Sacre Coeur and Montmartre

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Location

Paris
France
48° 53' 10.3488" N, 2° 20' 16.4364" E
FR
General info: 

Topped by Sacre Coeur, Montmartre is the highest Paris hill at 130 meters. The neighbourhood of Montmartre became famous in late 1800ies with the arrival of artists such as Renoir, Van Gogh, Picasso. In its glory days Montmartre was really the capital of fun or as the main character in the Moulin Rouge film calls it ‘the center of the Bohemian world’. The original cabaret of Moulin was located right here, on the Montmartre hill.

The area has since become more popular and the real estate prices for todays artist or poet are out of reach. Despite the affluence of tourists from all over the world, Montmartre still keeps its village-like atmosphere, which sets it apart in Paris busy city.

Even with dozens of buildings meant for free-spirited and even roguish purposes, the Montmartre’s most famous landmark is a church. The Sacré-Cœur basilica (the Basilica of the Sacred Heart) is located on the summit of the Montmartre hill on the highest point in the city. Built entirely of limestone, the church has shined above Paris for longer than a century.

Getting there: 

The Montmartre is served by 2 metro lines, 2 and 12. The main stations are Pigalle and Blanche.

Costs: 

It’s worth strolling around the streets of the Montmartre area as you may bump in some fairly cheap venues there.

Interesting places nearby

Meribel (1,450m), a firm British favourite, is also known as ‘Little England upon the Alps’.

Right on the Swiss border and serving six traditional villages in the locality, this is a year-round multi-sports resort. There is a snowpark for boarders and night-skiing is possible several evenings per week.

Located four kilometres (two-and-a-half miles) from the village of Mijanès, on the sides of Canrusc mountain between 1500 and 2000 meters high, the winter ski resort of Mijanès - Donezan is a real alternative to the next big resorts.

Great skiing offered by the resort's 50 modern lifts and more than 100 km of slopes, perfectly prepared from December to April, thanks to an advanced snow-making system.

Overlooking the medieval town of Gruyères, the famous mountain named le Moléson is an imposing peak reaching up to 2002m above sea-level.

Under-developed ski area little known outsuide France and close to the Italian border ( 22km/16 miles away over a pass open in Summer). Limited facilities but friendly, relaxed and unpretentious atmosphere and very reasonable prices.