Why not spend a day discovering Paris’s 18th arrondissement in a different way? with unusual corners and unique experiences. Discover our itinerary and all our addresses in this surprising district.
It’s true that we tend to describe the 18th arrondissement of Paris by talking only about Montmartre and its hilltop. But when I was offered the chance to discover this district in an unusual way, I was immediately curious, as I live in the neighboring 17th arrondissement, and to tell the truth, I don’t know Paris that well.
Did you know that 200,000 people live in the 18th arrondissement of Paris? and over 100 nationalities are represented in Paris’ second most populous arrondissement. So it’s a cosmopolitan neighborhood with a mix of influences that awaits you
I also invite you to read all our articles on Paris to discover the capital in a different way:
- Balade en bateau sans permis sur le Canal de l’Ourcq
- Flâner dans les ruelles insolites de la rive gauche
- 5 adresses parisiennes pour profiter de Paris l’été
- Les rues insolites de la rive droite
BUY HERE THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO PARIS AND ITS BEST ADDRESSES
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| MEET AT PARIS’ HIGHEST POINT
Our meeting point is at 7.30am at the top of the Sacré Coeur steps, to get some height and start the day. Take the time to enter this monument and listen to the silence. You’ll soon realize that there aren’t many Parisians or tourists around at this time of day. So it’s a feast for the eyes and ears to see Paris waking up to a sunrise. I have to admit that I really enjoyed looking at the lights and having fun in front of this facade at the bottom of the steps of the hill, so well known on instagram. I’m even discovering it for the first time! So that’s the secret: all you have to do is tilt your cell phone with the lawn, and you’ll get the impression that the building is leaning!
After this early wake-up call, it’s time for breakfast, heading for our first address, the Pain Pain at 88 rue des martyrs, not far from the Abesses metro station. It’s in a decor that’s both old-fashioned and trendy, with its duck-blue and gold frontage, that we settle down for a good coffee and pastries. Pastry baker Sébastien Mauvieux is said to have been one of the official bakers at the Elysée Palace, and his bakery was awarded the prize for the best baguette in Paris. As for the bread, I don’t know, but as for the chouquettes, also reputed to be the best in Paris, I can confirm that they are soft and rather good.
The tour continues near the Abesses metro station and Square Jehan Rictus with the famous Wall of I love you. I discovered it during our Valentine’s Day photo shoot, but it’s always a pleasure to go back and take a photo in front of it. It’s quite a touristy and popular wall, so make sure you get there early to have a few minutes to yourself.
Le Mur des je t’aime is a 40 m² mural featuring 612 glazed lava tiles reproducing 311 “I love you’s” in 250 languages. I love you’s” in all common languages, but also in rare or forgotten dialects such as Navajo, Inuit, Bambara or Esperanto.
| STREET ART AND GRAFFITI IN MONTMARTRE
I was far from imagining what was in store for me on this day, and the first surprise is that for a moment you can be introduced to graffiti in Montmartre. The route starts at the Passage des Abesses, then on to the grocery store Le Marché de la Butte, famous from the film Amélie Poulain, and ends at Place du Calvaire. This small square in the heart of Montmartre is very pleasant.
It’s quite a novel experience, one I’ve already had in the United States but not yet in France. Laurent, co-founder of the agencyFresh Street Art Tour Paris who welcomes us with his fellow artists, for a session of urban graffiti on cellophane paper. Ready, set, graffiti!
It’s a fun, creative and original activity, perfect for a birthday party or a stag or hen party. This workshop is a great way to unleash your creativity and get started. We continue our visit with Laurent and his guided tour of the neighborhood, discovering street art. And here too, a second surprise, there are so many facades rich in anecdotes and so many artists who have left their mark, such as the famous Gregos whom I didn’t know before, renowned for his faces pasted on walls. Gregos is a street artist who lives in Montmartre andcreates an identical replica of his face with different expressions, which he paints and pastes across Paris. Each face would be a self-portrait, allowing him to express in the street his moods, his anger, his joys, his likes and dislikes. I highly recommend this guided tour, as it allows you to learn more about Graffiti culture and the history of Street Art in Paris.
I’d already seen a few painted facades while strolling around the neighborhood, but I had no idea that Montmartre hid so much street art. It’s not comparable to the ones I did at New York or Miamibut it has its Parisian cachet.
