Sacré-Cœur and the View
The Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, completed in 1914, is an acquired taste architecturally — a Romano-Byzantine confection in white travertine that its detractors have called everything from kitsch to politically reactionary. The view from the parvis in front of it, looking south over the city at sunset, is not an acquired taste. It is simply one of the best views of Paris. The interior of the basilica is dark and perpetual adoration is maintained; the climb up the dome is worth the effort for an even higher perspective over the city.
The Village Behind the Tourist Strip
Place du Tertre, the square directly behind Sacré-Cœur, is occupied by portrait artists and souvenir sellers and should be passed through quickly. Two streets further into the butte, the city changes character entirely: Rue Lepic descends through a genuine village market on Tuesday and Friday mornings, the Moulin de la Galette still turns at the top of the hill, and the café tables belong to locals arguing over the news. The Bateau-Lavoir on Rue Ravignan — the studio building where Picasso painted Les Demoiselles d'Avignon — is marked with a plaque. The building burned and was rebuilt; the plaque is authentic.
Eating and Drinking on the Butte
Montmartre has good restaurants if you avoid the tourist menus. Le Relais Gascon on Rue des Abbesses serves enormous Gascon salads and duck-heavy mains at prices that belong in a different decade. The fromageries and boulangeries on Rue Lepic supply the neighbourhood's serious domestic cooks. The wine bars on and around Rue des Abbesses serve natural wine from producers who take the Languedoc, the Loire, and the Jura more seriously than most city bars. The correct dinner in Montmartre involves Burgundy, a dish involving duck, and a table that is too small for the number of people at it.
When to Visit Montmartre
Montmartre is most manageable early in the morning or in the late afternoon on weekdays. At weekends between 11am and 4pm the streets around Sacré-Cœur are extremely crowded, and Place du Tertre becomes a sustained commercial pressure. The metro stations Abbesses (for the north slope) and Anvers (for the south staircase) are the correct arrivals; the funicular from Anvers is slow and usually jammed. Walking up the steps from Anvers takes four minutes and is significantly more pleasant than any mechanical alternative.
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