walking tour of montparnasse

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Discovering montparnasse walking tour.

Hi! I am Tetiana and it’s a pleasure for me to show different sides of Paris to nice people. I have been exploring this amazing city for a few years and have a lot of interesting information to share.

• No minimum number of attendees No minimum number of attendees is required for the tour
• Free booking and cancellation Free payment tour, no set price, booking and cancellation are free
• Accepts electronic payment This tour allows payment by electronic means or credit card

Tour description

Let’s discover Montparnasse together! I have prepared for you lots of incredible love stories, biographies of amazing people and history of interesting places that were an inspiration for famous writers and artists. We can finish the tour by admiring views of Paris from the 56th floor of Montparnasse Tower.

What will we visit on this tour?

Meet me in front of the church with pink folder in hands

• 1 Outside visit Église Notre-Dame-des-Champs
• 2 Outside visit Rue Delambre
• 3 Outside visit Boulevard du Montparnasse Show 2 more stops
• 4 Outside visit Montparnasse Cemetery
• 5 Outside visit Montparnasse Tower

How much does this tour cost?

Free tours do not have a set price , instead, each person gives the guru at the end of the tour the amount that he or she considers appropriate (these usually range from €10 to $50 depending on satisfaction with the tour).

Tour opinions

Tour opinions (3)

Tatiana was amazing! The information was great learnt so much all about the famous writers and artists and lots of wonderful love stories. Would highly recommend

First time visitors in Paris, returning visitors or locals, I warmly recommend you to make room in your schedule for this walking tour in Montparnasse neighborhood. I chose it because I was curious to see and learn something different about Paris, other than the classical tourist spots, in the city center or Montmartre. The knowledge about Montparnasse that Tetiana shared along the tour surprised me and exceeded my expectations. @Tetiana: Thank you for the lovely time we spent with you during the tour.

This was a unique tour walking around an area of Paris that is very different. Tetiana was very informative and detailed and I enjoyed learning about the history of all the artists and writers that lived in Montparnasse. The visit to the cemetery was also a bonus. I most definitely recommend this tour and Tetiana.

Who is this tour for?

What should you know, others tours from this guru, others cities to visit after paris, where are you traveling to.

Montparnasse Walking Tour

The celebrities, sophisticates, and spies of montparnasse cafe society.

• When 3 PM Friday and Saturday
• Duration 90 minutes
• Meeting Point 91 Bd du Montparnasse, 75006 Paris

€36 per adult

Local experts, worry-free booking.

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• Meeting Point
• Travel Tips

• Stroll down broad avenues filled with restaurants and theaters made famous in the 1920s.
• Learn about the crème de la crème of the Cafe Society.
• Explore the neighborhood once occupied by Nazis as you hear stories of the heroic French Resistance.
• Visit the graves of sculptors, writers, actors and more in a scenic cemetery.
• Admire Paris’ tallest building from ground level, the skyscraper Montparnasse Tower.
• Take our Paris shuttle for convenient transportation, included with your tour.

What you'll do

In a city rich in culture and famous landmarks, it’s easy to overlook the many fascinating neighborhoods that make the real Paris what it is. Montparnasse is just such a place. The neighborhood blends culture and counterculture, which you’ll learn more about as you stroll these historic and scenic streets.

Here, the Cafe Society reigned supreme between World War I and World War II. Celebrities mingled with the workaday folk, and art thrived. Not even the shadow of Nazi occupation and the French Resistance could dim the joie de vivre of Montparnasse.

Explore the broad avenues and narrow side streets, a peaceful cemetery and a bustling “ little theatre district ” with your guide as you discover this Parisian neighborhood. We’ll end the tour at the tallest tower in Paris. You may even decide to take a ride to the top for the best views in Paris. Your observation deck ticket isn’t included, but your guide can tell you all about what you’ll see at the top or share tips on where to enjoy dinner in this neighborhood.

Boulevard du Montparnasse

Where the cream of the Cafe Society wined and dined at legendary eateries

Rue Delambre

A French street filled with romance

Place de Josephine Baker

Honoring the beloved entertainer who also figured into the French Resistance

A brothel requisitioned by the Nazis during WWII

The Monocle

Once a women-only cabaret

Montparnasse Cemetery

Final resting place of celebrities like Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre, and more

Rue de la Gaite

Paris’s “Little Theater District”

Tour Montparnasse

The city’s only skyscraper

Plan your trip

Accessibility.

This tour is accessible for strollers and wheelchairs. If mobility is an issue, please arrange for a private tour .

Tour ending point

This tour ends at Montparnasse Tower. You’re welcome to visit the observation deck on your own. Tickets to the tower aren’t included.

Refund policy

We offer a 100% refund up to 24 hours before the start time.

Nice tour! Interesting facts about the neighborhood. We learned a lot, including very useful tips about Paris. Highly recommended. Thanks to the guide, RT, who was super nice and helpful.

Meeting point

Please meet us in front of the big church at the following address: 91 Bd du Montparnasse, 75006 Paris.

Your guide will be holding an orange sign with ExperienceFirst written on it.

For easier navigation, you can paste this address into Google Maps: 91 Bd du Montparnasse, 75006 Paris .

How much walking is there?

This tour covers about 2 miles.

What is the refund policy?

We understand plans change. You can always change your tour 24 hours or more before you tour. We offer a 100% refund up to 24 hours prior to your tour start time. Within 24 hours of your tour, we would have incurred hard costs and therefore cannot allow rescheduling or cancellation without costs.

When should I get there?

Plan to show up 15 minutes early. The tour starts promptly, and you may not be able to catch up if you arrive late.

What if it rains?

Our tours run rain or shine. If there’s extreme weather and we have to cancel, you’ll get a full refund.

Are gratuities included?

Tips aren’t expected but are always appreciated by our guides. If you think your guide did an outstanding job, a tip is a great way to show that.

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Discover the artistic legacy of Montparnasse and the little-known hidden gems of this wonderful Parisian neighborhood.

• Start your tour with Boulevard du Montparnasse. Once frequented by the crème de la crème of the artistic and literary circles in Paris, this was the place to be in the old days of Paris.
• Take a tour of the Sphinx, a former brothel, and The Monocle, a women-only nightclub.
• Visit the street dedicated to the exuberant life and career of Josephine Baker.
• View the graves of iconic figures like Jean-Paul Sartre, Guy de Maupassant, and Samuel Beckett at the famous Montparnasse cemetery.
• Appreciate the grand scale of the Montparnasse Tour, one of Paris’ tallest buildings, from the outside.
• An experienced, English speaking local guide
• Meal inclusions

Cancellation policy

You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.

Ratings & Reviews

Your experience.

In the roaring Twenties, Montparnasse established itself as the artistic hub of Paris. On this guided tour of this must-see area of Paris, you’ll first view the Boulevard du Montparnasse, It’s definitely worth a visit due to its history as being a favorite meeting place among intellectuals and artists of the early 20th century. You can visit the brasseries that were frequented by the likes of Jean Cocteau, Pablo Picasso, and Ernest Hemingway. While exploring this Parisian neighborhood, you may come across unassuming locations like The Sphinx and The Monocle. But don’t be fooled, your tour guide will regale you with stories about the sensational nightlife of these two buildings from the 1930s and 1940s. Moreover, you will learn interesting facts about Paris’s most celebrated Black artist – Josephine Baker – as you walk through the street named in her honor.

