Christmas in Montmartre, Paris

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Last weekend, my Mum and I did something a little bit special. We went to stay at the Palace of Versailles for the night (post coming soon)! But not content with just 1 night in Paris, we added a day on to explore Montmartre, an area in the north of Paris famous for its beautiful streets, cosy cafes, and magnificent Basilica.

So to start getting the Blog in the festive spirit, I’m pausing my Croatia posts, postponing my Thailand posts and taking us straight to a Christmassy Montmartre. Let’s go!


I hadn’t been to Paris in years – 23 years in fact – yet somehow I now have 3 trips across the channel booked within the next 9 months. This was trip number 1, and we pulled in to Paris’ Gare du Nord late on a cold December evening after taking the Eurostar from St Pancras.

That gave us a full day the next day to enjoy Montmartre. We started our day in the picturesque Place du Tertre, where the shops and Christmas decorations were at their finest. We ate an amazingly tasty crepe in Au Petit Comptoir for a leisurely breakfast, and watched the world go by.

After breakfast we strolled around the streets of Montmartre. We particularly enjoyed Rue du Chevalier de la Barre and Rue des Saules, which was home to an absolutely beautiful local ceramics shop where we bought some Christmas decorations (though we passed on the frog’s legs at Grenouilles).

During the Belle Epoque era (1870s-1910s), many artists lived and worked in Montmartre. Renoir, Utrillo, Dufy, Picasso, Modigliani and others all lived here at some point during that time, and it means that the area has a really artsy feel. I feel like I have a sort of connection to this era, as one of my ancestors was in Montmartre during this time, so probably was part of this culture. It was nice imagining what it was like, and the sort of life they’d have lived.

Perhaps my ancestor even came to this cafe!

We continued our stroll to the Sacré-Cœur itself. The Basilica is located at the summit of Montmartre, overlooking the entire city. I didn’t realise but it is the second most popular tourist destination in the capital after the Eiffel Tower!

View from the top!

The Basilica was built in the late 1800s, as part of Paris’ complete redesign during the 1800s. Most of the city was demolished and rebuilt in the now well known and identifiable Parisian style. I hadn’t really appreciated until this visit how the entire city had been rebuilt in one go – very ambitious, and I can’t even begin to imagine how that project was managed successfully!

The Sacre Coeur

Inside the Sacré-Cœur, the mosaics and domes were impressive, and I loved some of the displays. There was a beautiful little nativity set up and a Sports area celebrating the Rugby World Cup in 2023 and looking to the Olympics in 2024.

After that, we continued our walk around the area and headed to La Maison Rose, one of the most famous cafes in Paris, thanks to Utrillo’s famous painting of it. We then continued down the hill and Rue de l’Abreuvoir, past Le Moulin Blute-Fin, one of Montmartre’s remaining original windmills and made famous by Van Gogh’s paintings.

La Maison Rose

We finished up our day exploring the area at the world famous Moulin Rouge, before enjoying an amazing dinner at Restaurant Le Saint Regis where I tucked in to ricotta stuffed chicken, a tarte Tatin and a tasty cocktail. After a long day exploring, we collapsed in to bed ready for our next adventure in Versailles.

Moulin Rouge


What did you think of Montmartre at Christmas? It’s nice to start feeling in the festive spirit, and even though I don’t get as excited about Christmas as I used to, it’s still such a special time of year to enjoy. Thanks for reading – stay safe and happy travelling!

46 responses to “Christmas in Montmartre, Paris”

  1. Awesome post with great tidbits. Thank you!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. So glad you enjoyed it 🙂

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  2. I’m surprised you haven’t been back to Paris since you were a kid (despite being just across the channel)! Goes to show there are too many other wonderful places in the world to travel to 😆 Montmartre is a magical corner of Paris with so many hidden restaurants, courtyards, and gems to discover; I always make a trip over there whenever I’m in town! Thanks for sharing, Han. 🙂

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    1. That’s the problem, there are just too many places to visit 🙂 I loved Montmartre though, such a beautiful area of Paris!

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  3. Beautiful pictures! Montmartre is already such a lovely area of Paris, but then with the Christmas decorations up just makes it all more. Looking forward to following along with you to Versailles! 🙂

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    1. Thanks so much Meg! I agree, it was so festive with all the decorations up and felt a lovely cosy place to be in the cold 🙂

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  4. I haven’t been to Paris for a long time either, 15 years I think so it was lovely to follow in your footsteps around Montmartre. What a super trip with your Mum!

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    1. Ahh we had the best time, and the best is yet to come with a visit to stay at Versailles 🙂

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  5. I spent some time in Montmartre a few years ago, but it was in the summer. It looks as lovely around this time of year though! I feel like I would still enjoy having a café au lait or a glass of wine in one of these lovely cafes and restaurants. Thanks for sharing! 🙂

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    1. Ahh yes they had hot wine everywhere across Montmartre at this time of year! I hadn’t been to Paris in years, but look forward to returning again in 2024 🙂

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  6. I love Montmartre, and try to visit whenever I am in Paris. Your photo’s are wonderful and really provide an idea of the atmosphere of the area.

