About the Montmartre for families Walk in Paris
Montmartre, the last village to amalgamate with Paris, still retains its eternal charm. Its winding cobbled streets, curious buildings, shops and churches provide the perfect backdrop for a family exploration of Paris. On our 2.5-hour walk, in the company of a docent particularly gifted with children, we will discover many of the places and characters that have made Montmartre one of the most intriguing areas of Paris.
According to legend, its name comes from Mont des Martyrs, site of the martyrdom of St-Denis who picked up his severed head, washed it off and carried it all the way to the present site of the Cathedral of St-Denis, to the north of the city. Montmartre remained an important religious site through to the Revolution. Our starting point of our walk, Place des Abbesses, where an important abbey once stood, harks back to this influence.
Our walk could take us in a many directions. Along the way Saint Denis and the Abbesses will reappear but we will see the artistic and bohe
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Montmartre, the last village to amalgamate with Paris, still retains its eternal charm. Its winding cobbled streets, curious buildings, shops and churches provide the perfect backdrop for a family exploration of Paris. On our 2.5-hour walk, in the company of a docent particularly gifted with children, we will discover many of the places and characters that have made Montmartre one of the most intriguing areas of Paris.
According to legend, its name comes from Mont des Martyrs, site of the martyrdom of St-Denis who picked up his severed head, washed it off and carried it all the way to the present site of the Cathedral of St-Denis, to the north of the city. Montmartre remained an important religious site through to the Revolution. Our starting point of our walk, Place des Abbesses, where an important abbey once stood, harks back to this influence.
Our walk could take us in a many directions. Along the way Saint Denis and the Abbesses will reappear but we will see the artistic and bohemian side of the area. From the mid-1800s with the newly modernized central Paris becoming an expensive place to live, many artists, writers and musicians made their home in the more economical Montmartre. We will stop to have a look at some of the favorite haunts of such figures as Picasso, Van Gogh, Renoir, Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, Apollinaire and Berlioz.
The maze of streets will takes us by the the cabaret Le Lapin Agile once frequented by Toulouse-Lautrec, and see the only remaining vineyard and one of the remaining windmills. We will also pass the birthplace of cubism: the Bateau Lavoir where Picasso had his studio. We will admire today's artists in the Place du Tertre, and learn about the beautiful basilica of the Sacré-Coeur, from where we have a spectacular view of the city.
