View from my room in Montmartre
After we left Amsterdam on Tuesday, I had expected that we would arrive in Paris. But we didn’t visit Paris at all until Wednesday. Instead, we explored the district of Montmartre.
If you look on a map, you’ll find that Montmartre is technically within the borders of Paris in the 18th arrondissement, but the look and feel of the area is so different from the city centre that it doesn’t seem correct to say that the two are part of the same city. In some ways, Montmartre is more typical of what someone would imagine Paris to be than the areas where the Eiffel Tower, Le Louvre, Notre Dame and other iconic structures are found. Its narrow alleys, tightly packed low-rise apartment houses, and dozens of boutique shops and cafés lining the streets lend a cozy and comfortable feeling that you and your cappuccino are somewhere far away and dreamy.
If you turn a corner and walk down the wrong street though, you’ll find yourself in what feels like the slum with cheap corner stores selling products that appear to have been unmoved since the ‘90s, and dégoûtant young men shouting obscenities at anything in a skirt. Today’s Montmartre has retained its reputation as a breeding ground for horny men as well as new thoughts since its foundation was laid over four centuries ago and the street where the Moulin Rouge squats is now surrounded by other burlesque shows and sex shops.
Cafe des 2 Moulins
Like other trendy areas rich with history, the price of living in Montmartre is increasing along with its population of BoBos (Bourgeois Bohemians). It seems as though everyone wants to live on the movie set of Amélie, where you can still have a meal at the restaurant Audrey Tatou’s character worked at, and shop at the corner store she often visited. It is also in this neighbourhood that you will find Dalida’s house and bust, the speculated house of well-known designer Kenzo, and the Cimetière de Montmartre where many famous French film directors rest.
If you can squeeze in a day in Montmartre during your visit to Paris, I would highly recommend taking a walking tour of the area with Discover Walks. Our guide Alex pointed out so many interesting sights and tidbits of history that I would have never noticed otherwise (see the comments in the gallery below for some of them). The walking tour is also very flexible so when Vickie was interested in rubbing Dalida’s house for good luck in the romance department (Dalida was a very beautiful and admired actress of her time), we were able to make a detour and even stopped for wine midway through the afternoon.
Following the walking tour which takes you to the Basilique du Sacre Coeur, I would also recommend having dinner at Le Moulin de la Galette where Renoir painted his scandalous portrait of working class people having fun. The food is divine! And after all that, venture into the shady part of the arrondissement to have a cocktail in a cage or on the bed at Le Carmen while admiring the architecture of the building which first served as a high-class hotel, then a brothel, and finally a nightclub for trendy BoBos who appreciate a talented DJ that can lay down old and new tracks together in a unique way that works just like Montmartre.
This amazing trip was both sponsored and organized by the awesome team at Transat Holidays! If you want to experience Montmartre for yourself, check out Air Transat for a schedule of upcoming flights to Paris. There are up to three departures each week leaving from Vancouver, up to six from Toronto, and daily flights from Montréal until mid-Fall.