The Montparnasse Cemetery is a popular landmark that is favored by tourists for its soothing atmosphere. Here, you can take a walk among the graves of Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Charles Baudelaire. Take your time strolling through the bustling theater district of Rue de la Gaite. Or else, savour mouth-watering chantilly crêpes at Rue Delambre to get a taste of Paris’ finest culinary treats. The tour will come to an end at the Tour Montparnasse. The towering structure is a remarkable monument, stretching 210 meters in the air, which you can observe from the outside.

Know Before You Go

• Boulevard du Montparnasse - Rue Delambre - Place de Josephine Baker - The Sphinx - The Monocle - Montparnasse Cemetery - Rue de la Gaite - Tour Montparnasse

Important Information

• Wear comfortable shoes as a lot of walking is involved.
• Outside food and drinks are allowed.
• Photography is allowed.
• Suitable for wheelchair users and pram/stroller users.
• Guide dogs are allowed.
• Baggage can be carried along.
• Thu, Fri, Sat & Sun: 3pm
• Your voucher will be emailed to you instantly.
• Display the voucher on your mobile phone at the meeting point.
• Please arrive at the meeting point 15 minutes before the scheduled tour time to avoid any delays.

Meeting Point

• Meet your guide in front of the church: Église de Notre-Dame des Champs .
• Address: 91 Bd du Montparnasse, 75006 Paris, France.
• Your guide will be holding an orange sign titled ‘ExperienceFirst’.

Get Directions to the Meeting Point

Getting There

• The closest metro station is Montparnasse-Bienvenüe, a 3-minute walk to the meeting point.
• Line 4, 6, 12, and 13 will bring you here.
• Vavin is another metro station close by, a 2-min walk to the meeting point. Line 4 will bring you here.
• The closest bus stop is Montparnasse - Cinémas, a 2-minute walk to the meeting point.
• Buses 58, 82, and 91 will bring you here.

This ticket is valid for the date and time selected during checkout.

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Montparnasse Tower – tickets, prices, timings, what to expect, the best time to visit, FAQs

The Montparnasse Tower, or Tour Montparnasse, stands as a modern symbol amid the timeless beauty of Paris.

Perched 210 meters above the city, the skyscraper provides a panoramic view of the French capital.

Its striking contrast to the city’s historic architecture initially caused controversy, but today, it is a key element of the Paris skyline.

It represents Montparnasse’s artistic and cultural heritage, which in the early 20th century served as a center for artists like Picasso, Hemingway, and Modigliani.  This article covers everything you must know before booking tickets for the Montparnasse Tower.

Where to book tickets

The Montparnasse Tower Tickets are available online or at the attraction.

Online ticket prices tend to be cheaper than tickets at the venue.

When you buy online, you can avoid the long queues at the attraction’s ticket counters.

When you book early, you also get your preferred time slot.

Because some attractions sell a limited number of tickets, they may sell out during peak days.

Booking early also helps avoid last-minute disappointments.

How do online tickets work

Go to the Montparnasse Tower Paris ticket booking page , select your preferred timeslot, date, and number of tickets, and buy the tickets instantly.

After the purchase, you will receive the tickets via email.

You don’t need to take any printouts.

Present your e-ticket on your smartphone at the entrance on the day you visit to skip the line and walk into the skyscraper right away.

Montparnasse Tower Paris ticket cost

The Montparnasse Tower Admission Ticket costs €19 for adults over 18 years.

Youths between 12 and 17 years pay a discounted price of €15.

Children between four and 11 are charged €10.

Infants under three can enter Tour Maine-Montparnasse free of cost.

The 1.5-Hour Guided Walking Tour of Montparnasse costs €36 for people over 12 and €31 for children between four and 11.

Montparnasse Tower (Tour Montparnasse) tickets

You can either get the skip-the-line entry ticket or elevate your experience by opting for the guided walking tour.

Montparnasse Tower Observation Deck Entry Ticket

Experience a panoramic 360-degree view of Paris from Montparnasse Tower’s observation deck.

Ascend 200 meters in a 38-second elevator ride.

Enjoy a modern ambiance as you admire the skyline.

Use the Magnicity App on your smartphone to view interesting stories, videos, and 3D images.

Witness popular landmarks and the city’s layout from an extraordinary viewpoint.

Ticket Prices

Adult Ticket (18+ years): €19 Youth Ticket (12 to 17 years): €15 Child Ticket (4 to 11 years): €10 Infant Ticket (up to 3 years): Free

1.5-Hour Guided Walking Tour of Montparnasse

Discover Montparnasse’s rich culture and past on a 1.5-hour guided walking tour of Montparnasse.

Start at Boulevard du Montparnasse, a hub for the Cafe Society elite, and walk on the enchanting streets of Rue Delambre.

Learn about the significant life of Josephine Baker and visit iconic locations like the Monocle, a renowned women-only cabaret, and The Sphinx, a Nazi-occupied brothel during World War II.

Pay your respects at Montparnasse Cemetery, the resting place of historical figures like Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre.

Complete your tour in Paris’s “Little Theater District,” Rue de la Gaite, and end with a visit to the Montparnasse Tower.

Ticket Prices Adult Ticket (12+ years): €36 Child Ticket (4 to 11 years): €31 Infant Ticket (up to 3 years): Free

Back to Top

Opening Hours

Tour Maine-Montparnasse opens at 9.30 am and closes at 10.30 pm every Sunday to Thursday from 1 October to 31 March.

The tower closes at 11 pm on Fridays, Saturdays, and public holidays.

From 1 April to 30 September, the Montparnasse Tower remains open till 11.30 pm.

How long does a tour of the Montparnasse Tower take

A tour of the Montparnasse Tower lasts approximately one hour.

The tour starts with an elevator ride to the observation deck, where you can explore the informational displays and enjoy the scenic views of Paris.

It may take longer on weekends and public holidays if there are long queues.

Best time to visit Tour Montparnasse

The best time to visit the Montparnasse Tower is early morning or late afternoon, as the tower is the least crowded during this time.

Weekdays offer a less crowded experience compared to weekends.

Visiting during sunset can provide stunning views from the observation deck.

The city lights, the glow of the setting sun, and the sparkling night sky create a magical atmosphere at dusk.

Panoramic views

The Montparnasse Tower offers one of the best panoramic views of Paris from its 56th-floor observatory and the outdoor terrace on the 59th floor. From here, you can see famous landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, Sacré-Cœur, Notre-Dame, the Louvre, and many more.

Less crowded

The Montparnasse Tower is typically less crowded than other popular attractions like the Eiffel Tower, allowing for a more relaxed and enjoyable experience.

Sunset and nighttime views

Watching the sunset from the Montparnasse Tower is a truly breathtaking experience as the sky changes colors and the city lights begin to sparkle.

It’s also a great location to see the Eiffel Tower’s light show, which occurs every hour in the evening.

History and architecture

The Montparnasse Tower is an example of modern architecture that contrasts with the historical buildings surrounding it.

The tower’s history and the development of the Montparnasse neighborhood provide an interesting context for exploring Paris’s past and present.

Proximity to other attractions

The Montparnasse Tower is in a lively area with plenty of shops, restaurants, and cafes.

Nearby, you can visit the Montparnasse Cemetery, where famous figures like Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Serge Gainsbourg are buried.

