Normandy, Brittany & the Best of the North_ With Paris (Fodor's) - Fodor's [131]
If you’re lucky enough to have a little corner of Montmartre to yourself, you’ll understand why locals love it so. Come on a weekday, or in the morning or later in the evening. Stroll around Place des Abbesses, where the rustic houses and narrow streets escaped the heavy hand of urban planner Baron Haussmann. Until 1860, the area was in fact a separate village, dotted with windmills. Today, there are only two windmills left as well as one quaint vineyard; you cannot visit the vineyard. Always a draw for bohemians and artists, many of whom had studios at Bateau-Lavoir and Musée de Montmartre, resident painters have included Géricault, Renoir, Suzanne Valadon, Picasso, Van Gogh, and of course Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, whose iconic paintings of the cancan dancers at the Moulin Rouge are now souvenir-shop fixtures from Place du Tertre to the Tour Eiffel. You can still see shows at the Moulin Rouge and the pocket-size cabaret Lapin Agile, though much of the entertainment here is on the seedier side—the area around Pigalle is the city’s largest red-light district. The quartier is a favorite of filmmakers, and visitors still seek out Café des Deux Moulins (15 rue Lepic), the real-life café where Audrey Tautou worked in 2001’s Amélie. Movie biz roots run deep here—the blockbuster Moulin Rouge took its inspiration from here.
TOP ATTRACTIONS IN MONTMARTRE
Fodor’s Choice | Au Lapin Agile.
This authentic survivor from the 19th century considers itself the doyen of cabarets. Founded in 1860, it still inhabits a modest house, once a favorite subject of painter Maurice Utrillo. It became the home-away-from-home for Braque, Modigliani, Apollinaire, and Picasso—who once paid for a meal with one of his paintings, then promptly exited and painted another that he named after this place (it was purchased in 1989 for a record $40.7 million and later bequeathed to New York’s Metropolitan Museum). There are no topless dancers—this is a genuine French cabaret with songs, poetry, and humor in a publike setting. | 22 rue des Saules, Montmartre | 75018 | 01–46–06–85–87 reservations | www.au-lapin-agile.com | €24 (includes first drink) | Tues.–Sun. 9 PM–2 AM | Station: Lamarck-Caulaincourt.
Moulin de la Galette.
Of the 14 windmills (moulins) that used to sit atop this hill, only two remain. Known collectively as Moulin de la Galette, the more storied is known as Le Blute-fin: it’s on a leafy hillock across from 88 rue Lepic. In the late 1800s there was a dance hall on the site, famously painted by Renoir (you can see the painting in the Musée d’Orsay). Unfortunately, the windmill is on private land and can’t be visited. Just down the street is the other moulin, Le Radet, perched atop a well-regarded restaurant (called Le Moulin de la Galette) at 83 rue Lepic. | Le Blute-fin, corner of Rue Lepic and Rue Tholozé, Montmartre | 75018 | Station: Abbesses.
Place des Abbesses.
This triangular square is typical of the countrified style that has made Montmartre famous. Now a hub for shopping and people-watching, the place is surrounded by hip boutiques, sidewalk cafés, and shabby-chic restaurants—a prime habitat for the young, neo-bohemian crowd and a sprinkling of expats. Trendy streets like Rue Houdon and Rue des Martyrs have attracted small designers, and some shops are open on Sunday afternoon. The entrance to the Abbesses métro station, designed by the great Hector Guimard as a curving, sensuous mass of delicate iron, is one of only two original Art Nouveau métro canopies left in Paris. | Station: Abbesses.
QUICK BITES: There are few attractive food options around ultra-touristy