View on the 18th Arrondissement:
the north side of Montmartre by Heather Stimmler-Hall
Look past the Sacre Coeur and the Moulin Rouge for a Montmartre
off the beaten tourist path.
Most visitors and residents of Paris are familiar with the
famous Butte de Montmartre, and its wedding-cake Basilique
Sacré-Coeur. After Amélie and Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge,
even people who have never been there before recognize the
Place des Abbesses and the neon windmill at Place Clichy.
But that’s only half the story of this unique Parisian village.
Head towards the north side of Montmartre, between Metros
Lamarck and Jules Joffrin. This is the side where resident
Parisians eat and shop – and live - without a postcard stand,
tour bus, or portrait artist in sight!
Sightseeing & Shopping
At the Place Jules Joffrin is the neo-gothic Notre-Dame
de Clingnancourt, a small merry-go-round, Haussmann-style
press kiosque and the dramatic town hall, the Mairie du
18ème. Inaugurated in 1892, the Mairie has a beautiful glass
and wrought iron ceiling courtyard open to the public. Hidden
from sight is one of the most beautiful Salle des Mariages
in Paris, with paintings and frescos depicting Montmartre
at the beginning of the 20th century, including ones by
the locally-born artist Maurice Utrillo. This Mairie is
the only town hall in Paris with its own wine cellar, where
several bottles of the rare "Clos Montmartre" wine, made
from the vineyard on rue St-Vincent, are kept for special
occasions. Montmartre’s next "Fête des Vendanges" is October
11 -- mark your calendars!
Around the corner from the Place Jules Joffrin are the market
streets Rue du Poteau, with a wide variety of boutiques
selling everything from sausages and chocolates to shoes
and home decorating supplies, and the Rue Duhesme, with
fresh fruit, vegetable, fish and meat stalls. Chinese, Italian,
Greek and North African food shops can be found alongside
the more traditional French bakeries and terroir charcuterie
specialists. Don’t miss the Fromagerie de Montmartre (9, rue du Poteau), where they’ll vacuum-seal your cheeses
for travel. Nearby is the Gourmet Shoppe (139 rue
Ordener), where you can find British food specialties, including
wild salmon and haggis. Wine aficionados should check out
the wine bar and boutique Au Bon Coin (49 rue des
Cloÿs, 01 46 06 91 36), winner of the Bouteille d’Or in
2000. Fashion shoppers will enjoy L’Eldorado (10
rue Francoeur), already featured in both ELLE and Vogue
for its stylish women’s shoes and clothing. Ladies looking
for that perfect hat should stop into the whimsical boutique
of Sylvie Camicas (76 rue Lamarck), a hat couturier
who sells hats both off the rack and to order.
There are two nearby parks in the neighborhood. Just around
the corner from Jules Joffrin is the beautiful Square de
Clingnancourt, a garden with children’s playground and bandstand,
surrounded by beautiful residential buildings and tall trees.
On Rue des Cloÿs, just off Rue de Ruisseau, is the Square
Serpollet, a larger, modern garden with a huge Eiffel-tower-shaped
climbing structure and mini football pitch for kids, as
well as fountains andintricate gardens.
Dining & Nightlife
The Brasseire Nord-Sud (open daily non-stop, 79 rue Mont Cenis, 01 46 06 02 87), is the locals’ preferred perch for watching over the busy intersection at Place Jules Joffrin. On the other end of the market street is La Sauterelie (57 rue Montcalm, 01 42 23 39 88) an intimate restaurant open only at night, serving a creative mix of French and world cuisine in a low lit, "antique" décor. Perched alongside the steep stairways Montmartre is known for, just outside the Metro Lamarck, is the trendy restaurant Ginette de la Côte d’Azur (101 rue Caulaincourt, 01 46 06 01 49) and the more laid back bar and café Le Refuge (72 rue Lamarck, 01 42 55 27 58), both with little terraces during the warmer months. Night owls gravitate towards the lively country-style bar and restaurant Village Michel (100 rue Ordener), or Hogan’s Irish Pub (corner of Rue Francoeur and Rue de Clignancourt) for a proper pint of Guinness. For a bit of culture, the Sudden Theatre (14 bis rue St-Isaure, 01 42 62 35 00) often has guest English-language productions from the UK and Ireland as part of their seasonal program.
Heather Stimmler-Hall is an American travel writer
living in France since 1995. She’s the author of the Paris
& Ile-de-France Adventure Guide (Hunter Publishing, 2004)
and editor of the Secrets of Paris Newsletter. To sign up
for the newsletter, visit www.secretsofparis.com.
Heather provides custom, private tours of Paris neighborhoods
to help familiarize visitors with city’s central tourist
districts and charming historic quarters as well as up-and-coming
areas and quiet residential neighborhoods off the beaten
path. For inquiries, email her at heather@secretsofparis.com.
