Point of interest
Montmartre y la Basílica del Sacré-Cœur
in Paris, France
The artists' quarter atop the city's highest hill, crowned by the white Sacré-Cœur basilica. Its steps offer one of the best free panoramas over Paris.
Where it is
Montmartre crowns a hill in the 18th arrondissement in northern Paris; the Sacré-Cœur basilica sits at the city's highest point with its white dome.
Address: Paris, Paris
What it is
Steep cobbled lanes climb past the Place du Tertre artists' square, vineyards and cafés to the basilica, whose forecourt offers one of the broadest views over Paris. Entry to the church is free; climbing the dome is ticketed. The quarter remains picturesque but is heavily visited by day.
History
Around 1900 Montmartre was a bohemian artists' quarter where painters such as Picasso, Toulouse-Lautrec and Renoir lived and worked. The Romano-Byzantine Sacré-Cœur basilica was built from 1875 in the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War and consecrated in 1919.