Semi-Private Montmartre Tour | From Le Moulin Rouge to Sacré-Cœur
LivTours Montmartre Tour is a semi-private tour that takes you to the artistic hilltop neighborhood with winding cobblestone streets. A former village before Paris expanding to include this charming hilly neighborhood, Montmartre has a special feel of not being in a French village, complete with still active windmills! A stroll through these streets will leave you longing to be an artist, or at least go back in time to the turn of the 19th to 20th century when you would have rubbed elbows with Ernest Hemmingway, Gertrude Stein, Pablo Picasso, van Gogh or any other well-known European artist of the time. With the Moulin Rouge at the bottom of the hill that makes up the neighborhood of Montmartre and the Basilica of Sacré-Cœur at the top and a vineyard in the middle, you will begin to see why and what inspired them.
This charming, romantic, and bohemian neighborhood is a great tour when you are looking for a break from the hustle and bustle of Paris, or just want to talk to your inner artist!
- Stand in front of the inspirational site of countless art – the iconic Moulin Rouge
- Stroll past historic apartments where Picasso, Renoir, and Van Gogh once lived
- Soak in the artistic ambiance of the photogenic Place du Tertre
- Take plenty of selfies by the sublime Sacré-Cœur Basilica & its hilltop view
Semi-Private tours and experiences are guaranteed six participants max.
Our prices always include tickets and reservations fees (no waiting in lines!)
Our tour guides and staff are selected experts and speak perfect English
Easy to book and prepay your tours with our secure payment system
Eco-sustainable tourism, designed to respect and support local culture, art and traditions
Your LivTours’ Montmartre Tour starts in front of the iconic Moulin Rouge where you will meet your guide and the other travelers on your semi-private tour. Your guide will discuss the strategic location of the Moulin Rouge, and who its main customers were when it opened in 1889, the same year Paris hosted the Universal Exposition and the Eiffel Tower. The Moulin Rouge was home to risqué cabaret dancing, standing out as the best and most luxurious to lure in the wealthy of Paris.
Just behind the Moulin Rouge, the cobblestone streets begin and you quickly feel the village-like atmosphere of this distinct neighborhood. As you make your way further into this artistic district, your guide will draw your attention to Montmartre’s historic vineyard and the centuries’ old history behind some of the winemakers in the area. If you are lucky enough to be in Paris in the fall, make sure you take in the harvest festival as this vineyard is still farmed, giving lovely wine straight from Paris!
Due to its location just outside of what was officially Paris, the rents 150 years ago were very affordable attracting artists searching for lower rent, fantastic light, and space. Once home to some of the greatest artists, your guide will make sure you see the former homes of artists such as Van Gogh, Renoir and Picasso. You might think that one cabaret venue would be enough for one tour, but in Montmartre, there were many in its heyday and a stop by the oldest one, Au Lapin Agile is a must for visitors. Edith Piaf was one of the greats who performed here and your guide will share with you the paintings that were inspired by this local cabaret venue that was so popular at the end of the 1800s. Montmartre’s artistic spirit is not a thing of history books, several films have been set here in contemporary times, such as Woody Allen’s or the wonderfully French film Amélie. Your guide will point out those places where filming took place!
Before reaching the beautiful Basilica of Sacré-Cœur at the top of the hill, your guide will treat you to some delicious freshly baked bread from an award-winning bakery! Once you are recharged, it is time to walk the final blocks to Paris’s second most famous church and Montmartre most famous, the Basilica of Sacré-Cœur. One of the easiest landmarks to spot in Paris, the basilica was built in the 1800s and your guide will give you a comprehensive explanation of its history and art, explaining why it is called the Meringue of Paris!
After enjoying the views and saying goodbye to your guide, feel free to pop inside for a visit.
- Moulin Rouge windmill
- Guided walk through Montmartre
- Former homes of Van Gogh, Renoir and Picasso
- Au Lapin Agile
- Cafe des Deux Moulins
- Fresh French bread tasting
- Sacré-Cœur (from outside)
LivTours’ group size of max 6 participants is and always has been based on sustainable travel, and we are proud to be at the forefront of change and innovation in the industry. LivTours is committed to providing travelers with truly sustainable tours with the lowest possible environmental impact, all while supporting the local industries and people of each unique destination. To learn more about how you can actively support sustainable tourism and how LivTours is contributing, click here.
All LivTours Semi-Private Group Tours are limited to 6 guests per tour guide. Our commitment to maintaining our uniquely tiny group sizes can sometimes be a little tricky, mathematically speaking. For example, we want to ensure that traveling families and friends can tour together so on rare occasions we may add one or two guests in order to not split groups. On that same note, you may also find yourself on tour with less than six people! We thank you for your understanding and flexibility.
Fun walking tour
"François was a fantastic tour guide! You could tell that he has such passion and so much knowledge of Paris and Montmartre. Walking tours typically feel long, but his personality sped up the time because we were so engaged. We learned a lot more on this tour than any of our other tours throughout our trip. Definitely recommend!"
Eugene - US
Amazing informative tour of the catacombs and a brief history of Paris!
"Great tour- Kaitlin was super engaging and informed about the history of Paris. She kept us entertained during the entire tour. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking to explore the Catacombs and Montmartre!"
Chri - USA
Thank you, Marie
"Strolling through Montmartre is fascinating but we loved it even more thanks to our lovely guide, Marie. So many famous places, famous people, artists, writers, musicians have walked and lived on these same streets. We were mesmerized, as was the other couple in our group, with the many stories Marie had to tell us. The Sacre Coeur cathedral is breaktaking and we had some of the best views of Paris from the top of the stairs. It really was a wonderful tour and we can't thank Marie enough!"
Lesley - UK
By selecting Choose Dates Later / Buy as Gift at booking, any tour can be purchased without fixed dates. This is the perfect option if you want to purchase your tour as a gift for a loved one, or if you are in the pre-planning phase of your vacation. After booking, you will receive a Travel Voucher Code and full instructions on how to schedule your tours when ready. Once your travel plans are confirmed, you can easily use the Travel Voucher Code on the LivTours website to formally schedule your tours. You can find out more here.