Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Getting There:
Youhave several options. Youcan take the Métro tothe Anversstop
(toavoidthestairsuptoSacré-Cœur,buyonemoreMétroticketandrideuponthefunicu-
lar). Alternatively, from Place Pigalle, you can take the “Montmartrobus,” a city bus that
drops you right by Sacré-Cœur (Funiculaire stop, costs one Métro ticket, 4/hour). A taxi
from the Seine or the Bastille saves time and avoids sweat (about €13, €20 at night).
Montmartre's main square
(Place du Tertre),
one block from the church, was once the
haunt of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and the original bohemians. Today, it's mobbed with
tourists and unoriginal bohemians (best on a weekday or early on weekend mornings).
From the main square, head up Rue des Saules to find Paris' lone vineyard and the
Mont-
martre Museum
(described later). Return uphill, then follow Rue Lepic down to the old
windmill,
Moulin de la Galette,
which once pressed monks' grapes and farmers' grain,
and crushed gypsum rocks into powdery plaster of Paris (there were once 30 windmills on
Montmartre). When the gypsum mines closed (c. 1850) and the vineyards sprouted apart-
ments, this windmill turned into the ceremonial centerpiece of a popular outdoor dance
hall. Farther down Rue Lepic, you'll pass near the former homes of
Toulouse-Lautrec
(at
Rue Tourlaque—look for the brick-framed art-studio windows under the heavy mansard
roof) and
Vincent van Gogh
(54 Rue Lepic).
This beautifully lit black gallery (well-described in English) offers a walk through statues,
etchings, and paintings by the master of Surrealism. The Spaniard found fame in Paris in
the 1920s and '30s. He lived in Montmartre for a while, hung with the Surrealist crowd
in Montparnasse, and shocked the world with his dreamscape paintings and experimental
films. Don't miss the printed interview on the exit stairs.
Cost and Hours:
€11, not covered by Museum Pass, daily 10:00-18:00, July-Aug
until 20:00, audioguide-€3, 11 Rue Poulbot, tel. 01 42 64 40 10,
www.daliparis.com
.
This 17th-century home re-creates the traditional cancan and cabaret Montmartre scene,
with paintings, posters, photos, music, and memorabilia. Once the residence of Pierre-
Auguste Renoir and Maurice Utrillo, the museum now houses the original
Lapin Agile
sign, the famous Chat Noir poster, and Toulouse-Lautrec's dashing portrait of red-scarved
Aristide Bruant, the earthy cabaret singer and club owner.
Cost and Hours:
€8, includes good audioguide, not covered by Museum Pass, daily
10:00-18:00, last entry 30 minutes before closing, 12 Rue Cortot, tel. 01 49 25 89 39,
