Montmartre at night: what to do on the Butte when the sun goes down

Montmartre at night is a different Butte: the tour coaches have gone, the lanes empty out, the cabarets light up and all of Paris sparkles below.
Here is how to make the most of it, from sunset to the last songs at the Lapin Agile, with our evening route and our tips for a trouble-free night.

Why see Montmartre at night

By day, Montmartre belongs to the crowds. Between 11 am and 6 pm, place du Tertre overflows, the Sacré-Cœur steps are packed and you have to elbow your way along rue de l'Abreuvoir. If you are planning your first visit, our guide to visiting Montmartre gives you the full daytime route.

In the evening, the village comes back into its own. Street lamps light the cobbles, the café terraces fill with Parisians rather than groups, and the Butte recovers the atmosphere that won over artists more than a century ago. It is also when the view from the top becomes spectacular: Paris lit up as far as the eye can see.

Sunset, the first act

An evening in Montmartre ideally starts an hour before sunset. From the forecourt of the Sacré-Cœur, which faces south, the golden light slides over the rooftops of Paris, then the city lights up bit by bit, monument after monument.

The forecourt is not the only viewpoint, nor the quietest. We have gathered the best places to watch the sunset in Montmartre, from the best known to the most secret.

The illuminated Sacré-Cœur

At nightfall the white basilica lights up and seems to float above the city. It is the most famous image of Montmartre at night, and you can enjoy it from below, in the square Louise-Michel, as well as from the forecourt, where people sit on the steps to watch Paris shine.

The basilica stays open in the evening, so you can go in for a quiet, contemplative visit, far from the daytime crowds. Opening hours, dome and crypt: everything is in our guide to visiting the Sacré-Cœur.

An evening walk, from place du Tertre to Pigalle

Here is our evening route, about an hour long, all downhill.

  1. Place du Tertre: the painters pack up their easels and the restaurants light their candles. The square becomes a village square again.
  2. Rue Norvins and rue des Saules: dimly lit and lined with old houses, these are the most romantic streets on the Butte after dark.
  3. The Maison Rose and rue de l'Abreuvoir: without the daytime crowds, the most photographed street in Montmartre finally reveals itself. At the end, a view over northern Paris.
  4. Place des Abbesses: Guimard's metro entrance lights up and the bars of rue des Abbesses come alive. This is the liveliest corner in the evening.
  5. Boulevard de Clichy: the red sails of the Moulin Rouge turn above the neon of Pigalle. The end of the walk, the start of the night.

Cabarets and songs

Montmartre is the birthplace of the Parisian cabaret, and the tradition has never died.

  • Au Lapin Agile, 22 rue des Saules: more than a hundred years old, this cabaret tucked inside a little pink house still hosts singers several nights a week. You sit on wooden benches, listen to French chanson and join in the choruses.
  • The Moulin Rouge, 82 boulevard de Clichy: the most famous revue in the world, feathers, sequins and French cancan, every night.
  • Madame Arthur, rue des Martyrs: a drag cabaret with French songs reinvented, then DJs until the small hours.
  • Studio 28, rue Tholozé: not a cabaret but a historic neighbourhood cinema, opened in 1928, to end the evening with a film.

These venues are the heirs of Belle Époque Montmartre, when painters and poets spent their nights in cabarets. To follow in their footsteps by day, take our walk through the Montmartre of the painters.

Dinner on the Butte

Avoid the restaurants on place du Tertre, often expensive and touristy, and walk down a few streets. Around rue Lepic, rue des Abbesses and rue des Martyrs, bistros, wine bars and neighbourhood restaurants follow one another. Book if you are dining at the weekend: the best addresses are always full.

For dinner with a view, some restaurants around place du Tertre and the Moulin de la Galette play on their historic setting. You pay for the setting as much as the food, but the setting is worth it.

Getting up the Butte in the evening without tiring yourself

After a day of walking around Paris, the Montmartre stairs can be daunting. The funicular, at square Louise-Michel, runs until late in the evening on an ordinary metro ticket, and bus 40 serves the top of the Butte.

You can also let someone else drive. Our evening 2CV ride crosses illuminated Paris, from the Champs-Élysées to Notre-Dame by way of the Louvre and Saint-Germain-des-Prés, before climbing the Butte Montmartre, the balcony of Paris. Two hours with a driver, watching the city lights go by.

Our tips for a relaxed evening

  • Stick to the busy streets: the Butte is calm and pleasant in the evening, but poorly lit stairways and squares are best crossed in company.
  • Keep an eye on your belongings around the Sacré-Cœur, Anvers and Pigalle, and turn down the bracelet sellers who approach you at the foot of the steps.
  • Wear good shoes: the cobbles are slippery after rain, and the stairways are not always well lit.
  • Plan your way back: Abbesses, Anvers, Blanche and Pigalle stations are served until the metro closes, later on Fridays and Saturdays.