The Luxembourg Gardens and Saint-Germain-des-Prés are also within walking distance.

Photography opportunities

The stunning views from the Montparnasse Tower make it a fantastic spot for photography enthusiasts to capture unique shots of Paris’s skyline.

FAQs about the Montparnasse Tower

Here are some FAQs about Tour Maine-Montparnasse:

Montparnasse Tower is at 33 Avenue du Maine, 75015 Paris, France. Get Directions. The nearest metro station is Montparnasse-Bienvenüe, which is served by lines 4, 6, 12, and 13.

You can book your tickets through the Montparnasse Tower Paris ticket booking page . Booking early helps avoid last-minute disappointments.

Opening hours for Montparnasse Tower are generally from 10:00 AM to 10:30 PM daily, with extended hours during summer months. However, checking the official website for the most up-to-date information is best.

The standard adult ticket price for the Montparnasse Tower observatory is around €18. Youth, children, and senior tickets are available at reduced prices.

Discounts may be available for students, seniors, children, and large groups. Check the official website or inquire at the ticket office for current promotions or discounts.

Yes, you can purchase tickets to Montparnasse Tower in advance here.

The best time to visit Montparnasse Tower is during clear weather conditions, either early morning or late afternoon, to avoid crowds. Sunset and nighttime visits offer stunning views of the city lights.

Visiting Montparnasse Tower and the observation deck typically takes about 1-2 hours, depending on how long you wish to take in the views and explore the exhibits.

Montparnasse Tower is accessible for people with disabilities, with elevators and ramps available to ensure a comfortable visit.

Yes, you can take photos from the Montparnasse Tower observation deck. It’s a popular spot for capturing stunning views of Paris.

Yes, there is a restaurant called “Le Ciel de Paris” on the 56th floor and a café on the observation terrace.

From the top of Montparnasse Tower, you can see landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Notre-Dame Cathedral, Sacré-Cœur Basilica, and the River Seine, among others.

Yes, Montparnasse Tower has a gift shop to purchase souvenirs and memorabilia.

Montparnasse Tower can accommodate large groups and school trips. It’s recommended to contact the tower in advance to make arrangements and inquire about group discounts.

Paid parking is available near Montparnasse Tower, including the Maine-Montparnasse car park at 50 Avenue du Maine.

There are no luggage storage facilities directly at Montparnasse Tower. However, you may find luggage storage options or private locker rental services at nearby train stations.

Montparnasse Tower offers a unique perspective of Paris, with less crowded observation decks than the Eiffel Tower. Tour Saint-Jacques is a historical monument and offers guided visits to the top, but it has limited availability and requires booking.

Tour Montparnasse opens at 9.30 am. It closes at 10.30 pm in winter (1 October to 31 March) and at 11.30 pm in summer(1 April to 30 September).

Yes, the Montparnasse Tower provides an underground parking facility.

Yes, Tour Montparnasse is committed to providing accessibility for visitors with disabilities. There are elevators to access various levels, ramps for wheelchair users, and accessible washrooms.

Nearby attractions to Montparnasse Tower include the Catacombs of Paris , Luxembourg Gardens , Rodin Museum , and the Montparnasse Cemetery .

What to expect at the Montparnasse Tower

Panoramic Views

The main highlight at Tour Montparnasse is the observation deck offering breathtaking 360-degree views of Paris.

You’ll see iconic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame Cathedral, Sacré-Cœur Basilica, and the Louvre.

Elevator Experience

The swift elevator ride to the top is an adventure, covering 200 meters in just 38 seconds.

Newly Refurbished Spaces

The recent renovations at Montparnasse Tower have transformed the ambiance, creating a modern and welcoming environment to enjoy the city views.

Interactive Multimedia

You can access multimedia content like video clips, stories, and 3D reconstructions through the Magnicity App.

This enhances your understanding and appreciation of the sights.

Cultural Context

Montparnasse, a creative and intellectual hub, provides cultural insights.

You can explore the surrounding neighborhood, which depicts its bohemian past.

Guided Tours

You can also take a guided tour that covers the Montparnasse area, showcasing its history, landmarks, and notable sites.

Montparnasse Cemetery

Another attraction is the Montparnasse Cemetery, where notable figures like Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre are buried.

How to reach Tour Montparnasse

The Montparnasse Tower, or Tour Montparnasse, is located in the Montparnasse area of Paris, France.

Address: 33 Av. du Maine, 75015 Paris, France. Get Directions!

You can reach the Montparnasse Tower via bus, train, subway, or car.

The bus stop Gare Montparnasse (Bus No: 39, 95, N12, N13, N61, N62, N63, N66, and N145) is just a 5-minute walk from the tower.

The Montparnasse bus stop (Bus No: 82, 91, 95, N01, and N02) is also situated nearby.

The Paris Montparnasse Hall 1 – 2 Train Station is just a few steps from the attraction.

The Paris Montparnasse Hall 1 – 2 Subway Station (Subway Lines: 4, 6, 12, and 13) is just a 2-minute walk from the Montparnasse Tower.

If you’re traveling by car or taxi, turn on your Google Maps and get started.

You can enter through the Rue de l’Arrivée side, at the foot of the tower.

The Montparnasse Tower provides an underground paid parking facility.

Also, there are several parking garages located near the attraction.

Sources # Wikipedia.org # Parisjetaime.com # Tripadvisor.com The travel specialists at Observation-decks.com use only high-quality sources while researching & writing their articles. We make every attempt to keep our content current, reliable and trustworthy.

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Mementos of Montparnasse: Self-Guided Walking Tour Paris 14th

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I don’t know whether the tour groups that wear out the cobblestones between Notre-Dame cathedral and the Marais , and clot my neighborhood of the Eiffel Tower , ever think about Montparnasse , or whether many of their great number do realize the glorious place in French civilization this neighborhood has. Montparnasse was the world’s navel of Modernism in art, between the two World Wars and earlier, but history is not a detailed preoccupation of recent generations. I have a niece who, on her way to college, asked me who was the current king of France.

I may be all wrong about this, but in any case I never see lots of tourists on my way to breakfast at La Coupole on the boulevard du Montparnasse . The vast empty dining room of the Coupole is one of the most attractively tranquil places to spend a leisurely morning—where the breakfast is excellent and of good value.

La Coupole , Hemingway and Literary Paris

Lunch and dinner time here today are not as interesting as they used to be, when a young writer named Ernest Hemingway worked the big room shaking hands with people who might give him a hand up. In those days Picasso , never shy, either, of being in the right place, had moved across the river and over here from Montmartre , which had become a back number as far as buzz went.

La Coupole remained a venue for painters and writers up into the seventies. I remember regularly seeing, at the end of a slow lunch, Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre and his “adopted daughter” arrive for theirs. When the brothers who owned La Coupole sold it to a chain of brasseries, the crowd changed to the genre of which the New York metaphor is “bridge and tunnel”: provincials, suburbanites, a few tourists, or ordinary folk who come for the physical ambiance of vintage décor , which the new owners, to their credit, have spruced up without destroying. At the Dôme and La Rotonde nearby, however, the “relooking”, as the French say for redecorating, has created awesome kitsch.

Near where the boulevard Montparnasse joins the boulevard Raspail , these three places and Le Select , across from the Coupole, formed the “there”, as Gertrude Stein would have put it, of vibrant Montparnasse—the heart of the hangout. The Select has kept its art deco intact, and it is to this day a place where arty people go, in particular screenwriters who work at the dark wood tables.

