourt to the Place de Dublin, then turn left into Rue d’Orsel, which turns into the Rue des Abbesses. Turn left into the Rue des Abbesses and walk west until it becomes the Rue Lepic (the street climbs gently to the Moulin de la Galette, the dance hall depicted in paintings by Renoir, van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec. Continue up the Rue Lepic until it becomes the Rue des Saules. At the corner of the Rues des Saules and St.-Vincent are the only vineyards left within the city limits. Follow the Rue des Saules to the corner of the Rue Lamarck, turn right, then follow it to the Rue de la Bonne, which leads up to the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur.