One of 2 self-guided walks in Paris. See every walk.
In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Start at Place des Abbesses (metro line 12) and finish at the Moulin Rouge (Blanche, line 2): 2.4 km, about 35 minutes of walking, steep and with steps, and half a day with the stops. Start before 10:30, because from then until 17:00 the Sacré-Cœur has a queue of 10 to 15 minutes. Every stop is open every day, so the day changes the evenings: the Lapin Agile’s show runs Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 21:00, and the Moulin Rouge dinner show starts at 19:00. Or book a tour: the Montmartre walking tour with a local guidead (from £20.39, 2 hours 20) goes round the same hill, though it starts at Place Saint-Pierre.
The route
Map of the walk numbered stops in walking order
Open the whole route in Google Maps - all the stops in walking order, set to walking directions, which is the version to put on your phone.
The route climbs from Abbesses to the top of the hill, circles the north side by the vineyard and comes down rue Lepic to the Moulin Rouge. Prices are the adult rate in euros from each operator.
| Stop | Entry (adult) | Open |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Place des Abbesses | Free | The square always; the Mur des je t’aime garden 8:00 (9:00 at weekends) to 18:30 until 24 October 2026 |
| 2. The Bateau-Lavoir | Free to see from the square | Not open to visitors |
| 3. Place du Tertre | Free | Always |
| 4. The Sacré-Cœur | Basilica free; dome €8 | Basilica 6:30 to 22:30 daily; dome 10:30 to 19:30, closed midday |
| 5. The Musée de Montmartre | €16 while an exhibition is on; gardens only €6 | Daily 10:00 to 18:00 |
| 6. The vineyard and the Lapin Agile | Vineyard free from the street; show €40 | Show Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 21:00 to 01:00 |
| 7. The Moulin de la Galette | Free to see from the street | Always |
| 8. The Moulin Rouge | Free to see; shows from €120 | Dinner show 19:00; revue in the evening |
Walk it with a guide
A guide adds the stories and finds the lanes for you. Most Montmartre tours run the other way, from the Moulin Rouge up to the Sacré-Cœur. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices, per person.
- Paris: Montmartre Highlights Walking Tour with a Local Guidead: from £20.39, 4.9 stars from 2,831 reviews, 140 minutes, in a small group. It meets on Place Saint-Pierre and passes Place du Tertre.
- Paris: Montmartre Must-See Walking Tour with a Local Guidead, by Discover Walks: from £21.25, 4.9 stars from 898 reviews, 2½ hours, from the Moulin Rouge to the Sacré-Cœur. It meets on Place Blanche.
- Paris: Montmartre Guided Walking Tourad: from £12.75, 4.8 stars from 1,032 reviews, 1½ hours, from Place Blanche.
1. Place des Abbesses
Free · metro Abbesses, line 12 · the Mur des je t’aime in the Square Jehan Rictus, 8:00 (9:00 at weekends) to 18:30 until 24 October 2026
The Mur des je t’aime in Square Jehan Rictus. Photo: Maimaid, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The square at the foot of the hill, with the metro station on its edge. In the little garden beside it, the Square Jehan Rictus, the Mur des je t’aime is 612 tiles of enamelled lava carrying 311 declarations of love in about 250 languages, made by Frédéric Baron and the calligrapher Claire Kito. The garden’s hours change with the season.
- To save the climb, the Montmartre funicular, on Place Saint-Pierre, takes a contactless bank card; see Paris metro tickets.
2. The Bateau-Lavoir
Free to see from the square · not open to visitors · 13 place Émile-Goudeau
The Bateau-Lavoir on Place Émile-Goudeau. Photo: Kalashni, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
From the Place des Abbesses, a short lane leads to Place Émile-Goudeau. The Bateau-Lavoir was a piano factory turned into artists’ studios, where Picasso painted Les Demoiselles d’Avignon in 1907. A fire in 1970 left only the façade, and the building was rebuilt in concrete, to the same front, in 1978. It holds artists’ studios today and cannot be visited, so the stop is the square and the plaques.
3. Place du Tertre
Free · open always
Place du Tertre. Photo: Jean-Paul Corlin, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Rue du Calvaire leads up to the small square at the top of the hill, ringed with café terraces and filled with painters at their easels. It is the busiest square on the walk.
- Behind it, rue Norvins and rue du Mont-Cenis lead to the Sacré-Cœur in about 300 m.