The backstreets, asleep now, look pretty precisely as they did during the heyday of Montparnasse, when people short on money but long on talent took shelter here. There are just a few plaques that mark important places in that story. But if, as they say, these stones could speak, here is a little of what you’d learn strolling among them:

10 AM to 1 PM:

After breakfast at La Coupole, walk up into the rue Delambre . Pass no. 9, where the great modern dancer Loie Fuller dwelled in 1926. Andre Breton , the seminal figure in Surrealism , lived at the Hôtel Delambre at no. 28.

Head for 113 rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs . A wall in the courtyard marks where Ernest Hemingway lived and collected rejection slips in the 1920s. His building is gone, but the artist studios that line one side of the secluded yard give a feel for the life that went on then.

Walk back through the rue de la Grande Chaumière and peer through the glass in the door of no. 8, into the courtyard where Modigliani and Gauguin once had their studios. Gauguin ran up a bill on the cuff at “ La Mère Gattegno ”, a cheap restaurant that stood where the art supply store Gattegno stands, at no. 13. Sennelier , the supplier still favored by artists from around the world, is at 4 bis.

Passing Rodin’s Balzac statue at the place Pablo Picasso , go to the studios at 242 boulevard Raspail, where Picasso worked for three months in 1915. In the rue Campagne Première, across the street, Man Ray ’s studio was on the ground floor left of the entrance at no. 31.

The modest Istria hotel, at no. 29, rue Campagne Première , still functioning, was a dormitory of geniuses. Tristan Tzara , founder of Dada, Mayakovsky, Cocteau, Aragon , and Duchamp , among others, lived here. The glamorous Nancy Cunard had secret trysts at the Istria, with poor lovers. From his apartment at no. 17, Eugène Atget set forth with his tripod and camera to capture Paris and immortalize himself as a pioneer of modern photography.

Around the corner, the late contemporary sculptor Niki de Saint-Phalle had her studio in the gardens of no. 49, rue Boissonade , a street lined with handsome artists’ studios dating to the time pre-war artists lived in them.

Back in the boulevard Raspail, check out the latest contemporary art exhibition at the Fondation Cartier , whose glass structure by Jean Nouvel is typical of a neo-Modernism that draws inspiration from the 20s-30s architecture that abounds in the neighborhood—of which no. 216 is a particularly good example.

From there enter the rue Schoelcher , where, at 5 bis, there is the airy studio Picasso moved to after the boulevard Raspail. The rue Schoelcher borders the Montparnasse cemetery , and if you’re in the mood, pick up a program at the entrance and visit the resting places of a bevy of celebrities, including Baudelaire, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Chaim Soutine, Man Ray, Georges Sand, Alfred Dreyfus, Eugène Ionesco, Samuel Beckett and Jean Seberg .

Back on the boulevard Montparnasse , note the comfortable Art Déco building at no. 132, where the deceptively bourgeois-seeming Henri Matisse once lived. Cross over to no. 127, once the home of the proto-Impressionist painter J.B. Jongkind , and head for lunch at the Closerie des Lilas at no. 171 (phone 01 40 51 34 50, fax 01 43 29 99 94). You might want to shop for a rare wine, on your way, at the Cave des Grands Vins , at no. 144, or drop off a picture to be framed at the historic house of Havard at no. 123.

1 PM to 2:30 PM:

2:45 PM to 4:30 PM:

Walk west on boulevard Montparnasse to visit two fine little museums. The Musée de Montparnasse, 21,  avenue du Maine , is in a shaded alley of studios where Maria Vasilieff maintained a cantine that fed such poor artists as Modigliani, Chagall, Braque, Léger and Gromaire. The museum has handsome works by Picabia, Modigliani, Pascin, Marie Laurencin and Tamara Lempicka , among others.

The Bourdelle Museum is nearby at 18, rue Antoine Bourdelle . Bourdelle , student of Rodin and teacher to Giacometti , lived and worked here. The museum, with its extension by the Pritzker-prize-winning architect Christian de Portzamparc , contains Bourdelle’s work and his collection of sculpture from the Etruscan age to the Renaissance.

4:45 to 5:15 PM :

You want to sit down again and relax. Have a house champagne at the Le Select.

5:30 PM to 6 PM:

Visit the house and studio of the great cubist sculptor Ossip Zadkine , an oasis of charm at 100 bis, rue d’Assas .

Drinks time, perhaps again, at the Select. If you want to connect orally with the Twenties and Thirties, drink a Picon , a fortified wine popular in those days.

Breathe a sigh at the corner of boulevard Montparnasse and la rue Léopold Robert . Here stood the legendary New Jimmy’s , the cocoon of privileged noctambules during the Sixties, where Françoise Sagan sipped scotch near the entrance and where famous figures of showbiz and the arts would dance for a disk jockey until dawn, when Régine served everybody spaghetti. It’s some sort of restaurant now. I don’t know where to send you dancing these days, but I hope that Paris makes you feel like it.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION:

La Coupole historic brasserie

Tél : 01 43 20 14 20

102, boulevard du Montparnasse, Paris 14th

Open 7 / 7 from 8:30am to midnight Sundays through Thursdays; open until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays

Métro : Vavin or Gare Montparnasse

Menu : breakfast, seafood (for take-away, too), children’s menu

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A Full Guide to the Montparnasse Neighborhood in Paris

What to do in montparnasse.

Many visitors mistakenly give Montparnasse a pass. Probably best known for two substantial but uninteresting landmarks — a forlorn skyscraper and a busy railway station — it doesn’t offer the allure of nearby districts. Find out what to do in Montparnasse in Paris.

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Yet this quiet neighborhood has a handful of standout destinations. And the entire quartier has a relaxed community feel where visitors can enjoy everyday Parisian life away from the busier tourist hotspots.

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My TOP 5 Highlights in Montparnasse

• Exploring the Paris Catacombes (1 Av. du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy, 75014): A darkly surreal experience under Paris shared with the bones of its former residents. Exploring the ossuaries is one of the most fascinating and memorable Parisian experiences.
• Strolling down Rue Daguerre : A promenade down Rue Daguerre is invigorating. The tight pedestrianized street is packed with shops and restaurants. A seafood market and artisanal food sellers add color to a street loved by gastronomes and local shoppers.
• An authentic Breton crêpe in Paris’s Little Brittany (Rue du Montparnasse, 75006): Sans seagulls and medieval castles, this street is lined with (nearly) authentic Breton crêperies that bring a little flavor of the windswept coastal region to Paris.
• Follow the trail of intellectual luminaries (105 Bd du Montparnasse, 75006): During the ‘Roaring Twenties,’ Montparnasse was a center of intellectual energy, attracting famous names from across the globe to clash minds. Cafés, bars, and other haunts frequented by artistic and literary greats are still standing, especially around the suitably renamed Place Pablo-Picasso. Start (or finish) at Café de la Rotonde, once frequented by Picasso, Modigliani, and Ernest Hemingway.
• Be blown away by the sculptures at Musee Bourdelle (18 Rue Antoine Bourdelle, 75015): An authentic studio in attractive surroundings makes the collection of impressive sculptures even more affecting.

