Montmarte Area

Here is my favorite route which totally avoids the ugliness of Anvers and the hawkers on the stairs. Although I have taken the funicular recently and was not accosted by these jerks and have walked down the stairs without problem .

This route though is beautiful and hassle free. Go on the metro to Lamarck Caulaincourt. It is one of the deep metros and has huge elevators which will take you to the surface. (don't attempt the stairs) When you emerge from the metro entrance you can climb up to Caulaincourt on the steep stairs above the entrance or you can turn right and walk up the street in front (Lamarck, I believe) until it merges into Caulaincourt at the top of the gentle hill. At that point turn right on Caulaincourt and go a block or so and turn left on to Avenue Junot. This is a street with a lot of architecturally interesting houses as well as a little side street (villa) of private small houses which is kind of nice to detour into for a peek. AS you get towards the top of this gentle hill there will be a playground on the left and across the street the square with the statue of the man walking through a wall. At this juncture you can 1. walk through the playground and then into a pedestrian path through some nice yards and houses or 2. turn left and go downhill by the square with the man and the wall and you will come to the Vineyard on your right and Lapin Agile across that street. (If you took 1 go straight ahead, if two turn right at the vineyard and walk up the gradual street that will take you to the back of Sacre Couer (there is a nice park to the left) When you get to the side of Sacre Couer, you then turn right and stroll to the front for the great view out over the city. This will have taken you through the prettiest parts of Montmartre.

If instead of turning left at the square and the playground you continue straight ahead, the road will take you into Place du Tertre which I loath as an icky tourist trappy place filled with pick pockets and fake artists, but many people like it and it is one of those places most people want to go to once. Loads of souvenir shops, ice cream shops, cafes etc. Continue through all this and you will come out to the front of Sacre Couer.

The walk from Lamarck Caulaincourt is one we have done with friends and relatives and they all love it. It is beautiful, fairly gradual as hilly Montmartre goes and there is little tourist tat until you get to Place du Tertre.

Another fabulous walk is from Concord, up the Champs Elysees until the Grand Palais, turn left and cross the beautiful ornate Pont Alexandre (the bridge in the Woody Allen meeting) Time it at night for the top of the hour when the Eiffel Tower sparkles. Stunning views in every direction. then return to the Champs and walk on up to the Arc du Triomphe or continue across the bridge and back up the river to Notre Dame (which is beautiful at night ) or grab the metro at Clemenceau stop and head back wherever.

If you don't mind spending a few $, Paris Walks has a wonderful walking tour of Montmartre that pretty much matches Janet's route except that it starts at Abbesses metro and ends at Sacre Coeur after coming in from the back past the man in the wall, the vineyard, and the Lapin Agile. I really enjoyed the tour guide I had, she made the neighborhood come alive for me. Well worth the $10.

Good tips for Sacré Cœur Janet.

The artists' spot you seem to be referring to does sound like Place du Tertre. Personally, I adore it. It is one of my fav spots in Paris. Touristy - yes. Gimmicky - yes. But to me, since I have always seen that area on anything related to Montmartre, going there makes me feel warm and fuzzy. I walk a little ways down from the actual Place and find a nice spot to eat crepes.

Also there is a teeny tiny bus that stops near there that you can use to ride through Montmartre, practically called "Montmartrobus". If you don't want to fight the crowds going up the hill past the 6 Sympa stores and souvenir shops, or the mass of people in front of the carousel, then you could catch this bus. It stops at the Pigalle, Abbesses and Caulaincourt metro stops.

Poor Place du Tertre--somehow the restaurants won the right to take it over for outdoor seating, pushing the artists to a crowded little area at the periphery. It was much nicer back when it was only artists in the square.

To each his own on Place du Tertre. I am sure it was enchanting 100 years ago -- it is a pretty space, but today it makes my skin crawl and is pickpocket central. Many small picturesque towns in Europe have gone the same way. We walked the Cinque Terre 35 years ago and it was enchanting; we were the only Americans we saw and there were half a dozen German hikers arriving as we completed the trail. Today it is like Disneyland. Most of the 'beautiful villages of France' are in the same boat with busloads of tourists arriving all morning and an entirely tourist economy. The places are still lovely but the souvenir stands and services dominate. Place du Tertre is a particularly concentrated spot for tourist tat and the faux artists don't improve it. If you do decide to get a portrait, watch an 'artist' complete a portrait and note the skill and how well it matches the subject; then bargain with one who does a great job. The sketches posted on their stand may not be by the 'artist' who displays them and certainly not quickly done. We have friends who paid over 100 Euros for a portrait that looks not at all like their very handsome and distinctive looking son. (and yeah they should have refused the portrait) Most people want to see it once, so you can decide if you love it or hate it on your own.

My last experience in Montmartre was 6 years ago in mid-September, and it was a little unpleasant walking up through the hawkers to the funicular. I was walked around the Place du Tertre a little, but the best part was walking a little past it and the church to wander the quiet residential streets, with some lovely glimpses of Paris below.