Where Should I Start My Walk In Montmartre?

Where Should I Start My Walk In Montmartre?

Start at the Blanche metro exit (line 2) for the classic bottom-up route past the Moulin Rouge, or at Place Saint-Pierre by the carousel to climb straight to the basilica steps; start at Anvers or Abbesses if your walk is really a food tour, since those are the meeting points the food operators use. The guided walks on this roster cluster around Blanche and Place Saint-Pierre, so either end works as a self-guided start.

The question sounds simple, and it mostly is, but the answer changes with what you actually want from the hill. Montmartre is a single butte in the 18th arrondissement, and the summit, at 130.53 metres the highest point in Paris, sits at one end while the metro stations that serve the area sit at the bottom edges. Where you begin decides the order you meet the sights, how many stairs you climb before your first coffee, and whether the walk builds toward Sacre-Coeur or starts with it. Whichever end you start from, the free things to do in Montmartre with budget tips can help you plan the route without spending much along the way.

Each of the sixteen bookable walks on this page sets its own meeting point, and the operators tend to pick spots with good foot traffic. Five classic walks meet either near the Blanche metro exit, by the Moulin Rouge, or at Place Saint-Pierre at the foot of the Square Louise Michel. The food tours meet at Anvers, Abbesses or on Rue Lepic. One art-and-culture walk meets in front of the Saint-Jean de Montmartre church, and one art tour meets at the cemetery entrance. If you copy any of those starts for a self-guided walk, you are following the same logic a professional guide follows.

If you would rather not solve the route yourself, the shortest option on the roster is the Montmartre guided walk from Blanche metro, a 1.5-hour walk run by Discover Walks that holds a 4.8 rating from 1,028 reviews. It meets outside the Blanche metro exit on line 2, which is the single most common meeting point on the whole roster, and it works as a template for a self-guided start too.

Starting At Blanche Metro: The Moulin Rouge End

Blanche metro, on line 2, is the strongest single starting point for a first visit, and it is where more roster tours meet than anywhere else: the Discover Walks tour, the small-group walk capped at 10, the hidden-gems walk, both Sacre-Coeur focused walks and one private tour all gather at or just outside its exit. From here the hill unfolds in order, from the Moulin Rouge at 82 Boulevard de Clichy up to the basilica.

The Blanche exit puts you directly opposite the Moulin Rouge, the cabaret created in 1889 whose dinner-and-show evenings start at 7pm. None of the walking tours enters it; the hidden-gems listing states plainly that the show is excluded, and every other walk simply passes the venue from the outside. That is the right way to treat it on a walk too. It is a landmark to orient yourself by, a spot where three streets and the boulevard meet, and the moment your climb begins.

From Blanche the route uphill is well trodden. You pass up through the lower streets, and the walks that start here use the climb as a warm-up: the Discover Walks tour covers the hill in 90 minutes from this point, and the hidden-gems walk run by Intrepid Urban Adventures spends two hours on hidden streets and scenic stairways, with a freshly baked croissant from an award-winning bakery among its stated inclusions. That walk holds a 4.9 rating from 1,031 reviews and meets outside the Blanche metro at ground level, so the croissant stop comes early in the route.

The small-group walking tour, capped at 10, the smallest cap on the roster, meets near the Blanche metro exit by the Moulin Rouge as well, and carries a 4.9 rating from 576 reviews. So if you are weighing a guided start against your own route, Blanche gives you the deepest choice: three classic walks, two Sacre-Coeur focused walks and a private option all leave from within a minute or two of the same exit.

For the self-guided walker, Blanche makes sense because it guarantees you finish at the top. You meet the hill at its most famous commercial landmark, climb through the streets that made it known, and arrive at Sacre-Coeur with the whole walk behind you. The reverse direction, starting high and finishing low, is easier on the legs, and we will come to it, but it gives away the payoff early.

Should you start your walk with a guide instead of on your own? The trade-offs are covered in detail in the self-guided versus guided Montmartre comparison, but the short version is that a guide costs money and saves route-planning, and Blanche is where most of those guides begin.

Starting At Place Saint-Pierre: The Carousel And The Steps

Place Saint-Pierre, at the foot of the Square Louise Michel below the basilica, is the start for walkers who want the climb as the main event: 222 steps lead from here up to Sacre-Coeur, and two of the roster's classic walks, the highlights tour and the must-see tour, meet right here by the carousel. It is the most dramatic start on the hill, and the one with the steepest first minute.

