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

Chamonix is the place to go for alpine thrill seekers wanting to push themselves to the extreme. The resort is known the world over for its steep, challenging runs, off-piste powder, and dramatic mountain scenery.

The charms of the village, the pleasures of a great ski area! Nestling in Savoie, Champagny en Vanoise is one of 10 ski resorts of La Plagne skiing domain : 225 km of marked runs, 108 lifts between 1 250 and 3 000m in altitude.

Between Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc, two regions have merged across the Franco-Swiss border to form a single region known as Portes du Soleil.

The giant Monterosa ski area is one of the world's largest, and thanks to recent investment in new lifts you can now ski or board without needing to stop for 180km between the resorts of Champoluc and Gressoney and Gressoney on to Alagna

The main Champorcher ski area below Rosa dei Banchi is accessed by a cable car to Laris followed by the 2km Cimetta Rosa drag lift. The village itself has five hotels and a discotheque.

Champoussin : This Valaisan village, built in the architectural style typical of the Val d’Illiez, will enchant you with its rustic authenticity.