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    1. That’s amazing, it’s such a lovely part of Paris isn’t it 🙂

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  7. Montmartre is such a beautiful place and I love the extra Christmas vibes too. Looking forward to reading about your future trips!

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    1. Me too, I really loved it with all the Christmas decorations 🙂

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  8. I’ve been to Paris several time, but never to Montmartre. I want to go more than ever after seeing what a charming and beautiful neighborhood it is.

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    1. It’s really worth checking out on your next visit John as it has such a lovely feel, totally separate to that of central Paris.

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  9. Montmartre is such an interesting and unique neighborhood; it’s one of the city’s best. It’s a great place to get reacquainted with Paris. What a pleasure to enjoy it with your mom. Beautiful photos too. I’m looking forward to reading about your visit to Versailles.

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    1. Thank you so much, and I agree Montmartre is just lovely. I’ve just finished up the Versailles post so that will be coming between Christmas and New Year 🙂

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  10. I love how cozy all the decorations look! This makes me want to go back, I loved wandering the beautiful streets of Montmartre.

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    1. It’s such a beautiful area of Paris isn’t it….it feels so different to central Paris.

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  11. Christmas in Paris? That sounds like the best Christmas EVER! Now you’ve got me thinking… 🙂 Melx

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    1. Hehe, it was absolutely beautiful all decorated for Christmas 🙂

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  12. A festive presentation of Montmartre at Christmas, Hannah. The streets and architecture look inviting, especially the Basilica…stunning! Thanks for sharing my friend 🙂

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    1. So glad you enjoyed it Phil, it really is such a beautiful area of Paris 🙂

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  13. Our last few times in Paris we haven’t revisited Montmartre, but I’d like to return because it’s been so many years. Very pretty at Christmas – we’ve always only been able to see France in summertime.

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    1. It was really nice to see Paris in winter, it felt festive and the crowds weren’t too horrific. It was lovely to wander around Montmartre and take it all in 🙂

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  14. I visited Montmartre such a long time ago when with my aunt, uncle and cousin (who all live in Paris). It is such a great area to spend a day. Thanks for bringing back these memories ☺️.

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    1. Aw that’s lovely and I’m so glad to bring back some happy memories 🙂

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  15. I love strolling around Montmartre, it has such a villagey feel. I’ve never been to Paris at Christmas but it looks a great time of year to visit. I’m amazed by how quiet it looks – the last time I went to Montmartre was September 2022 and it was absolutely heaving.

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    1. You’re right, it has a totally different feel to central Paris. Yes the crowds weren’t too bad at all for us, though we were up early(ish) – about 9am – to start wandering around 🙂

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  16. I’ve been to Paris (many years ago), but not Montmartre. What a great place to visit!

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    1. It was beautiful, especially at Christmas!

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  17. It must be so lovely for a stroll at Christmastime…

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    1. It was very festive and got me feeling all excited for Christmas 🙂 x

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  18. Very interesting read. I have been to Paris a few times on business and pleasure but not since I started writing about my travels. So, I was really surprised to learn from your post a little of the history. I didn’t realize Paris was rebuilt in the 1800s.

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    1. Thanks so much for stopping by Julia and really glad you found the post interesting. Paris is such an incredible city, I can’t imagine the project planning required to build it all at once!!

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  19. Wow, they rebuilt an entire city all at once? Oh my goodness, I can’t even imagine how chaotic that must have been. Looks like they did a wonderful job, though!

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    1. Yeah it’s crazy isn’t it – I think a lot of people don’t realise Paris is 1800s onwards only which by Europe’s standards is quite young. They did it very elegantly though 🙂

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  20. My favorite area of Paris – I don’t know that many, but loved staying there for a few days many years ago. I was walking around those streets again with you!

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    1. I agree, it’s definitely one of my favourite areas too and feels a world away from the hustle and bustle of the Eiffel Tower!

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  21. How fun to visit Paris with your mom. Montmartre looks lovely around the holidays.

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  22. […] was again lost to work. However, just before Christmas I managed to steal a weekend away to Paris with my Mum. We did something truly special and stayed at the hotel attached to the Palace of […]

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  23. I love being in a festive spirit still in the new year by reading this post of yours only now Hannah! Montmartre looks absolutely gorgeously decked out in Christmas lights. Looking at your photos, Paris has to be one of the few cities that looks gorgeous even in Winter!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Hehe well I’m glad to keep the Christmas spirit going for a bit! It was really lovely to experience Paris at that time of year, though I have to say the decorations weren’t as widespread or as decadent as London’s offering!

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About the author

Hi! My name is Hannah, I’m a travel blogger from the UK who fits travel around a full time (and full on) job. In this blog I share my adventures around the world and hopefully help you to find some inspiration for destinations, things to do or places to stay. Thanks for stopping by – stay safe and happy travelling.

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