The highlights walking tour, the deepest-reviewed classic walk on the roster with a 4.9 rating from 2,825 reviews, meets near the carousel at Place Saint-Pierre and runs 2 hours 20 minutes in a small group capped at 16. The must-see walking tour, 4.9 from 896 reviews, meets at the same square, at the foot of the Square Louise Michel in front of Cafe Le Ronsard, and runs 2 hours 30 minutes. Both carry a "likely to sell out" badge on their live listings, which is worth knowing if you decide at the last minute.

As a self-guided start, Place Saint-Pierre is blunt. You are at the bottom of the steps immediately, the basilica is above you the whole time, and once you have climbed you are at the top. The Paris tourism office notes the funicular, which runs alongside, avoids those 222 steps; it operates seven days a week from 6am to 12:45am and costs the same as a metro ticket, according to the official tourism office page. So Place Saint-Pierre splits into two starts really: the steps for the climb, the funicular for everyone else.

What Place Saint-Pierre does not give you is the lower hill. Starting here skips the Moulin Rouge end entirely, so if you want the full picture you either walk down afterward, which is the easier direction anyway, or you accept a top-first route. Many walkers do exactly that: climb, see the basilica, then descend through Place du Tertre and the vineyard streets toward Blanche, finishing at the metro when the legs are tired. It is a legitimate way to structure the day, and it ends at a station rather than starting from one.

Starting At Anvers Or Abbesses: The Food Tour Meeting Points

Anvers metro on line 2 and Abbesses on line 12 are the starts to choose if your walk is a food walk, because that is where the food operators gather their groups: the ten-tastings tour meets at Anvers on weekdays and Abbesses at weekends, the private food tour meets at Anvers on weekdays and Abbesses on other schedules, and the Eating Paris tour meets outside Le Pain Quotidien on Rue Lepic.

The geography explains the choice. Anvers sits at the eastern base of the hill, closest to the boulevard and the lower food streets, while Abbesses sits higher up on the western side, already partway into the village streets. Rue Lepic, one of the main food streets, runs between them. A food tour that meets at Anvers walks up through the eating streets; one that meets at Abbesses starts inside them.

The Eating Paris Montmartre food tour, run by Eating Europe Food Tours Paris, is the most structured of these: 3 hours, a small group capped at 10, and 8 food stops featuring 10 food and 2 drink tastings, with oysters, sausage and aligot among the listed items. It holds a 4.9 rating from 868 reviews. The ten-tastings tour run by Secret Food Tours, 4.8 from 276 reviews, runs 3.5 hours and lists pastries, macarons, crepe, chocolates, cheeses, cured meats, bread, a "secret dish" and both red and white wine. Its meeting-point text refers to 6pm starts at Abbesses, so check departure times on the live listing rather than assuming a morning slot.

For a self-guided food walk, the same logic applies without the bookings. Start at Anvers if you want the longer route with more climbing between stops, or at Abbesses if you want to stay in the dense cluster of bakeries, cheese shops and cafes around Rue des Abbesses and Rue Lepic. Either way you are starting inside the part of the hill where eating is the point, not the detour. The question of what a food walk ought to cost is a separate one, covered in the food tour cost guide.

One note on the private food tour: it is the only listing on the roster without free cancellation, it is non-refundable, so if you book it, lock your arrival plans first. It meets at Anvers metro Monday to Friday and at Abbesses on other schedules, runs 3 to 4 hours approximately, and holds a 4.9 rating from 1,141 reviews.

Saint-Jean De Montmartre Church And The Cemetery Entrance

Two roster tours start away from the metro stations entirely: the art, culture and food walk run by ExperienceFirst meets in front of the Saint-Jean de Montmartre church near the base of the hill, and the art-lovers tour run by Trivial Guides meets in front of the Montmartre Cemetery entrance, a start that suits walkers who want artists' history before views.

The Saint-Jean de Montmartre church sits by the Trinite d'Estienne d'Orges side of the lower hill, and the ExperienceFirst walk that meets there is the deepest-reviewed listing on the whole roster, 4.9 from 2,874 reviews, a 90-minute group walk capped at 25 with an optional wine and cheese tasting at a historic restaurant if you upgrade. Starting here puts you a short walk from the eastern streets and lets the route climb toward the basilica through the art history rather than the boulevard.

The cemetery start is more specialized. The Montmartre Cemetery, on the hill's north side, is where the art-lovers tour begins, and that listing states its inclusions plainly: entry to the cemetery, a sketching session on a small canvas, and entry to the Sacre-Coeur basilica, over 2 hours with a 4.9 rating from 718 reviews. The cemetery operates seasonal hours, and the official Paris city page lists them along with the rules: no alcohol, no picnics, no sports, no animals, and access ends 15 minutes before closing.