General information

On the left bank of the Seine in the 14th arrondissement , Montparnasse is not a natural tourist destination. A mix of residential and commercial streets make this a more lived-in part of Paris, with a community spirit typical of urban neighborhoods. Calm and generally safe, the quartier contains a significant rail hub, Gare Montparnasse. Although the occasional opportunist may appear around the station, it is well-policed. As a residential and business district, Montparnasse flies under the tourist radar. With excellent transport links and agreeable surroundings, it can be a good value base for exploring Paris.

How to get to Montparnasse?

Gare Montparnasse connects Paris with the eastern regions of France and is a major transfer hub for the Paris Métro and bus services.

• Métro lines: 4, 6, 12, 13
• Bus lines: 28, 58, 88, 91, 92, 94, 95, 96

Several Métro lines serve points in Montparnasse:

• Line 6: Edgar Quinet, Raspail Line 4: Vavin
• Line 13: Gaieté

Attractions, activities, and tours in Montparnasse

Montparnasse may lack the knockout attractions of nearby quartiers, but it offers some intriguing and alternative sights and activities that can add some color to your time in Paris.

Best attractions

In Montparnasse there are many attractions that you should visit. You can find the best ones here.

Antoine Bourdelle Museum

Antoine Bourdelle Museum is tiny gem of an art museum in the Montparnasse district in Paris. Once the atelier (workshop) of sculptor Antoine Bourdelle, this intimate space doesn’t try to compete with the glitzy galleries of Paris. But the collection of striking sculptures and intimate setting make this a rewarding place to visit in Montparnasse. The permanent collections are free.

Catacombs of Paris

We promised alternative destinations, and they don’t get more unusual than exploring the catacombs under Paris in the 14th arrondissement. Holding millions of very visible skeletons (don’t worry, you won’t see them all), the ossuaries went from an underground party venue to a must-see-with-your-own-eyes tourist success.

Cimetière du Montparnasse

If you didn’t see enough dead people in the catacombs, Paris’s second-largest necropolis in the 14th arrondissement is the place to go. They are not on display, but with the names of many famous residents from French history on tombs, this orderly and well-tended cemetery is an intriguing place to visit.

Musée de la Liberation de Paris

An underappreciated museum focused on the events of 1944 while paying respect to the Free French general, Philippe François Marie Leclerc de Hauteclocque, and resistance leader Jean Moulin. The Musée de la Libération in Paris opened on 25 August 2019 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Liberation of Paris. It is located in the 14th arrondissement directly opposite the famous Paris Catacombs. To attract more visitors, 3 museums have been merged: The Musée de la Libération de Paris, the Musée du Général Leclerc and the Musée Jean Moulin.

Tour Montparnasse

You want to see (almost) all the highlights of Paris at a glance? Here you go! Then you should not miss the observation deck of the Tour Montparnasse. From the outside, it’s just an inconspicuous office building, but the observation deck is about the same height as the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Eiffel Tower. So the view is really spectacular and combines the Eiffel Tower, Sacré-Coeur, Notre Dame and more in a single panorama!

Finished in 1973, the lonely and unloved skyscraper was the tallest in France. Until 2011, when the title was usurped by Tour First. It still lays a fair claim to hosting the best views in Paris, though.

Certainly from the observation deck of the Tour Montparnasse you can undeniably enjoy by far the most beautiful view of Paris. In stark contrast to the panoramic views, the district’s other notable historical feature is the Catacombes de Paris. The long tunnels reputedly hold the remains of over 6 million people. Originally an excursion for privileged Parisians, the ossuaries opened to the public in 1874. In recent years, it has become one of the leading attractions in Paris.

There are many things to do in Montparnasse. Here you can find the best tours.

Montparnasse Walking Tour: Secrets, Spies and Cafe Society

Teasing out the stories and points of interest in one of Paris’s oft-overlooked districts is this fact-filled amble around the neighborly streets of Montparnasse. Cafe society ruled here between the First and Second World Wars. Celebrities mingled with everyday people and the arts thrived. Not even the shadow of the Nazi occupation and the French Resistance could dampen Montparnasse’s joie de vivre.

This tour is available in English.

Paris: Montparnasse Smartphone Audio-Guided Tour

This tour is suitable for you if you prefer sightseeing on your own. The smartphone audio-guided tour is a convenient tool to explore the streets and discover the local legends. With a noted artistic and intellectual heritage in Montparnasse, there is much to discover. Learn about Montparnasse’s famous residents such as Simone de Beauvoir, Ernest Hemingway, and Pablo Picasso. Discover the origins of avant-garde art styles including Cubism, Dadaism, and existentialism.

This tour is available in English and French.

Skip-the-Line: Paris Catacombs Guided Tour with VIP Access

Explore the dark underworld of the Paris Catacombs beneath the City of Lights. Bypass the queues and head into this fantastically macabre tunnel system lined with the skeletal remains of more than 6 million Parisians.

Eating & drinking in Montparnasse

Undoubtedly Montparnasse is a great destination for dining. A mix of good bistros, neighborhood haunts, and a thriving diversity of international cuisine means there is room for adventurous chefs and local crowd pleasers.

Top restaurants

You want to visit a really good restaurant? Here you can find our restaurant tips for Montparnasse.

01 Le Bistrot Des Campagnes

For hearty French food with an inventive twist, this cozy neighborhood favorite in the 14th arrondissement is an authentic bistro that consistently delights.

02 Crêperie le Petit Josselin

Montparnasse is home to Paris’s Little Brittany, and there are numerous good crêperies in the area. But we have to go with Crêperie le Petit Josselin because they serve some of the tastiest crêpes outside the real Brittany.

03 Le Clos Y

Close to leading attractions, this restaurant showcases the inventiveness of restaurants in Montparnasse. Fusing French and Japanese cuisine, this is a top-tier restaurant with top-tier prices.

04 Le Cornichon

The set menus offer decent value at Le Cornichon, a brasserie that adds a touch of chic to the dining experience in the 14th arrondissement. Excellent, satisfying food in tasteful surroundings.

01 Hôtel Le Six

4 Stars | Fresh styles and beautifully finished rooms, coupled with a reputation for exceptional service, place Hôtel Le Six in the upper echelon of hotels anywhere in Paris. You can find this beautiful hotel between the Latin Quartier and Montparnasse.

02 Hôtel A La Villa des Artistes

3 Stars | Crisply decorated, comfortable rooms overlooking a cute and leafy courtyard add up to a great value place to stay in a practical location in the Montparnasse neighborhood.

03 Hôtel Aiglon

4 Stars | Sitting above a corner café, this art-deco-themed hotel in the 14th arrondissement offers spacious, cozy rooms conveniently situated for local transport and amenities.

04 Hôtel Jardin Le Brea

3 Stars | Hôtel Jardin Le Brea represents Montparnasse with verve. Service, facilities, and a style that defy the 3-star rating. Not to mention excellently located near Vavin metro station and the magnificent Jardins de Luxembourg.

05 Victoria Palace Hôtel

4 Stars | Marketing itself as the most relaxed hotel in Paris, this recently renovated gem is a rising star amongst Parisian boutique hotels. Sleek, sophisticated, and renowned for paying attention to the little details.

