Normandy, Brittany & the Best of the North_ With Paris (Fodor's) - Fodor's [132]
Sacré-Coeur.
It’s hard to not feel as though you’re climbing up to heaven when you visit Sacré-Coeur, the white castle in the sky, perched atop Montmartre. The French government began building this church in 1873 as a symbol of the return of self-confidence after the devastating years of the Commune and Franco-Prussian War. Critics, however, dismissed its mix of Romanesque and Byzantine architectural styles as gaudy. Construction lasted until World War I, and the church was consecrated in 1919. Many visitors come to Sacré-Coeur to admire the superlative view from the top of the 271-foot-high dome, the second-highest point in Paris after the Tour Eiffel. But don’t miss spending some time inside the basilica, noted for its massive golden mosaics set high above the choir depicting Christ with a golden heart and outstretched arms. The stained-glass windows, which were installed in 1922, were destroyed by a bombing during World War II (there were miraculously no deaths), and later rebuilt in 1946. | Pl. du Parvis-du-Sacré-Coeur, Montmartre | 75018 | 01–53–41–89–00 | Free, dome €5 | Basilica daily 6 AM–11 PM; dome and crypt Oct.–Mar., daily 9–6; Apr.–Sept., daily 9–7 | Station: Anvers plus funicular.
WORTH NOTING IN MONTMARTRE
Bateau-Lavoir (Boat Wash House).
The birthplace of Cubism isn’t open to the public, but a display in the front window details this unimposing building’s rich history. Montmartre poet Max Jacob coined the name for the original building here, which reminded him of the laundry boats that used to float in the Seine, and he joked that the warren of paint-splattered artists’ studios needed a good hosing down (wishful thinking, since the building had only one water tap). It was in the original Bateau-Lavoir that, early in the 20th century, Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, and Juan Gris made their first bold stabs at Cubism, and Picasso painted the groundbreaking Les Demoiselles d’Avignon here in 1906–07. All but the facade was rebuilt after a fire in 1970. Like the original building, the Bateau houses artists and their studios. | 13 pl. Emile-Goudeau, Montmartre | 75018 | Station: Abbesses.
Espace Salvador-Dalí (Dalí Center).
One of several museums dedicated to the Surrealist master, the collection in this black-walled exhibition space includes about 300 works, mostly etchings and lithographs (some for sale). The two dozen sculptures include several versions of Dalí’s melting bronze clock and variations on the Venus de Milo. A multimedia pioneer ahead of his time, there are videos with Dalí’s voice, and temporary exhibits have included the mustached man’s foray into holograms. | 11 rue Poulbot, Montmartre | 75018 | 01–42–64–40–10 | www.daliparis.com | €10 | Daily 10–6 | Station: Abbesses.
Moulin Rouge (Red Windmill).
When the world-famous cabaret opened in 1889, aristocrats, professionals, and the working classes all flocked to see the scandalous performers. The cancan was considerably raunchier in Toulouse-Lautrec’s day—girls used to kick off their knickers—than it is today. (See the Nightlife section.) There’s not much to see from the outside, but a decent gift shop around the corner (11 rue Lepic) sells official merchandise, from jewelry to sculpture, by reputable French makers. | 82 bd. de Clichy, Montmartre | 75018 | 01–53–09–82–82 | www.moulin-rouge.fr | Station: Blanche.
Musée de Montmartre (Montmartre Museum).
In its turn-of-the-20th-century heyday, the building—now home to Montmartre’s historical museum—was a studio block for painters, writers, and cabaret artists. Foremost among them was Renoir—he painted the Moulin de la Galette, an archetypal