Sacre-Coeur and Montmartre

The white domed Basilica of Sacre-Coeur crowns the hill of Montmartre, the highest point in Paris, its steps and terrace giving a sweeping view over the whole city. Below it winds the old bohemian artists' quarter, once home to Picasso and Renoir, a village of steep cobbled lanes, cafes, the Place du Tertre of portrait painters and a surviving vineyard.

History

The basilica was proposed on 4 September 1870 by Félix Fournier, Bishop of Nantes, after France's defeat at Sedan in the Franco-Prussian War, which he saw as punishment for the country's moral decline since the Revolution, and in January 1871 he was joined by the philanthropist Alexandre Legentil, whose fundraising campaign rested entirely on private gifts. Montmartre was chosen for its height and visibility and for its link with Saint Denis, said to have been beheaded here by the Romans, and with the founding of the Jesuits, whose first members took their vows at Saint-Pierre de Montmartre in 1534; in July 1873 the National Assembly declared the work of national interest to secure the land, and building began in 1875. From its dome, two hundred metres above the Seine, it overlooks the whole city, and it is the second most visited site in Paris after the Eiffel Tower (Wikipedia, Sacré-Cœur, Paris).

What to look for

• The basilica - the white-domed church and its city-view terrace.
• The Montmartre lanes - the steep cobbled streets of the old artists' quarter.
• Place du Tertre - the square of portrait and street artists.
• The city panorama - the sweep over Paris from the steps.

When to go

Year-round; a clear day or sunset for the view over Paris. Early morning gives the quieter, more atmospheric Montmartre before the crowds and the touts.

Good to know

It is very touristy, so the steps and Place du Tertre are crowded and the artists and touts pushy; the quieter back lanes hold the real charm. Beware pickpockets and scammers on the steps. The dome climb charges; the terrace view is free.

Nearby

The Moulin Rouge is downhill in Pigalle; central Paris spreads south.

Key facts