Paris’ Modern Art Mecca: A Montmartre Walking Tour with Context

(23 reviews)

Paris audio tour: Paris’ Modern Art Mecca: A Montmartre Walking Tour with Context

This is a 1.3mi walking tour

It takes an average of 60 mins to complete.

Paris

France

$19.99

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About the Tour

Embark on an unforgettable journey through the bohemian streets of Paris‘ Montmartre district where art, history, and culture intertwine. Art historian and Context Travel expert, Georgia Dearden, is your guide on this walking tour which follows in the footsteps of renowned artists like Pablo Picasso and Vincent Van Gogh, who called the area home. She‘ll transport you back in time to share some of the little-known stories behind this iconic Paris neighborhood.

The tour starts on Place des Abbesses, where Georgia will tell you about the neighborhood‘s transformation from a sleepy, religious, agricultural community to a battleground, before becoming a vibrant hub for artistic expression. From there, you‘ll wind your way through the hilly neighborhood, taking in the apartment of Vincent van Gogh and his brother Théo, Toulouse-Lautrec‘s house, Maison de Dalida where the French-Italian pop singer lived, and Erik Satie House. You‘ll follow in the footsteps of impressionists such as Pierre-August Renoir, Suzanne Valadon, and Pablo Picasso. Along the way, Georgia will point out the bronze Buste de Dalida which is believed to bring good fortune, and the Musée de Montmartre, once Suzanne Valadon‘s art studio. The tour concludes at the iconic Basilica of Sacré Cœur de Montmartre with its panoramic views of the city.

On this Montmartre tour, you‘ll:

Delve into the rich tapestry of Montmartre which birthed a revolution in artistic expression during the late 1800s and 1900s
Discover the origins behind Pablo Picasso’s blue period
Quench your thirst at Montmartre‘s Wallace Fountain, one of many that brought free, clean drinking water to Parisians in the late 1800s
See the residences, studios and workplaces of internationally renowned painters like Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec, Pablo Picasso, Suzanne Valadon and Renoir, including the world-famous Bateau Lavoir
Learn the history of Rue de l‘Abreuvoir, one of the oldest roads in Montmartre dating back to the 1300s, and find out how it originally served as a watering hole
Journey through time to Montmartre’s transformation from a quiet community housing the city‘s poorest citizens to a vibrant center pulsating with creativity
Take in Place du Tertre, a square frequented by modern street artists, Paroisse Saint-Pierre de Montmartre, a famous church, and Square Suzanne Buisson, known as the square with the statue of Saint Denis holding his head
Retrace the steps of iconic artists like Pablo Picasso, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec and Vincent Van Gogh to their favorite hangouts
Pop into famous (and historical) eateries like Le Grenier à Pain, Moulin de la Galette, and La Maison Rose

Unlock the secrets behind iconic landmarks and ancient streets that have witnessed Montmartre’s evolution from a humble enclave for the city‘s impoverished to a thriving hub for artistic expression. By the end of this tour with Georgia, you’ll have discovered ancient churches and panoramic views of the city, and experienced the allure of this charming and historically significant neighborhood from a new vantage point.

Tour Producer

Context Travel

92 tours

Context was founded in Rome in 2003 by Paul Bennett and Lani Bevacqua an expat couple eager to curate experiences for travelers, not tourists. Since then Context has taken over 200,000 people to 60+ destinations around the world – accompanied by thousands of leading experts. What started as a dream to create cross-cultural connections is now a worldwide network and community of thoughtful, engaged travelers and experts.

Join a live private or small group tour in destinations around the world at contexttravel.com.

Preview Location

Location 12

Bateau Lavoir and Wallace Fountain

Stop when you reach the dark green-painted building called the Bateau Lavoir and feel free to take a seat on one of the nearby benches if one is free.

Pablo Picasso is now one of the most celebrated artists of the 20th century. Like Van Gogh and Toulouse Lautrec before him... Stop when you reach the dark green-painted building called the Bateau Lavoir and feel free to take a seat on one of the nearby benches if one is free.

Pablo Picasso is now one of the most celebrated artists of the 20th century. Like Van Gogh and Toulouse Lautrec before him, he came here as a young aspiring artist to see what Montmartre had to teach him.

Something interesting about Picasso is the fact that he had rather a long name: His full name was, and please excuse my lack of Spanish language skills here: Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Maria de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santisima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso. So you can see why he'd choose to just go by Pablo Picasso.

He arrived here in the fall of 1900 accompanied by his friend and fellow artist Carlos Casagemas. They'd traveled around Spain together before moving to Paris when they were both about 20, where they shared a vacant studio, which was located just around the corner from here. The lavoir has been an artist's studio since the 1880s and was something of a social hub for artists when Picasso and Casagemas arrived in Paris. Picasso himself would take a studio here four years later.

The two young men wasted no time in finding female companionship and took up with two models – Picasso with Odette Lenoir, and Casagemas with Germaine Pichot. Casagemas fell really quite in love with Germaine, but she was less convinced. Casagemas had seemingly struggled with depression for some time, and didn't deal with this romantic rejection well. Picasso invited his friend to his family home in Spain for the Christmas of 1900, but Casagemas’s behaviour embarrassed Picasso so much in front of his family, that he ended up putting his friend on a boat home. Casageamas returned to Paris and continued to pursue Germaine to no avail. On the 17th February, 1901, he organised a dinner at the nearby Hippodrome Cafe. He invited many of his friends including Germaine. At around 9 PM, after rather a lot of absinthe had been drunk, he got up and asked Germaine one more time for her hand in marriage. When she refused, he got out a pistol and aimed a shot at her before turning the gun on himself. Germaine, who'd literally dodged the bullet, was unharmed. Casagemas however would die in the hospital later that evening.

