I'll be in Paris for 3 days. 1 day to Versaille and other 2 days in Paris. I definitely want to see Sarce de Cour, but little confused from what I have read. I read its about 20 min far from Central Paris by Metro. Will my metro pass cover the Montmarte area? Also Montmarte is the hill and Sarce de Cour is the basillica, right?
Any help is appreciated !
Thanks,
Tulsi
Yes,a metro pass or ticket includes the Montmartre aree.
And yes, Montmartre is the name of the neighborhood that encompasses the hill and Sacre Coeur is the basilica at the top of the hill.
Montmartre is the hill and the village.
The metro doesn't give access to the top of the hill, but a metro ticket can be used on the funicular which runs up and down the hill essentially in front of Sacre Cour.
You can also take a bus using a metro ticket to get to the top of the hill. It doesn't drop you at Sacre Coeur but near enough.
Edit - Marilyn (below) is right. The bus does stop at Sacre Coeur.
Take the Metro to the Abesses stop (Anvers will work also). Walk a block or so to the funicular and Metro ticket is used there--takes you up to the Sacre Coeur and you can walk back down. The guys selling bracelets(woven plastic things) are still working around the funicular but just ignore them unless you want to buy a bracelet. If they were selling some great looking necklaces I might be interested.
There is also a bus you can catch at Place Pigalle that will drop you right next to the church. You can then walk down and enjoy the colorful neighborhood.
All good pieces of advice from previous posters. I would recommend getting there fairly early in the morning because as the day wears on, the hordes of tourists walking from the Metro up to Sacre Coer becomes almost impenetrable! We were there early one morning and had a pleasant experience until we went back down the hill and felt like fish swimming upstream.
The Abbess metro station is actually under the mount. It's a long climb to the surface entrance. There are large elevators at the Abbess station. I highly recommend taking them.
Dan....ah yes, the Abbess metro stop....climbed those stairs once.....never again! ;)
There is an elevator in the Abbesses Metro, with one flight of stairs to climb at the top. I've been there when the elevator wasn't working.
If you take the Anvers stop, you're a short (but crowded) block from the base of Sacre Coeur. We didn't find a need for the funicular or a bus or anything.
Montmartre is a nice neighborhood to explore. It's very touristed around Sacre Coeur but you can easily wander away from that area. The cemetery is beautiful and worth a trip, imo.
One more thought, if you're tempted to sit at a cafe at Place du Tertre (where all the artists are), read the the menu posted outside and check out the prices first.
We know better, but it was scorching hot the day we were there a month ago, and we were exhausted. We sat at a cafe at Place du Tertre and ordered two drinks. My son didn't think it was a good idea knowing it'd be ridiculously expensive, but I was so hot and tired my exact words were "I don't care what the price is". Well, we got a 6 oz Perrier and a glass of flat orange soda and it cost 18 Euros! (about $22)
It was my own fault, I know. Just want to warn others not to make the same mistake I did.
we just did this last week. took the metro to anvers, walked up the scary crowded touristy street, found the funnicular....and there were maybe a hundred people in line. for one funnicular, that went slowly up and down the mountain, with max eight people in it each time. so we walked up the steps. it's really not that bad--i promise. and we're not super athletic (ok, who am i kidding...we're not athletic at all!) we then walked down through montmartre to the abbesses station to get home. yes, there are a lot of steps, and we were only walking DOWN--i cannot imagine walking up, and i'd just walked up to sacre coeur! also--while you are up there, if you want to escape the crowds and have any interest whatsoever, check out the dali museum. it was empty, peaceful, and interesting all at the same time. totally worth a 45 minute stop.
Thanks everyone for the replying.
How much time do I need for the round trip to Sarce de Cour from Eiffel tower?
You can walk it in less than an hour. So don't sweat the time frame. You are close. I climbed the tower of the church tower, while the stairways are extremely tight, the views are lovely.
While ar Versaiilles, do check out the Hamlet and the Petite and Gran Trianons. All are well worth the walk.
There's a disconnect between the two previous posts. It's a good three and a half mile walk from the Eiffel Tower to Sacre Cour.