History & Facts

After a largely undistinguished presence in Paris, the neigborhood of today slowly started to emerge. A process hastened after Montparnasse hill was leveled to make way for the wide Boulevard Montparnasse. In 1824, Montparnasse cemetery opened and is today the second largest necropolis in Paris. While in 1840, the arrival of the railways saw the building of Gare Montparnasse, now one of the big six Parisian rail termini. It gained international notoriety after a serious accident in 1895 , a moment captured in a remarkable photo of the steam engine protruding through the station wall. The new station opened Paris up to provincial France and citizens escaping poverty. Like the Bretons who arrived and set up shop near the station, creating Montparnasse’s creperie-lined Little Brittany.

The 1920s ushered in a golden period : Les Années Folles (Crazy Years) saw down at heel Montparnasse become the chosen meeting place for painters, writers, composers, and other intellectual luminaries. Migrating from gentrifying Montmartre to somewhere retaining a bohemian air, thrifty artists made it their home. Right up to World War II, the successful and the aspirational rubbed shoulders with the likes of Pablo Picasso and Ernest Hemingway in the cafés, bars, and salons of the neighborhood.

Neighboring districts

The star attraction in the neighboring quartiers is the majestic Jardins de Luxembourg , just north in the 6th arrondissement. Next to it is the Quartier Latin , you should definetely visit aswell. Val-de-Grâce (north east) and Notre-Dame-des-Champs (north west) are attractive areas that are pleasant to explore. The former is home to thriving streets, regal buildings, and Marie Curie’s former laboratory. The latter is a chic area brimming with shops and designer boutiques. Adjacent districts like Necker and Croulebarbe are residential areas that don’t offer much for short-term visitors.

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Is montparnasse easy to explore on foot.

Compact and flat, this neighborhood is easy to walk around. However, many of the leading attractions are spread out, and walking around them can be tiring.

Do I need a map to explore?

It can help to have Google maps or something similar. Many visitors arrive at Gare Montparnasse, and navigating around the local highlights can be tricky as they sit at different points in the district.

Is Montparnasse safe?

Yes – It is a residential district and no riskier than other urban neighborhoods. Basic pickpocketing precautions and awareness is recommended around Gare Montparnasse.

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Top 19 Things to do in Montparnasse

Montparnasse Tower - by Joshua Veitch-Michaelis - Wikimedia Commons

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Top 19 things to do in montparnasse.

What to see in Montparnasse?

Plan your visit to Montparnasse

• Montparnasse Tower: 56th Floor Panoramic Terrace –  get your tickets with Tiqets.com
• Skip The Line Paris Catacombs Tour –  A 2-hour tour of the Catacombs with Viator

1. Enter the Empire of Death

catacombes de paris – 1 Avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy, 75014 Paris

Open tuesday – sunday 10am//8:30pm, metro station denfert rochereau, 2. take a look back in the past with the paris observatory.

paris observatory – 61 Av. de l’Observatoire, 75014 Paris, France

3. discover contemporary artists at the fondation cartier.

> Learn more about Cartier

fondation cartier – 261 Boulevard Raspail, 75014 Paris

Open tuesday 11am//10pm – wed-sunday 11 am//8pm, metro station: raspail, 4. visit montparnasse cemetery.

Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre’s grave in Montparnasse Cemetery by Evan O’Neil – WikiCommons

> For your lunch, I offer you two options depending on your tastes and your budget (or take a look at other restaurants here ).

montparnasse cemetery – 3 Boulevard Edgar Quinet, 75014 Paris

Monday-friday 8am//5.30pm- sat 8.30am//5.30pm – sun 9am//5.30pm, metro station: edgar quinet, 5. go fancy and artsy with the restaurants.

6. Eat the Best « Crêpes » you have ever tasted

Breizh Café – by Breizh Café – Sourced from their website

ty breiz crêperie – 2 Boulevard de Vaugirard, 75015 Paris

Open monday – friday for lunch 11am//2:30pm and for dinner 6.30pm//10.30pm, open weekends 11am//10.30pm, metro station: montparnasse bienvenue, 7. contemplate the sculptures of musée bourdelle.

musée bourdelle – 18 Rue Antoine Bourdelle, 75015 Paris

Open tuesday – sunday 10am//6pm, metro station: falguière, 8. have fun in rue de la gaieté.

9. Catch the Sunset at the top of Montparnasse tower

montparnasse tower – 33 Avenue du Maine, 75015 Paris

Open daily 11am//10:30pm, 10. for the night owls: night-clubbing.

11. Participate in community activities at Les Grands Voisins

74 av. denfert rochereau, 75014 paris, france, open daily from 10am-12pm, metro station: grands boulevards, 12. shop on rue daguerre, paris, 75014 paris, france, open daily from 12:00 pm to 11:30 pm, metro station: denfert-rochereau station, 13. visit the cimetière de montparnasse to honour renowned authors.

Cimetière du Montparnasse by Jérôme Blum from Wikimedia Commons

3 Bd Edgar Quinet, 75014 Paris, France

Open daily from 9am-:11:30pm, metro station: the notre dame des champs station, 14. a new-fashioned cocktail can be ordered at rosebud,   11 rue delambre, 75014 paris, france, open from 6am to 2am, metro station: ternes station, 15. visit the theatre district on rue de la gaîté.

Rue de la Gaîté by Thomon from Wikimedia Commons

Line 13 of the Paris Métro in the 14th arrondissement

75014 paris, france, metro station: gaîté, 16. get in the community spirit at les grands voisins, 72-82  avenue denfert-rochereau , paris 14è, les grands voisins , metro station: grand paris express, 17. take in the view from the tour montparnasse.

Guilhem Vellut from Paris, France , CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

11 Rue Delambre, 75014 Paris, France

18. visit the fondation cartier pour l’art contemporain, boulevard raspail in the 14th arrondissement of paris, 261 boulevard raspail, metro station: pyrénées, 19. cimetière du montparnasse.

Jérôme Blum , CC BY-SA 2.0 FR , via Wikimedia Commons

Open from: 8am-6pm

Metro station: gaîté, bonus: discover france from the gare montparnasse.

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How to Visit The Tour Montparnasse Rooftop Terrace

By: Author Sophie Nadeau

Posted on Last updated: 2nd March 2023

Categories Paris

Last Updated on 2nd March 2023 by Sophie Nadeau

Situated in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, the tower of Tour Montparnasse in the south of Paris takes at least a few hours to visit and offers one of the best views that the city has to offer.

Tall and might above the Parisian skyline, it’s hard to miss Montparnasse Tower rising up above all other buildings around. Here’s your guide on how to visit Tour Montparnasse rooftop terrace, as well as travel tips and things to know before you go.

Editor’s note: If you’re in a rush, then you might consider booking a Montparnasse Tower rooftop ticket here in advance .

Psst. If you’re planning to visit Paris, then we’ve created a gorgeous 100+ page eBook full of beautiful photos and insider tips by a local. Included you’ll find hidden gems, arrondissement guides, walking tours, suggested itineraries, and more. Find more information here.

Where is Tour Montparnasse located?

A history of montparnasse tower, what to know before visiting tour montparnasse, how to visit tour montparnasse, france travel information.

Tour Montparnasse is in the Montparnasse district of the city, an area which straddles the 14th and 15th arrondissements .

The closest metro station is Montparnasse-Bienvenüe, which is something of a meeting point for metro lines and can be found on the 4th, 6th, 12th, and 13th metro lines. Indeed, the station is the 4th busiest metro station in Paris.