When Picasso heard of his friend’s death, he was devastated, and the event is widely understood as the catalyst for his blue period. The blue period was a means by which Picasso processed his grief and came to terms with the loss of his friend. His grief was perhaps not helped by the fact that Picasso actually started having his own affair with Germaine when he returned to Paris in 1901. His blue period would last until around 1904, when he would move into a more joyful pink palette. If you look at your phone, you'll see a picture he did in 1905 - it shows him beside Germaine at a cabaret. Some interpret the sombre expressions on both Germain's and Picasso's faces to reflect the way Picasso felt about the liaison during this time.

Turn so your back is to Le Bateau-Lavoir. You can stay sitting if you wish - so long as you can see our next stop - you should be able to see a cast iron, dark green sculpture. It features four women with arms raised supporting a dome-like structure above them. The four of them represent kindness, simplicity, sobriety, and charity respectively.

In fact, these statues themselves were a charitable donation: this is a water fountain, one in a series which were one of the first ways that clean drinking water was made available to Parisians. Feel free to fill up your water bottles here if you need to - this water is safe to drink. You will find the button on the base of the statue - the side facing the staircase you just climbed. It should be small and silver.

The first of these fountains was installed in 1872. Drinking water in Paris had been unsafe for centuries. While certain measures had been taken to improve the situation, especially in the extensive renovations of the city that took place in the 1860s, the drinking water was still generally of poor quality and cholera outbreaks were not unusual.

Let's get going while I tell you more. Head uphill and exit the square. Take a left onto Rue d'orchampt and walk on the right-hand side of the street.

The drinking water problem was intensified by the siege of Paris, which took place in the winter of 1870 and 1871. The rather unpopular Emperor Napoleon III had gone and got himself kidnapped by the Prussian army, who then arrived in Paris and encircled the city. The Parisians barricaded themselves in, and while there were episodes of shelling and warfare, for the most part, the Prussian army aimed to starve the Parisians out. This was a fairly grim episode. Food supplies ran low, and almost every animal in the zoo had to be killed and eaten. When they were gone, the poorest citizens had to eat rats. The shelling had destroyed many of the city’s aqueducts, and the city’s poorest populations had to pay extortionate prices for water. To make it worse, most of this water was extracted from the Seine - which also happened to be where a lot of the city’s sewage ended up. The siege lasted three months before supplies could be brought in from outside the city.

Sir Richard Wallace, a British philanthropist, had been in Paris during the siege and had witnessed firsthand the way the Parisians had suffered. He therefore decided to fund the fountains that to this day carry his name. The first fifty Wallace fountains were installed in 1872, and provide free, clean drinking water to the citizens of Paris to this day. There are now over 100 fountains all over the city.
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Major Landmarks

Maison de Dalida
Place des Abbesses
Escaliers du Métro Abbesses
Le Grenier à Pain Abbesses Bodian
Appartement des frères Vincent et Théo van Gogh
Toulouse-Lautrec House
Le Moulin Blute-Fin
Le Bateau-Lavoir
Fontaine Wallace
Le Moulin de la Galette
Square Suzanne Buisson
Statue of Saint-Denis
Buste de Dalida
Rue de l'Abreuvoir
La Maison Rose
Musée de Montmartre
Erik Satie House
Place du Tertre
Paroisse Saint-Pierre de Montmartre
Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
Pl. des Abbesses, 75018 Paris, France
Total distance

2km
Final location
35 Rue du Chevalier de la Barre, 75018 Paris, France
Distance back to start location

384.1m

Directions to Starting Point

The tour begins at Place des Abbesses subway station. Travelers can take the 12 subway line, H or L trains, or bus 30, 54, 60 and 68 to arrive near Placce des Abbesses.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

Travelers can choose to enter Montmartre Museum, the Saint Pierre de Montmartre church, or indulge in a scrumptious snack along the tour. Le Grenier à Pain is open from 7 AM to 7:30 Thursday-Sunday, and closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. Moulin de la Galette is open everyday from 8 AM till midnight, and Le Maison Rose is open from noon till 10 PM on Wednesday-Sunday, but closed Monday and Tuesday.

Best time of day

Travelers can take this tour at any time of the day and during any season. If you'd like to enjoy a tasty treat along the way, we advise taking the tour from 9:30 AM till 7:30 PM.

Precautions

Please bring a pair of headphones, a bottle of water and your wallet. Don't forget to keep an eye on your belongings.

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Questions and Reviews

4.7 / 5

23 Ratings

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Paris’ Modern Art Mecca: A Montmartre Walking Tour with Context

About the Tour

Tour Producer

Context Travel

Preview Location

Location 12

Bateau Lavoir and Wallace Fountain

How VoiceMap Works

Major Landmarks

Maison de Dalida

Place des Abbesses

Escaliers du Métro Abbesses

Le Grenier à Pain Abbesses Bodian

Appartement des frères Vincent et Théo van Gogh

Toulouse-Lautrec House

Le Moulin Blute-Fin

Le Bateau-Lavoir

Fontaine Wallace

Le Moulin de la Galette

Square Suzanne Buisson

Statue of Saint-Denis

Buste de Dalida

Rue de l'Abreuvoir

La Maison Rose

Musée de Montmartre

Erik Satie House

Place du Tertre

Paroisse Saint-Pierre de Montmartre