One of my favourite areas of Paris is Montmartre with its colourful artists and buskers, beautiful architecture, cobbled streets and stunning views across the city; I would like to share with you some of my photos from a recent visit.
I’d picked a hotel that was near both the Gare du Nord (the Eurostar station) and Montmartre. Having boarded the train at St Pancreas at about 9.30am we arrived in Paris a couple of hours later and it was just a short walk from the station to our hotel, Hôtel Mercure Paris Gare de l’Est (which I would certainly recommend for its friendly staff and its location). Having checked in we hopped on the metro to visit Montmarte just a few stations away.
Sacré-Cœur
First stop the majestic Sacré-Cœur Basilica, the Sacred Heart of Paris.
The construction of the Sacré-Cœur Basilica began in 1875 and was finished in 1914 but it wasn’t until after the end of World War I in 1919 that it was consecrated.
We did have a look inside but sadly you were not allowed to take pictures but I did photograph the view from the steps looking out over Paris which was glorious in the June sunshine.
Tip: If any in your party have difficulty walking or with stairs be warned that it is quite a climb up the steps to the Sacré-Cœur but for one metro ticket you can take the funicular and cut out most of the climb!
Saint-Pierre de Montmartre
In the shadow of the Sacré-Cœur you’ll find the much older yet rather overlooked Saint-Pierre de Montmartre.
Place du Tertre
The famous artists square, Place du Tertre, is just a couple of streets away and well worth having a look around.
Moulin Rouge
One of Paris’ many iconic buildings I hoped to have a look at during our visit was the Moulin Rouge so as we were fairly nearby we took a short detour and walked in that direction.
Ignoring the surrounding sex shops, casinos and lurid comments as we passed by what I assumed was a brothel we found the famous red windmill and took a few snaps before heading to the nearest metro station. This is where I took some of my favourite images from the weekend, not of famous landmarks or dramatic cityscapes, but of young people laughing as the updraft from the metro beneath this vent created a Marilyn Monroe skirt raising effect!
Hi Kat, looking forward to visiting Montmartre when I go to France. Great photos!!
I hope we’ll be able to see your photos. The link to your site doesn’t seem to be working so please do leave a link in a comment if you would like to.
beautiful photos! I really love Montmartre too..unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to explore it as much as I wanted though but definitely will when I visit Paris again!
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Thank you Tiffany. Just popped over to your blog. I’ve never heard of Luxemburgerli but they sound and look amazing!
I was there today. The sun was shining and the view was amazing
Wonderful! I hope I will be back again before too long.
Some great images! I love the close up of the Basilica, but I love the shot looking away from the building as much. It’s always interesting to look beyond what should be the focal point.
Thank and thank you so much for following my blog. I’m off now to have a look at yours
Cheers!
Lovely shots and the last ones made me smile! Have you seen the film Amelie? – shot in Paris and around Sacre-Cour – lovely film.
The last ones are fun aren’t they – I should have joined in. Well.. maybe not!
Yes, I have seen Amelie. A really lovely film, which I must watch again sometime soon.
I love Paris, and that second shot of Sacre-Cour is fabulous!
Thanks Marcia. I was so lucky with the weather (makes a change
and it is such a beautiful city.
I love Montmartre – great photos too, looks like you had lovely weather and got lucky with the view, so often it’s hazy.
The weather was perfect for the photos but it was unbelievably hot. Now we are all complaining about the rain (we were cut off last night!) can’t win!
Kat, you’ve captured the beautiful detail of Sacré Coeur’s dome so well!
Thanks Tricia. Really appreciate your kind comment.
Such happy photos Kat – I love Paris but have not yet braved it enough to travel on the Metro. Maybe when I go next year
Thanks you and yes, you must try the metro. How did you manage without? It really is the best way to get around. Get a good map. Check the number of the line you want, check the LAST station in the direction you want to go and follow the signs for that line number and station and you’ll be on the right platform. And if you get a pass rather than individual tickets you can hop on and off everywhere you want to go.
Great post with fun pictures!
Thank you, good to hear you enjoyed it.
Lovely photos. We didn’t spend much time in Montmarte on our last visit. Will have to repair that next summer
Yes, indeed. Great place to explore.
One of my favorite too – Sacré-Cœur – sitting at the hill and enjoy the view – so great…
Lovely shots…
Thank you. Hope they brought back some happy memories.