Montmartre free walking tour

From Moulin Rouge to Sacré Coeur - the last village

90 min / FREE TOUR - TIP-SUPPORTED
at 11am & 2:30pm. Check schedules.

booking is required

What's in our tour?

On this free walking tour in Montmartre, you will run into all the romance that Paris stands for.

You will explore Paris’ most bohemian, artistic district. Discover the picturesque streets that inspired Renoir, Picasso, and Edith Piaf. Photograph some of the best vistas of Paris. In the end, you will feel very Parisian.

The village of Montmartre is a maze where you need a tour guide. So book now. The itinerary covers Moulin Rouge to Sacre Coeur church – from icon to icon. Picturesque alleyways take you to one vista after the next. You explore the eccentric lifestyles of current and former Montmartre residents. You discover why local residents are so proud of their peculiar vineyard.

Your guide brings you to countless photo ops. And you enjoy the romance of Montmartre. You end the tour by Sacre Coeur, with the guide taking you to the best views of Paris lying at your feet.

So we can see more, this walking tour does not spend time going inside each building.

Montmartre Walking Tour Highlights

  • Moulin Rouge, windmills, and the cabaret of the Assassins
  • Sacre coeur church and artists’ square – icons of Bohemian Paris
  • Eccentric Montmartre. Chat noir, and the extravagant home of French pop singer Dalida
  • Montmartre’s vineyards and Paris’ most celebrated 180° view
  • Hidden favorites of Renoir, Picasso, Van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec – and why they matter to the rest of the world
  • The best view of Sacred Heart – and why no one ever goes there

Where and when?

This free walking tour of Montmartre runs, rain or shine, at 11am on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and at 2:30pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Start outside metro station “Blanche”, at street level. Your guide is wearing a pink vest.

The Montmartre walking tour ends near Sacré Coeur, 5 minutes away from Anvers metro station.

Booking is required and capped at 6 people. Parties of 7 and more must book a private tour. In the interest of all guests, we reserve the right to turn away large parties.

Why take this tour?

Montmartre is a village. You need a tour guide to navigate it and to see all there is to explore.

Our guides love Montmartre. And it shows.

For the stories of old Montmartre. Your guide can unveil the heart and soul of this vibrant village.

For the secret side of Montmartre, the side that has inspired artists time and again.

HOT DAY SPECIAL: We walk in the shade as much as possible and every tour makes frequent stops for water.

Price

This is our free Montmartre walking tour, in which you pay the guide what you want at the end of your tour.
Booking is required. Parties of 7 and more must book a private tour.

Turn up at the free tour Montmartre meeting point 5 minutes early.

To book this tour, use the “Book Now” button.

Privatize this tour

Groups of friends, families, and school groups often reserve a private guide for their walking tour of Montmartre. The 90min Private Tour of Montmartre starts with €179 for groups up to 8 people. If your group is larger, please contact us for a quote.

The guide can tailor your walking tour to your interests, skip what you do not want to visit, and help you into Sacré Coeur.

Privatize this tour

Other information

Wheelchairs not advised on this walking tour, because of some cobblestones.
Average tip on this tour: €12
Average duration: 1 hour and 40 minutes

Ends near metro Anvers

Look for our distinct pink vests


Why join the free walking tour of Montmartre

How much does it cost to visit Montmartre?

Yes you can visit Montmartre on your own and free of charge. For Montmartre is a district of Paris, an area with open streets, that you can visit free of charge. Only a few attractions charge an entrance fee.

Even Sacré Coeur – the basilica of Sacred Heart, at the top of the Butte Montmartre hill – is free of charge. So when you join a Montmartre walk, the tour truly is free to you.

That said, we advise you do not go to the Montmartre museum on your own, with nothing but a map. In Montmartre, join our free guided tour instead. In less time, you will see more. All for the price of your chooosing.

That is because Montmartre is more secret than it is open. You want more than just the church. You want to explore what Montmartre locals call their village. A maze, full of small gems, and secret treasures. Rely on our tour guides.

