Right Bank: Montmartre

Hotels in Montmartre (18th arrondissement)

Montmartre is "village Paris" at its best, and we find it irresistible. It's a few kilometers from the center of town (and at least 45 minutes from the Seine if you're walking downhill), but several Métro lines--especially Ligne 12--offer good connections to major sightseeing areas. (Mind you, if you're like us, you may find it hard to leave the neighborhood.)

Montmartre is also convenient to the Gare du Nord, which is served by Eurostar, Thalys, and the RER "B" line from Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports. If you're a shopper, you can easily reach Printemps, Galeries Lafayette, and other major stores in the 9th arrondissement on foot.

Montmartre consists of two main parts:

• The southern side of the Butte or hill, below Sacré-Coeur, which is the more "villagey" part with narrow streets, tiny shops and restaurants, and (how can we not mention them?) the grocery store and café from the film Amelie.

• The northern slope of the hill, which has less of a village atmosphere but is a pleasant, prosperous residential neighborhood with a far lower ratio of tourists to residents.

You'll also find a neighborhood on top of the Butte, around Sacré-Coeur and the Place de Tertre, but it's small and tends to be overrun by mass-market tourist crowds.

For more information on accommodations in the neighborhood, see our Hotels in Montmartre article (which also discusses holiday apartments and has links to firsthand reports on Montmartre apartments that we've rented).

Tips:

• From the Gare du Nord, it's about a 20- or 25-minute walk to most Montmartre hotels.

• Montmartre is in a single arrondissement: the 18th. Don't be deceived by properties that claim to be in Montmartre when they're merely near the district.

• The main drag along the very bottom edge of Montmartre (the boulevards of Clichy and Rochechouart) is heavy on discount stores and sex shops. This doesn't faze the French, who contentedly push their baby strollers to supermarkets that are within ogling distance of strip joints, but it might be a concern if you'd rather not have the Musée de l'Érotisme or a peep show down the block.