The tower is close to a number of small boutiques, patisseries, a branch of the Galeries Lafayette chain, and Cemetery Montparnasse (which also happens to be the final resting place of Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sartre).

Although Tour Montparnasse is often overlooked in favour of other viewpoints such as the  Arc de Triomphe  and  the Eiffel Tower , the tower remains one of the best spots in the city for viewing its many major monuments.

Though I personally regard the Tour Montparnasse to be one of the ugliest buildings in Paris, it must be said that it does offer one of the most beautiful viewpoints in Paris. The tower itself was constructed in 1969 to 1973.

When it was constructed, Tour Montparnasse was the tallest building in France, and this remained the case right up until 2011 when it was surpassed by the Tour First. With this being said, Montparnasse remains the tallest skyscraper in Paris outside of the La Défense (business district) of the city.

The majority of the building is taken up by office space. There are 59 floors in total, with the touristic part of the construction taking up the upper three floors.

The 56th floor houses a restaurant called Le Ciel de Paris, while the roof has a rooftop terrace which offers a 360 degree panoramic view of the French capital.

I’ve been up the tower twice (the first time I went up the tower was when I first moved to Paris and so I couldn’t really appreciate where all of the monuments were) . Both times I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of queue that iI was greeted by upon arrival.

Neither time was at all like the throngs of people queuing for tickets in the tunnel under the Arc de Triomphe or the three hour long wait to walk up the stairs of the Eiffel Tower. After purchasing tickets, you are whisked into a lift that takes just 38 seconds to reach over 50 floors up. 

The lift doors open and you are three levels (six half flights of stairs) below the viewing platform. This floor offers panoramic views over the city and is equipped with a reasonably priced cafe (2 euro for a long coffee- perfect for after you’ve nearly frozen your nose off on the rooftop viewing platform).

Although the lower level has good views, nothing compares to climbing up the concrete stairs and emerging into the open air, only to be greeted with 360 degree panoramic views of Paris. Just make sure you bring a coat as it gets pretty windy on top of the tower!

The people below look like ants and the monuments, like toys. There is nothing quite like being up high, spotting all of the Parisian monument from afar. The best time of the day to visit is definitely sunset when the light hits La Defense and the Eiffel Tower.

The Montparnasse Tower rooftop terrace is known officially as the Montparnasse Tower Panoramic Observation Deck and is open every day. With this being said, sometimes the tower is privatised and so you should be sure to check in advance before heading to the 15th arrondissement.

The Tower is open on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays : from 11am to 10:30pm, with the last climb at 10pm. Meanwhile, on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays*, Saturdays: from 11h to 23h30, with the last climb at 23h.

While the 56th floor is accessible via elevator, the rooftop terrace on the 59th floor can only be accessed on foot via a three floor climb . Purchase your Montparnasse Tower rooftop ticket here in advance .

France uses the Euro (€)

The main language spoken in France is French . Though you can get by with English is more touristic places, it’s always a good idea to learn some of the local language. Bring along a simple phrasebook like this one to help make your travels easier.

The capital of France is Paris . For more information and inspiration, check out our best Paris travel tips.

France uses plug types, types C and E. As such, if you’re travelling from the UK, USA, Canada, and many other destinations, you’ll need to buy an adapter. I recommend buying  a universal travel adapter  that you can use for multiple destinations (rather than buying a new adaptor for each place you visit).

As one of the most popular destinations in the world, you should always consider booking your accommodation well ahead of time. Check out this website for price comparison details and detailed reviews.

Be careful with your belongings. I also highly advise to avoid wearing a backpack and to instead opt for a crossbody bag  like these ones .  I personally use a crossbody bag  by this brand  and love its shape, size, and versatility.

Sophie Nadeau loves dogs, books, travel, pizza, and history. A Francophile at heart, she runs solosophie.com when she’s not chasing after the next sunset shot or consuming something sweet. She splits her time between Paris and London and travels as much as she can! Subscribe to Sophie’s YouTube Channel.

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Tanja (the Red phone box travels)

Tuesday 26th of April 2016

great views! :)

Free self-guided walking tour of Montmartre, Paris (with map)

Posted on Last updated: March 7, 2024

Explore Paris’ bohemian, artistic neighbourhood with this free walking tour of Montmartre’s artistic history, beautiful architecture, pavement cafés and scenic views – map and directions included.

* This site contains affiliate links , where I get a small commission from purchases at no extra cost to you.

The hilltop neighbourhood of Montmartre, Paris , is one of the city’s most popular tourist spots. But not too long ago it was synonymous with drinking, dancing and debauchery. In the mid-19th century, Montmartre was just outside Paris’ city limits so it was free of the city’s taxes and controls and evolved into a bohemian, artistic enclave.

The artists you’ll see now are more likely to be caricaturists and painters capturing tourists in the Place du Tertre than Impressionists drinking absinthe in their atelier. But the area still has the feel of a charming small village within a big city, and this self-guided walking tour of Montmartre takes you through its historic and artistic highlights.

A self-guided walking tour of Montmartre

Start your Montmartre self-guided walking tour at Blanche Métro station, which is on Line 2 (or you could also take the Métro to nearby Pigalle on Line 12 which is only a five-minute walk along the Boulevard de Clichy). From there, walk up Rue Lepic – you’ll see the colourful Moulin Rouge cabaret hall on your left, home of the can-can.

Café des Deux Moulins

If you’ve seen the film Amélie then you might recognise a few of the shops along Rue Lepic, including the Café des Deux Moulins on the corner of Rue Cauchois. In the film, the main character Amélie Poulain, played by Audrey Tautou, worked here as a waitress.

The tobacco counter that featured in the film might not be there any more, but the café still has that classic Parisian bistro feel with its dark woodwork, red booths and zinc counters. There are a few nods to the film too, with a poster of Amélie on the wall and a tasty crème brulée d’Amélie on the menu if you’re in need of a sugar hit.

Carry on along Rue Lepic, then when you come to the junction at the end, take a short diversion to the left to see the exterior of number 54 Rue Lepic. This was where Vincent Van Gogh lived with his brother Theo from 1886 to 1888, and he did several paintings of the view of Paris from the window of their third-floor apartment.

Then retrace your steps back to the junction and continue on down Rue des Abbesses. Turn left into Rue Ravignon and follow it to Place Émile Goudeau.

The Bateau-Lavoir

Place Émile Goudeau was at the heart of Montmartre’s art scene in 1889 as the home of the Bateau-Lavoir artists’ commune. This former factory was divided into 20 small studios. It was dark and dirty, had no heating and was so unstable it creaked and swayed on stormy days just like the laundry boats on the Seine that gave it its nickname.

But the Bateau-Lavoir was also was a hotbed of talent. Artists like Picasso, Matisse and Modigliani passed through its doors as well as composers, writers, actors and art dealers. They started moving out after the First World War and most of the original building was destroyed in a fire in 1970, but you can see its frontage at 13 Rue Ravignan.

At the end of the square, take a left up Rue d’Orchampt and follow it until you reach the junction with Rue Lepic and Rue Girardon, where you’ll see a windmill in front of you.

The Moulin de la Galette

Montmartre’s 17th-century windmills originally ground grains to make the bread which gave the Moulin de la Galette its name. But they were later turned into cafés and dance halls where people could socialise with a glass of local wine and bread from the mill.

