Ever since I traveled to Paris over ten years ago, I realized something fun. I realized that cities are kind of like people in the sense of having a unique individual personality. On my most recent trip to Paris, I discovered a romantic and beautifully whimsical side to Paris full of history, delicious Parisian delicacies, unique shops, and city views like no other…in the neighborhood of Montmartre!

Montmartre, located on a large hill in the 18th arrondissement, is known for its artistic history and beautiful white-domed Basilica of the Sacré-Coeur that sits atop a hill making it the second highest point in Paris (213m) just after the top of the Eiffel Tower (324m). In this post, I’d like to give you an itinerary on how to spend a perfect day there but secretly hope I inspire you to take more time to linger longer down its delightful streets and captivating alleyways.

Morning in Montmartre

Begin your day early to beat the crowds and to enjoy Montmartre practically all to yourself. I promise it’ll be worth it! Let’s start by grabbing a flaky buttery croissant, chocolate to be more specific, and a cappuccino ‘to go’ at Coquelicot. They open at 7:30am (closed Mondays), which is the perfect time to get breakfast and enjoy it while you walk up the hill and the many many steps to reach the Sacré-Coeur before the lines of people start to form. We arrived just before 8am and practically had the entire place to ourselves.

Sacré-Coeur Basilica

The Basilica of Sacré-Coeur was built between 1875-1914 just over a century old, a baby considering the history of architecture in Paris. To give a point of reference, the Notre Dame was built in 1163-1260. Even though the Notre Dame is the most visited church in all of France, the Sacré-Coeur welcomes over 11.5 million visitors each year making it the second. Sacré-Coeur translates to ‘Sacred Heart’ in English and is in reference to the heart of Jesus and His love for all of humanity. I love how the exterior reminds me of an ice cream sundae complete with whipped cream on the top!

Fun Fact: the particular stone used to build the Sacré-Coeur actually exudes calcite when it rains giving it its pretty chalky white color. 

Travel Tips: Take photos outside of the Sacré-Coeur just before entering to get the best captures without crowds and to take advantage of the early morning light. The church is FREE to enter, however, there is a small fee if you want to enter the crypt and to take the stairs up to the dome. Pictures inside are NOT permitted.  

Montmartre Instagram Spots and Museum

Once you exit the church, look for the “Sinking House” just down the stairs to the left…to the right, if you are facing the front of the church. You’ll need to climb over a rail to get shots with you in them. It should only take a few minutes of your time. The trick is once you’ve taken a photo to then straighten the horizon in the edits to make the hill look level which then gives the illusion that the house is ‘sinking’. Don’t forget to enjoy the city views before heading off to explore more of Montmartre in the morning light.

While it’s still early enough to avoid the crowds, let’s wander around the back of the basilica to see another view of the church while we head towards a few other places for the perfect place to dream about what’d it be like to travel back in time to hang out with some of the most famous French artists from the nineteenth century. Just a five-minute walk away, you’ll get a clear view of the famous cafe, Le Consulat, where artists like Picasso, Van Gogh, and Monet dined and probably got their daily caffeine fix. This cafe doesn’t open until 11am and gets extremely busy. That’s why I’m suggesting you come before it opens to see it before it’s covered with a sea of tourists. (18 Rue Norvins, 75018 Paris, France)

Another adorable cafe to be sure to visit is also just a short distance away and perfect for a pink Parisian cafe photo op, La Maison Rose (opens around noon, closed Mondays and Tuesdays). Next, you could explore the Museum of Montmartre located in the oldest building in Montmartre (built in the seventeenth century) located just down the street from La Maison Rose. Or, you could just wander around the beautiful cobble stone streets watching the neighborhood come to life like we did as we made our way back to eat the most delicious crepes I’ve ever tasted in my life!!