Only our walking tour will give you things like: the farmhouse that made Renoir the leader of the Impressionist movement. The spot where a man has been standing for 67 years – love-struck. The house that the local celebrate at night. The back entrance to Moulin Rouge cabaret. Place du tertre, aka and artists’ square. And the small vista on to Eiffel tower at the opposite end of Paris, Renoir’s moulin de la galette and Picasso’s bateau lavoir. And all the hidden gems of the Montmartre district.

Why we love Montmartre 

We have many reasons for loving the village of Montmartre. We started this walking tour of Montmartre for many reasons…

Montmartre’s artistic heritage

In Montmartre you join Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh, Picasso, and Edith Piaf. You see the spots that inspired them and turned them into great artists. These spots continue to exist – unchanged. Where else does this happen!?

Le Moulin rouge

The world’s most cabaret brought on stage Josephine Baker, French Can-Can dancers, Frank Sinatra and countless other stage artists. Toulouse-Lautrec became a painted so he could celebrate Moulin Rouge and the people he loved there.

And then Edith Piaf, Yves Montand and many others all sang great love songs about Montmartre.

Le Moulin de la galette

Le Moulin de la Galette was originally a windmill used for grinding flour. After 1800, it was converted to a dance hall – with great views. Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette was painted by French impressionist artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir in 1876.

Of course, at the time, the Sacre Coeur church did not exist. Moulin Rouge came later. And there was no talk of free Montmartre walking tour!

What caused all these artists to walk and celebrate Montmartre was a unique atmosphere that you still find here today. Village-like lifestyle, views over the city, picturesque old stones and stunning farm houses.

La Maison rose

As part of your walking tour, we’ll take you to La Maison Rose, an adorable pink house widely regarded as one of the most photographed buildings in the area, and it’s easy to see why. Its name, La Maison Rose, is a literal translation of its appearance – a gently glowing pink.

Some Unique Landmarks and streets

Montmartre has its own vineyards – the Clos Montmartre. Very bad wine at that!

There’s the “Mur des Je t’aime”, a colorful wall hidden in a pocket garden and adorned with the words “I love you” in over 101 languages.

Avenue Junot is an elegant Art Deco road. The Rue des Abbesses, Rue de l’Abreuvoir and Rue Lepic are charming and winding streets that are lined with cafes, gourmet food shops, and art galleries. If you’ve seen the film Amélie then you might recognise Café des deux moulins along Rue Lepic.

Finally, the Butte Montmartre, the hill that dominates the area, is home to the famous Sacré Cœur Basilica, a blinding-white church that offers stunning views of the city from its steps. Our walking tour of Montmartre finishes by there of course. More specifically, at a spot that tourists never find on their own and that offers a fantastic photo opp.

Other things you can do in Montmartre

If you have time to linger after your walking tour is over, you might also:

  • Get your portrait drawn by a local artists on place du tertre. Or your caricature if you’re up for it.
  • Peek down rue Cortot and into the musée de Montmartre. The old farmhouse is beautiful, and the garden charming.
  • If walking tours make you hungry, you can eat on place du tertre, or further down the hill around rue des abbesses.
  • If walking tours make you hungry… for more, climb up the dome of sacré coeur. 292 steps, and worth every one of them! for the stunning views.

Surprising Fact about Montmartre 

Many locals actually find Montmartre’s #1 icon offensive: Sacré Coeur. It all has to do with the failed revolution that the people of Montmartre took part in in 1871 – the “Commune”. Sacre Coeur was built to atone for the Commune.

Our Montmartre Walking Tour tells you about the Commune of Paris. But we don’t just give you the history, we tell you what it means today for the village of Montmartre.

Montmartre paris walking map

Starts

The Montmartre walking tour begins outside metro Blanche, at street level. Look for the guide in a pink vest.

> See the Google Map > Print the map

When

At 11am on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and at 2:30pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Metro station

Closest metro station: Blanche (line 2)

Additional information

All tours are in English

Average tip on this Montmartre walking tour : €12
Average duration: 1 hour and 40 minutes
Average number of guests 16

Ends near metro Anvers

Look for our distinct pink vests

Free tour award for Discover Walks
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