Guided tour of Montmartre's Sacré Cœur and art quarter
In 1860, the French village of Montmartre was annexed and attached to the city of Paris and in 1873 the construction of the Basilica began. Today, it remains one of the most famous and visited neighborhoods of the capital: visitors flock to see "the village in the city", the hill, the Sacré Coeur, the steep streets, vineyards, mills, Place du Tertre and its painters.
Meeting place, debauchery and party area, Montmartre attracted many artists: Toulouse Lautrec, Picasso, Pissarro, Utrillo, Renoir, Manet, Cézanne ... who lived and painted their ideas of the village, the characters and the moods back then. Today, cabarets are the hallmark of that neighborhood. Among them, the Lapin Agile, the Chat Noir, and of course the Moulin Rouge that offers visitors a magical show everynight: dancing, singing, beautiful costumes and thematic representations.
Meet your guide at the foot of Butte on Saint Pierre's Square to start the tour towards the Basilica whose history you'll learn. The Arts District is where you will meet painters and caricaturists ready to do a sketch of you on the road to the house of Dalida (a famous singer).
Back in the day, around 1786, a dozen mills could be found in Montmartre and were used to grind plaster and wheat. You will discover the Moulin Radet and the Moulin de la Galette which your guide will describe to you. The tour will end by the Sacré Coeur, where you will be able to enter on your own to discover its interior.