Afternoon in Montmartre

I don’t know about you, but my travel plans pretty much revolve around where we are going to eat! We had planned on eating at a little brunch place recommended to me by a fellow blogger friend but it was closed. Just a few doors down, however, a little crepe place had been calling out to us “eat here!”, so we obliged. Paris is known for it’s delicious crepes and Surla Route De Plouescat didn’t disappoint! The crepes were so good, in fact, that we tried to eat here again the next day but it wasn’t open yet and then closed early. We had both sweet and savory crepes. Both were super yummy but the clear winner was the caramel apple crepe topped with vanilla ice cream, uhhhmazing!

Tatin

pommes, caramel, glace vanille

7.5€

Travel Tip: Always check online to see when restaurants and museums are open. In Paris, places have varying business hours and sometimes have days that they are completely closed.

Montmartre Shopping

 Now that your belly is full and happy, let’s explore some more! There are many shops in Montmartre and now would be the perfect time to wander through a few. By noon, this quirky neighborhood is fully awake and just waiting for you to find out more of its charms. A really fun find was a vintage shop called, By Flowers. (86 Rue des Martyrs, 75018 Paris, France) My daughter found the cutest pair of vintage oxford pumps and I snagged a pair of perfectly worn-in denim cut offs. Quality was great and prices were even better! We also really loved Faguo, a French clothing line and shoe store that plants a tree in France for every item that is made, since 2009 over 1,000,000 trees have been planted. (22 Rue des Abbesses, 75018 Paris, France)

You could spend hours shopping till you drop or maybe you’d like to explore another museum. I’ve heard Musée National Gustave Moreau is one to explore for the beautiful spiral staircase alone; about a ten-minute walk from the Faguo shop. (Open 10am-5pm, closed on Tuesdays 14 Rue de la Rochefoucauld, 75009 Paris, France) Or, you could take a nap before dinner if your staying in the neighborhood to have more energy to explore the neighborhood at night, when it really comes to life!

Evening in Montmartre

While we were picking out a birthday present for my husband in Faguo, I asked for a dinner recommendation for somewhere that specializes in duck. The store attendant actually texted a foodie friend who then gave us the perfect recommendation that actually knew that the restaurant owners were from the region of France that does just that; and people say the French are unfriendly?! I have fortunately found quite the opposite, but maybe that’s because I abide by the simple rule of greeting everyone with a simple “Bonjour” and being polite and generally kind. After we had the most delicious birthday dinner at Le Relais Gascon, I popped my head back into the Faguo shop to thank our new friend for the recommendation and she gave the warmest birthday well wishes to my husband and beamed with recognition that we approved of her recommendation. We were feeling a bit like we belonged there, like a local in that brief but happy moment. (13 Rue Joseph de Maistre, 75018 Paris, France)

Magret de canard au miel (Steaklet of duck with honey)

Servi avec des pommes de terre sautées à l’ail et des haricots verts

Crème brûlée for dessert!

Délicieux!!

After eating a delicious meal, I suggest just slowly watching Montmartre light up as the sun begins to fade into night. Maybe head back to the Sacré-Coeur to see some local performers, like fire-dancers or musicians, or both. Don’t forget to at least pass by the famous Moulin Rouge for a night photo session. One of my favorite moments was heading back to our Montmartre apartment and doing a blind taste test with macarons to see which we preferred, the expensive ones from a popular shop or the inexpensive ones from the local grocery store. Our taste buds danced with each delicious bite, while drinking wine and gazing out our window to watch the Eiffel Tower light up and eventually twinkle. To our surprise, we actually preferred the least expensive macarons. Ahhh! Take me back now!

I really wanted to share the Airbnb link where we stayed in this post, but I recently discovered it was taken offline. My next post will be sharing more of the details as to why and something that has turned into quite a controversial topic. Stay tuned…

If I were to move to Paris one day, I would definitely choose Montmartre as my neighborhood. Staying there for a week was like a beautiful dream. I hope I have helped to give you an idea of how to spend a perfect day there; which is really not that hard to do. Have you been to Montmartre? What would you add to this list? Please share them in the comments below and thanks so much for reading!