Neither of these starts is the right first choice for a general first visit, but both are excellent if your walk has a theme. That is really the pattern across the whole roster: the meeting point tells you what the walk is about. Metro exits mean a general route, food streets mean a food route, the cemetery means an art route.

How The Funicular And The 222 Steps Change Your Starting Point

The funicular and the steps both sit on the eastern flank below the basilica, so they matter most if you start at Anvers or Place Saint-Pierre: from Anvers you can ride or climb to the top first and walk downhill through the village, or from Place Saint-Pierre the funicular offers a one-minute-30-second ride up the same 36-metre rise that the 222 steps cover on foot.

The funicular is not a scenic railway, it is a people-mover, and its value depends on your legs and your schedule. If you start at Blanche or Abbesses you will probably never use it, because your route reaches the top through the streets. If you start at Anvers, it is the fastest way to put the basilica behind you early and spend your energy on the descent through Place du Tertre, the vineyard streets and the food lanes. Whichever end you start from, the walk only improves if you know which lanes deserve your time, and our guide to the prettiest street in Montmartre ranks them from the vineyard on Rue des Saules to the painters of Place du Tertre.

The basilica itself is free and open every day from 6:30am to 10:30pm, and the dome is open daily from 10:30am with last admission about 7pm, according to the official basilica site. Dome tickets cost 8 euros for adults and 5 euros for children up to 15, sold on site only. If the dome is on your list, factor the about 280-step climb, there is no elevator, into your day, and start lower rather than higher.

Which Starting Point Fits Your Plan?

Choose Blanche for the full classic route and the widest choice of guided walks, Place Saint-Pierre for a climb-first visit, Anvers or Abbesses for a food-focused walk, and the Saint-Jean church or the cemetery entrance for an art-history route; if you are doing the hill in half a day rather than a full one, start at whichever end matches your single priority and accept that you will skip the other.

The table below puts the roster's own meeting points side by side, exactly as the listings state them, so you can see where each walk actually begins before you book or copy the route.

Read the table as a map rather than a menu. The cluster at Blanche and Place Saint-Pierre is the classic hill; the cluster at Anvers, Abbesses and Rue Lepic is the food hill; the two outliers are the art hill. Your starting point should follow the hill you actually came for. For a fuller rundown of what each route covers once you have started, the Montmartre walking tour guide breaks down the itineraries, and the how many hours you need in Montmartre piece helps you size the day.

One last planning note from the site itself: Montmartre Paris Tours keeps the full roster of these walks with verified ratings and meeting points, so if a start point looks right, the matching tour is one click from there. Whichever end you choose, check the meeting point text on the live listing before you go, because a few of them, the yellow sign at Blanche, the carousel at Place Saint-Pierre, are easy to miss in a crowd.

Common Questions About Starting Your Montmartre Walk

Where Should I Start My Walk In Montmartre?

Start at the Blanche metro exit (line 2) for the classic bottom-up route past the Moulin Rouge, or at Place Saint-Pierre by the carousel if you want the 222-step climb to the basilica as your opening move. Start at Anvers or Abbesses for a food-focused walk, since those are the meeting points the food tours use.

Which metro stations serve Montmartre?

The verified stations are Blanche (line 2), Anvers (line 2) and Abbesses (line 12). Blanche serves the Moulin Rouge end, Anvers the eastern base near the food streets, and Abbesses the village streets higher on the western side.

Is it better to walk up or down Montmartre?

Walking up from Blanche saves the payoff, the basilica, for the end and tires you out first. Starting high, at Place Saint-Pierre or via the funicular from the eastern flank, and walking down through the village is easier on the legs and finishes near food and metro links. Both directions cover the same ground.

Does the funicular save the climb?

Yes. It covers the same 36-metre rise as the 222 public steps in about 1 minute 30 seconds, runs seven days a week from 6am to 12:45am, and costs the same as a metro ticket. It matters most if you start at Anvers or Place Saint-Pierre; if you start at Blanche or Abbesses your route reaches the top through the streets anyway.

Where do the guided tours meet?

Most meet at the Blanche metro exit or Place Saint-Pierre: the Discover Walks tour, the small-group walk capped at 10, the hidden-gems walk and both Sacre-Coeur focused walks start at Blanche, while the highlights and must-see tours start at Place Saint-Pierre. The food tours meet at Anvers, Abbesses or Rue Lepic, and the art walks meet at the Saint-Jean de Montmartre church or the cemetery entrance.

Can I start my walk at Sacre-Coeur itself?

You can, the basilica is free and open daily from 6:30am to 10:30pm, but you would be starting at the top of the hill with everything behind you. A top-first route works if you then descend through Place du Tertre and the village streets toward Blanche, which is a common way to structure the day.