4. The Sacré-Cœur
Basilica free, open every day 6:30 to 22:30 · dome €8 (€5 for under-16s), 280 steps, no lift · queue of 10 to 15 minutes between 10:30 and 17:00
The Sacré-Cœur. Photo: Dietmar Rabich, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The white basilica, consecrated in 1919, is open every day of the year, and entry is free. Visitors are asked to dress properly, keep silent and stay out of the front part of the nave, which is for prayer. The Blessed Sacrament is on display day and night.
- The dome: 280 steps up a narrow stair, with no lift, to a view over all Paris. After the security check, go down into the moat on your left: the ticket machine and desk are 20 m along on the right. Tickets are sold only there and cannot be booked. The dome is open daily from 10:30, last entry 19:00, closed in the middle of the day, and the hours vary with the season and the weather: check the basilica’s site the day before.
- Step-free entrance: a lift entrance at 35 rue du Chevalier de la Barre, behind the basilica, open from 8:30 to 19:00.
- Services: four masses a day, five on Fridays, and the Benedictine sisters pray the office in the basilica from Tuesday to Sunday.
5. The Musée de Montmartre
€16 while an exhibition is on, €6 for the gardens alone · every day 10:00 to 18:00, last admission 17:15 · 12 rue Cortot
The gardens of the Musée de Montmartre. Photo: GFreihalter, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The museum sits in one of the oldest buildings on the hill, from the 17th century, where Renoir had a studio and, later, so did Suzanne Valadon. It shows her studio, the permanent collections and temporary exhibitions, and it is open every day, public holidays included. Its gardens look over the vineyard.
- Café Renoir serves from Wednesday to Sunday, 11:00 to 19:00, in the gardens.
- Closure: the Demarne garden and Café Renoir are closed on Saturday 10 October 2026.
- Bags: there is no luggage room, so travel light.
6. The vineyard and the Lapin Agile
Vineyard free, seen from the street · the Lapin Agile at 22 rue des Saules: show Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 21:00 to 01:00, €40 with one drink
The Clos Montmartre vineyard. Photo: Shadowgate, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
Round the corner from the museum, on the corner of rue des Saules and rue Saint-Vincent, the Clos Montmartre vineyard climbs the slope. It is seen from the street. The Fête des Vendanges de Montmartre, the harvest festival, runs for its 93rd edition from 7 to 11 October 2026 across the 18th arrondissement, and the lanes are crowded while it lasts.
The Lapin Agile on rue des Saules. Photo: Bradley Weber, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
Fifty metres on is Au Lapin Agile, a cabaret that calls itself the oldest bar-cabaret in Paris, in business since 1860. The show is old French songs, Piaf and drinking songs, with the audience singing along.
- The show: Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 21:00 to 01:00, with a flexible arrival time. €40 includes one drink; €25 for under-26s with a student card, except on Saturdays. Booking is through the cabaret’s site.
- Eating: there is no restaurant, so dine before the show. See where to eat.
7. The Moulin de la Galette
Free to see from the street · open always · 83 rue Lepic
The Moulin de la Galette on rue Lepic. Photo: Giorgio Galeotti, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Rue Saint-Vincent and the lanes beyond lead down to rue Lepic and two windmills, the Blute-Fin and the Radet, which date from 1717. A dance garden stood between them, and Renoir painted it in 1876, in the Bal du moulin de la Galette, which hangs in the Musée d’Orsay. The mills are best seen from the street.
8. The Moulin Rouge
Free to see from the boulevard · dinner show from 19:00, revue in the evening · metro Blanche, line 2 · 82 boulevard de Clichy
The Moulin Rouge. Photo: APK, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Rue Lepic runs down to the boulevard de Clichy and the red windmill of the Moulin Rouge, the cabaret that opened in 1889. The show is Féerie, a revue of 80 artists in about 1,000 costumes. The building is entered only with a ticket for a show or dinner. Moulin Rouge tickets compares its shows and prices with Crazy Horse, Paradis Latin and La Nouvelle Eve. Blanche, the metro station on line 2, is beside it.
Where to eat
Café Renoir
In the gardens of the Musée de Montmartre, 12 rue Cortot · Wednesday to Sunday, 11:00 to 19:00
A café decorated as a winter garden, opening onto the museum’s gardens and their outdoor tables. Stop here between the Sacré-Cœur and the vineyard.
