Montmatre

Does anyone else think this is the most over rated part of Paris.

We stayed at a very ordinary hotel behind and to the right of the Sacre Cour( rue chevalier I think ). The main area is commercial and twee. The rest is seedy and seems unsafe in general. I couldn%26#39;t wait to get to any other area, all of which seemed much more plesant.

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My husband and I, both a young 30, have stayed there a couple of times in the last few years and we loved it. Sure you want to get away from the s e x shops and the scam artists up at the Sacre Cour but the rest of the area is really cute and much less expensive. It%26#39;s where Amalie lived. I had a couple of really great meals at a local bistro and I meet lots of great people. We meet an English guy, working in Paris, at a bar and we ended up spending the day together and eating a really nice late dinner. He gave us a little tour of the area and it%26#39;s really beautiful; trendy boutiques, little markets and lovely architecture.

But I%26#39;m from Brooklyn and have a high seediness tolerance. I also really enjoy walking and being off the beaten path, so that was attractive for us. I%26#39;d totally recommend the area for someone who%26#39;s seen the major sights or who wants a less touristy experience.

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We just came back tonight from a week stay in Montmartre. We really liked our neighborhood, it was a quiet street away from the hustle and bustle but a close enough walk to feel the vibe. I think there are many areas of Montmartre, some not so nice and some really nice. I guess we just got lucky!

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I agree that parts of Montmartre can be very seedy, especially down by the Moulin Rouge. Someone called Montmartre %26quot;the Gatlinburg of Paris%26quot; in that, when you get to the top, the tourist shops are way over the top. It has a charm that you have to look for to find, especially when you realize how many artists once lived and painted here and there are some really great pockets here and there. It is a little isolated and I don%26#39;t think I would want to stay in a hotel there if I had to choose between Montmartre and say, St Germain. People often tell me it was there favorite place to visit and, of course, those who have seen the movie Amelie, are overjoyed.

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I%26#39;ve taken the funicular up to Montmatre -

the square, the artists and a bistro there.

There may well be seedy places but the

area at the top was enjoyable and well

worth making the trip.

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To me Montmartre, like the Marais, has a unique charm. Haussmann didn%26#39;t blow up either of those quarters when he completely redesigned the city so there%26#39;s more of the old Paris in the Architecture. It%26#39;s just a little crusty around the edges and I like that (no, I%26#39;m not talking about the s*x part on Blvd. de Clichy). It%26#39;s still got a real Parisian neighborhood feel to it when you walk around on a weekday morning, particularly the area from Metro Abbesses north and of course, east to the butte (excluding the east side of it). I think the park in front of Sacre Coeur is becomming a little challenging but it%26#39;s safe and worth visiting.. once.

The Amelie film has made it a lot more crowded and jacked up the property values somewhat but it%26#39;s still a nice place to go. Over-rated? I don%26#39;t think it is if you want to see a bit of what Paris used to be like.

Great confit de canard at the Bistro du Boucher just north of the Cimetiere de Montmartre on rue Eugene Carriere by the way...