Paris Arrondissements: Part 5
Welcome back to the final part of our trip through the Paris arrondissements. There are just 3 more to go and we begin with another of my favourites.
Basilique du Sacré-Coeur de Montmartre
18th Montmartre could have an entire blogpost devoted to it. We’ve visited several times and continue to find interesting new things to see and do. Montmartre is famous for Basilique du Sacré-Coeur de Montmartre sitting right at the top of the hill. Pause here to take in the commanding views over the city.
Watching the artists at work on Place du Tertre, outside the famous café, La Mère Catherine
I enjoy watching the artists in the bustling Place du Tertre and we’ve purchased a few lovely scenes to decorate our home with memories of Paris.
The artist’s work
Chris with one of our artists. We purchased a watercolour and one of his ink pen pieces.
Here you can enjoy a coffee on the terrace of one the cafes lining the square, like La Mère Catherine , where in the early 1800s, Russian Cossacks, demanded their drinks “Bistro” meaning quick and the word has become part of French culture.
Another famous Parisian cafe, Le Consulat
In this area, you will also find the much photographed Le Consulat restaurant and a myriad of souvenir shops.
One of the many exhibits to see in Espace Dali. A sculpture of his famous melting clock, La Noblesse du Temps (Nobility of Time)
We stumbled upon, Espace Dali, an amazing gallery containing 330 works dedicated to the extraordinary, surrealist artist, Salvador Dali and it was definitely worth a visit.
However, unlike many tourists, we have also ventured away from this area, which is usually very busy and went exploring. Behind Sacré-Coeur venturing downhill, you will find Vignes du Clos Montmartre the last vineyard of Paris. This part of the hill has a village like atmosphere. Be prepared for doing lots of hiking up and down the hill or use public transport.
La Maison Rose
We enjoyed lunch at the La Maison Rose in both 2009 and 2012 – long before it was heavily featured on Instagram! This cute pink restaurant is very small and spills out onto the footpaths on either side of the street. On the second occasion, we spent time talking to Myriam and her partner, who were the new owners at the time. They were super friendly. Located at 2 Rue de l’Areuvoir.
Au Lapin Agile cabaret
Nearby we discovered Au Lapin Agile, a cute cabaret club at 22 Rue des Saules, another place that takes you back in time and I’m sure it would be very atmospheric. We’ve promised to add this to our next Paris visit and potentially stay nearby.
The French composer Erik Satie lived in Montmartre, which we discovered by following our Paris Walks card. Although probably considered a bit out of date now, with the introduction of apps, these cards have helped us get off the main routes in Paris and they provide interesting facts as you walk around.
Le Saint Jean restaurant 23 Rue des Abbesses, 75018 Paris, France
We’ve walked through the Cimetièrie de Montmatre, observing the touching scene of an elderly man visiting his wife’s grave. Once he left, we noted his name was engraved there too, just waiting for the final date.
Abbesses Metro on Rue Abbesses, is one of the beautiful Art Nouveau entrances
Wandering back towards the centre of Paris, down Rue Abbesses, you will see the entrance to Abbesses Metro station, which has one of the beautiful Art Nouveau entrances designed by French architect Hector Guimard at the start of the 20th century. Underground, you see other artwork. See below.
Stairs leading to the entrance of Abbesses Metro station
Mosaic altar in Église Saint-jean de Montmartre
Église Saint-jean de Montmartre is one of the few Parisian churches in the Art Nouveau style has a mosaic altar designed and decorated by Pierre Roche and Alexandre Bigot. 19 rue des Abbesses, 75018 Paris.
We were delighted to stumble upon Michael Portillo, being filmed outside a café on Rue des Abbesses
Further along, at 15 Rue Lepic, is Café des Deux Moulins as seen in the movie Amélie. Of course we stopped for lunch and soaked in the atmosphere.
Café des Deux Moulins, made famous by the movie, Amélie
An icon of the 18th arrondissement, located in Pigalle since 1889, is the famous, Moulin Rouge. Treat yourself to the amazing show and meal if you can. Located at: 82 Boulevard de Clichy
Don’t miss the opportunity to go the Moulin Rouge
Moving on from the 18th, the 19th arrondissement is known as, Parc de La Villette here you will find the science and industry museum, Cité des Sciences et de l’industrie, and of course, Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, a 19th century park built in an old quarry and rubbish dump. It has a lake, waterfalls and an old iron railway bridge. Besides these, it is more of a residential area with many ethnic restaurants and shops.
20th Belleville is a cosmopolitan area. This area remains unexplored territory for us, although we have heard and read much about it. Like the 19th, it is much more residential with small shops. It’s the most easterly of the arrondissements , popular among artists and a melting pot of ethnicities. Why not take the metro, buy some picnic items and head to Parc de Bellville for panoramic views of Paris, including the Tour Eiffel.
In this arrondissement, you will find the world’s most visited cemetery, Cimetière du Père Lachaise . Many visitors to Paris make a pilgrimage to visit the graves of Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Frédéric Chopin, Marcel Proust, Camille Pissarro, Molière and Edith Piaf and more. Take a look inside with this YouTube video.
The Village de Charonne is picturesque village with charming, cobbled streets, houses and church of Saint-Germain-de-Charonne. It was included in the 20th in 1860.
La Campagne à Paris translates as The Countryside in Paris. This small area of 92 charming garden houses, was founded by Pastor Sully Lombard in 1907, as a housing development for working-class families. Take a little tour here.
La Petite Ceinture (Little Belt) is the abandoned railway and you can walk along the old track. It circled 32km around Paris, from 1852-1869, transporting people and goods. Originally opened in 1864, the Gare de Passy-la-Muette was a stop along the Petite Ceinture, and is now the location of exotic restaurant Andia located in the 16th. The gare (station) and the train line only ceased service in 1985.
Here’s some of my favourite links to walks you can do in Paris:
https://myparisin20walks.blogspot.com/p/day-one.html
https://joinusinfrance.com/boutique/audiotours/
A few guidebook suggestions to enhance your Paris trip are: The Architecture Lover's Guide to Paris and The Art Lover’s Guide to Paris by Ruby Boukabou, journalist and tap dancer extraordinaire.
Here we are, exploring Paris by the open top bus tour. May there be many more adventures ahead.
There is always something new to explore in Paris and even after 4 visits, I feel that there is so much more to discover. Thank you for coming along on this Paris journey. I’m very excited to be travelling to France again this year. I’ll be visiting new areas and re-discovering favourites, so I will have plenty of new stories and photos to share. Please subscribe so that you won’t miss a post.
Merci beaucoup et À bientôt!