Bouillon Pigalle
22 boulevard de Clichy, Pigalle · noon to midnight, every day · book online
A large bouillon, serving classic French dishes at low prices, 460 m east of the Moulin Rouge. Order the egg mayonnaise, the onion soup or the snails. It takes bookings, and those without one face a long queue. See where to eat in Paris for the ranking.
The best day to go
| Day | What changes on the route |
|---|---|
| Monday | Everything is open by day. The Lapin Agile has no show |
| Tuesday | Everything is open, and the Lapin Agile’s show runs from 21:00 |
| Wednesday | Café Renoir is open from 11:00. The Lapin Agile has no show |
| Thursday to Saturday | Everything is open, the Lapin Agile’s show runs from 21:00 and Café Renoir is open. On Saturday 10 October 2026 the museum’s Demarne garden and Café Renoir are shut |
| Sunday | The Sacré-Cœur has four masses and the Benedictine sisters’ office, and the basilica is open all day. The Lapin Agile has no show |
The timing that works: start at Abbesses by 9:00, be at the Sacré-Cœur before 10:30 to miss the queue, go up the dome if you want the view, and have lunch at Café Renoir on a Wednesday to Sunday. Walk past the vineyard in the early afternoon, come down rue Lepic at the end of the day and keep the evening for the Lapin Agile or the Moulin Rouge.
What closes:
- 7 to 11 October 2026: the Fête des Vendanges de Montmartre fills the lanes round the vineyard.
- 10 October 2026: the Demarne garden and Café Renoir at the Musée de Montmartre are shut.
- 24 October 2026: the last day of the Square Jehan Rictus’s current hours, which change with the season.
- Monday, Wednesday and Sunday evenings: the Lapin Agile has no show.
What does not close: the streets and squares, the Sacré-Cœur basilica, which is open every day of the year, the vineyard from the street and the windmills. Any day makes a good walk, because every stop on the hill is open every day. Only the evenings change.
Getting there and back
- To the start: Abbesses is on metro line 12. Paris metro tickets explains which ticket to buy.
- From the end: Blanche, on line 2, is beside the Moulin Rouge, and Pigalle, on lines 2 and 12, is a short walk east.
- In reverse: the route works from the Moulin Rouge up to the Sacré-Cœur too, which is the way most guided tours go, but you reach the Sacré-Cœur later, after the queue builds.
What to do with the rest of the day
- An evening show: Moulin Rouge tickets and the other cabarets compares the shows, and the Lapin Agile takes bookings on its own site.
- Food: Paris food tours compares the Montmartre tastings, one of which starts at Place Blanche beside the Moulin Rouge.
- Le Marais: the Marais walk is the other walk on this site, through the old Jewish quarter to Place des Vosges.
- The whole trip: the 3-day Paris itinerary fits Montmartre into day 3, and what to book before you go to Paris has the rest of the tickets. To sleep on the hill, see where to stay in Paris.
Common questions
How long is the Montmartre walk?
2.4 km from Place des Abbesses to the Moulin Rouge, measured along the streets: about 35 minutes of walking, with steps and steep lanes. With the Sacré-Cœur, the Musée de Montmartre and a lunch it takes half a day.
Is the Montmartre walk free?
The streets, the squares, the vineyard from the street, the Mur des je t'aime and the Sacré-Cœur's basilica cost nothing. The Sacré-Cœur dome is €8, the Musée de Montmartre €16 while an exhibition is on (€6 for the gardens alone), and the Lapin Agile's evening show €40 with a drink.
What time should you start the Montmartre walk?
Before 10:30. From 10:30 to 17:00 the Sacré-Cœur has a queue of 10 to 15 minutes to enter, by the basilica's own reckoning, and the squares fill up after that.
When does the Lapin Agile open?
For its show on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 21:00 to 01:00, with a flexible arrival time. A ticket is €40 with one drink, or €25 for under-26s with a student card on days other than Saturday. There is no restaurant, so eat before.
Can you go inside the Moulin Rouge?
Only for a show or dinner. The dinner show starts at 19:00 and the revue, Féerie, runs in the evening; the Moulin Rouge tickets guide compares the shows and prices. From the street you can see the windmill and the facade at any hour.
Can you go up the Sacré-Cœur dome?
Yes, by 280 steps with no lift, for €8 (€5 for under-16s), tickets from the machine or desk at the foot of the stairs, and no booking. The dome is closed in the middle of the day and in bad weather, so check the basilica's site the day before.
