Montmartre

20 avenue rachel
Paris 75018
Metro: Blanche or Place de Clichy
phone: +33 1 53 42 36 30

Covering nearly 25 acres in the hollow of an old gypsum quarry in the 18th arrondissement, and built below street level, Montmartre was opened in 1825 on the site of an even older cemetery. 

Although located in the midst of a bustling section of Paris, with a major boulevard running over divisions 17 and 18, once you find your way into Montmartre you'll discover the peace and quiet of strolling down its streets and avenues.

Among the famous and near-famous here you'll find:

Edgar Degas, Jacques Offenbach, Heinrich Heine, Jean Baptiste Greuze, Gustave Moreau, Ludmilla Tcherina, Henri Georges Clouzot, the Goncourt brothers, Leon Foucault, "La Goulue" (Louise Weber), Hector Berlioz, Alexandre Dumas (fils), Vaslav Nijinsky, Dalida, Stendhal, Adolphe Sax (yes the guy who invented the saxophone), Juliette Recamier, Francois Truffaut and Emile Zola's family (his body was removed to the Pantheon). 

Directions   
The cemetery is served by Metro lines 2 and 13 via stops at Place Blanche (2) and Place de Clichy (13).

Take the no. 2 metro to Place Blanche and walk towards the Moulin RougeWalk right past the peep show hawkers and continue on to avenue Rachel, and turn right. Avenue Rachel ends at the cemetery entrance; you can't miss it.

Alternatively, you can take the no. 13 to Place de Clichy and when you exit look for Boulevard. de Clichy; avenue Rachel will be on your left. If you miss the boulevard and continue on rue Caulincourt after a few meters and just before the bridge over the cemetery you'll see a small stairway on your right. Those will lead you right down to the entrance on rue Rachel.


Entrance
There is only one entrance to Montmartre, at avenue Rachel.

Facilities
 As you enter the cemetery there is a guard shack on the left where you can pick up guide maps. To the right is the conservation office. There is a WC, located on the left just after you enter and around the first corner. There is also a rustic WC between divisions 1 and 18, on the upper level of the cemetery (frequently closed).

Images provided by Steve Soper. All rights reserved.

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