Parties at the Moulin de la Galette were popular with local artists, including Renoir whose painting Dance at Le Moulin de la Gallette is on show in the Musee d’Orsay. A smaller version sold for $78 million in 1990, making it one of the world’s most expensive paintings. The Moulin was also captured on canvas by Van Gogh and Picasso.

There were originally up to 30 windmills covering the hills around Montmartre, but only two are left now. The original Moulin de la Gallette (which is marked on maps as the Moulin de Blute-Fin, as that was its original name) is now private property so you can’t take a look around. But you can get a glimpse of it from Rue Lepic or Avenue Junot.

And in front of it is Montmartre’s other surviving windmill – the Moulin Radet, which was built slightly later in 1717. Today it sits on top of a restaurant (slightly confusingly) called the Moulin de la Galette , which has a terrace underneath the windmill.

Next walk up Rue Girardon until it turns the corner into Rue de l’Abreuvoir, where you’ll see a small square with a bronze bust of a woman on your left.

Place Dalida

This tiny square is named after an Egyptian-born singer who became a huge star in France during the 1960s and 70s. Dalida – originally named Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti – lived on Rue de l’Abreuvoir and is commemorated with a bronze statue in the square.

She sold millions of records, but her life was full of tragedy, and after she lost several lovers and friends to suicide she eventually killed herself with an overdose in 1987 at her house in Montmartre. Dalida is buried in Montmartre cemetery nearby. And she’s still a cultural icon in France, with films, documentaries and over 50 biographies written about her.

Carry on walking along picturesque Rue de l’Abreuvoir, which has great views of the white dome of Sacré-Cœur Basilica rising up behind the buildings.

Rue de l’Abreuvoir

With its ivy-covered houses, Rue de l’Abreuvoir is one of Montmartre’s prettiest streets. It’s though to be one of the oldest streets in Paris too, dating from the 14th century. Though the name (from the French for a watering trough used by livestock) came much later.

At the top of the street is La Maison Rose , a candy pink café and restaurant. It was once the home of Catalan painter Ramon Pichot, who turned it into a restaurant which hosted his friends Salvador Dali and Picasso. It was also painted by artist Maurice Utrillo. Today it’s a favourite for Instagrammers and a filming location for TV series Emily in Paris .

Once you reach the end of Rue de l’Abreuvoir, turn left and take a short diversion down Rue des Saules to see Paris’ last remaining vineyard.

Clos Montmartre

Vines have been grown in Montmartre since the Romans, who built a temple here dedicated to Bacchus, the god of wine. Most of the vineyards were sold off for development over the years, but 1500m² of vines were saved by a group of artists in the 1930s.

The Clos Montmartre vineyard produces 1500 half-litre bottles of wine each year, which are auctioned off for charity. They’re not France’s finest wine, but get snapped up for the novelty value. You can visit the vineyard during the Fête des Vendanges , a five-day celebration of French food and wine each October with stalls, parades and fireworks.

Just past the vineyard you’ll see the orange building of the Lapin Agile . This has been a cabaret since the mid-19th century and got its name from their speciality sautéed rabbit. Past regulars included local artists Picasso, Modigliani and Utrillo.

Backtrack to La Maison Rouge, where you can turn left into Rue Cortot to visit the Musée de Montmartre * if you want to find out more about the area’s history. Otherwise head south down Rue des Saules and left along Rue Norvins past the pretty Le Consultat café – another Montmartre Instagram hotspot – to the Place du Tertre.

Place du Tertre

The Place du Tertre was once the centre of Montmartre village, located on the site of an old Benedictine Abbey. Singers, musicians and artists would gather there, and it’s still one of the city’s artistic hubs. You can wander around and watch the artists in action painting a mix of Parisian street scenes, portraits, caricatures and silhouettes.

Competition for a pitch in the square is so fierce that there’s a 10-year waiting list. Each artist only gets a tiny one-square-metre space to work in, and you don’t even get it to yourself – each spot is shared between two different artists who use it on alternate days. It’s a good spot for people watching, with café terraces all around the square.

Leaving the Place du Tetre behind you, take the Rue du Mont Cernis then turn left into Rue Azais and follow it along the edge of the park to Sacré-Cœur Basilica.

Sacré-Cœur Basilica

Sacré-Cœur was built between 1876 and 1912 to honour the victims of the Franco-Prussian war, using travertine limestone that’s designed to get whiter as it ages. It’s a real mix of architectural styles which was a bit controversial at the time – some people described it like a gaudy giant wedding cake – but it’s grown on Parisians as time’s gone by.

The steps outside the front of Sacré-Cœur are one of Paris’ best viewpoints , with the city stretching out in front of you. You can climb up 300 spiralling stairs to the top of the basilica’s tower for an even higher view. There also a huge golden mosaic of ‘Christ in Majesty’ behind the alter inside, and a crypt which allegedly contains Christ’s heart.

Walk down the steep lawned area in front of Sacré-Cœur, which is packed full of sunbathers, picnickers and street performers on sunny days. Then turn right at the bottom of the hill into Rue Tardieu and go straight on to Abbesses Métro station.

Mur des je t’aime

Finish your self-guided walking tour of Montmartre at the Le mur des je t’aime (Wall of Love) in Square Jehan Rictus, just behind the entrance to Abbesses Métro station. The wall is made up of 612 tiles which say ‘I love you’ in 250 different languages. It’s a favourite selfie spot for loved-up couples, honeymooners and wedding photoshoots.

From there you can catch the Métro Line 12 on around Paris. Or find a café or bar to finish off your walk with a drink – GCD Montmartre is a good wine bar on Rue Durantin or Marlusse et Lapin on Rue Germain Pilon is a quirky cocktail bar.

Self-guided Montmartre walking tour map

If you’d like to do this Montmartre walk yourself, click on the map below to access directions through Google maps. The route is just over 2.5km (1.6 miles) and takes 35 minutes to walk straight through, but allow a couple of hours to include stops.

It’s not a particularly challenging walk, though there are hilly sections, and Montmartre has some cobbled streets so trainers or walking shoes are a good idea.

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Friday 15th of March 2024

Estimated time of the tour?

Lucy Dodsworth

Hi Maria, the route is just over 2.5km (1.6 miles) and takes 35 minutes to walk straight through, but allow a couple of hours to include stops.

Magda Colodetti

Tuesday 26th of December 2023

We went on a Montmartre tour today, stopping at all suggested points along the way. The route was excellent.

Saturday 30th of December 2023

That's great – really glad you enjoyed it!

Saturday 8th of July 2023

Thank you Lucy for the tour. Me and my husband learned a lot about this neighborhood. Do you have any other walking tour?

Sunday 9th of July 2023

Hi Adriana – great to hear you enjoyed it! I have a couple more Paris walks, on on St Germain (https://www.ontheluce.com/st-germain-paris-walking-tour/) and one on film locations along the Seine (https://www.ontheluce.com/paris-film-locations-walk/).

Thursday 16th of February 2023

Thank you for this route, it helped us a lot!

You're very welcome – great to hear it was useful!

Tuesday 9th of April 2019

Me and my missue are going there this weekend will defo use your map.

What other areas are good to visit?

Monday 15th of April 2019

Hi, I also love the St Germain area and the walk along the Seine is lovely – the Marais is a great neighbourhood too with lots of places to eat and drink.