- Breakfast at the Bread Bread
- Small mention for the restaurant Chez Prout (I love the name), located at 14 rue Muller, beautifully decorated with waxed cushions and renowned for its brunch.
- Don’t forget to take a break at the restaurant Chez Plumeau, place du Calvaire
- Street Art guided tour: approx. 2h/ €12.50/p and €10.50/children under 12.
- Graffiti workshop: from €30/p for 2h
| A HEALTHY LUNCH IN A UNIQUE SETTING
After all that effort, it’s time to move on to comfort. Direction the plant slaughterhouse at 61 rue Ramey for a healthy lunch where the boss works with seasonal products, using traditional methods and on a human scale. This unique venue, tastefully decorated in light tones and hanging plants, offers an organic, gluten-free and additive-free vegan menu. Established in a former butcher’s shop (hence the name), it’s halfway between coffee shop, juice bar and healthy bistro.. I’d already had lunch there on the terrace, but I hadn’t yet heard of their cooking workshop, their new concept due to open very soon. Located just a stone’s throw from the main restaurant, you can try your hand at gourmet recipes. We made savory and sweet pancakes with surprising sauces that are easy to recreate at home.
| 18TH DISTRICT SOLIDARITY FRIDGES
I’d never heard of it before, but what a great idea! It was Dounia Metboul, a young restaurateur and owner with her mother of La cantine du 18ème, (a stone’s throw from the abattoir végétal) who opened the first frigo solidaireand France. It was inspired by the Berlin model, which consists of setting up a self-service fridge on a shopkeeper’s premises, where anyone can drop off or pick up food, free of charge and whenever they want. She has already set up several fridges of this type in Paris, and plans to open more in the provinces. It’s an innovative concept that totally appealed to me, as it helps combat food waste and promotes solidarity.
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| EXPLOREZ LE QUARTIER DE LA GOUTTE D’OR
As the day progresses, I finally discover the district of the 18th arrondissement, with the goutte d’or area to the east of the butte de Montmartre. I didn’t even know the name until this visit. Roughly speaking, it extends to the south with boulevard de la Chapelle, to the north with Saint Denis, to the west with rue des Poissonniers and to the east with rue de la Chapelle and rue Marx Dormoy. This popular, cosmopolitan district is full of surprises…
Discover the famous rue de Chartres, with the Sacré-Coeur in the background
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The name of the neighborhood la goutte d’or comes from the name of a small hamlet that took its name from an inn under the sign of La Goutte d’or (from the color of the white wine its vines produced).
From the station Château rouge, you take rue Dejean to already feel somewhere else! The stalls along the pedestrian street immerse you in this surprising district. Go up Rue des Poissonniers and take Rue Myrha and you’ll come across the charming bookshop The regular which also serves as a coffeshop. Open from Tuesday to Sunday, it will appeal to fans of craft workshops, and may be a quiet place to read your emails.
Just across the street, your eye will be drawn to the front of this colorful store inspired by African culture. Welcome to Château Rouge House, a hipster concept store offering clothes (skirts, dresses, pants, shirts…) and home decor in traditional wax fabric. This young pop lifestyle brand, created by 3 brothers, offers ethnic clothing with a contemporary spirit. Since its creation, the Maison Château rouge label has gone from strength to strength, imposing its style on the Paris fashion scene.
Just opposite the boutique, you’ll find another brand of African footwear, Sawa Shoes. These shoes are 100% made in Africa, from Niger to Cameroon and Ethiopia. You can buy these sustainable and ethical shoes on site or on their website.
It’s time to take a short break nearby on foot. But before that, our eyes and ears stop at a little street where an Afrorap clip is being filmed that makes you want to get your groove on. The area attracts singers from all walks of life, and it’s all to our delight!
| DRINKING MINT TEA AT THE CENTER OF ISLAMIC CULTURES
Meet at 56 rue Stephenson and 19 rue Léon (Château Rouge metro station). Immerse yourself in the heart of the Goutte d’Or to discover this Parisian establishment dedicated to the creation and dissemination of contemporary cultures linked to the Muslim world. Thiscultural venueis a must, if only to see the huge blue wall painted in oriental street art colors, but also to enjoy a delicious mint tea and pastries. If you’re really hungry, I hear the place is famous for its couscous at just €8. Special mention should be made of the old Enrico Macias posters on the wall, which immerse you in a very special atmosphere. You can also take advantage of the art exhibitions at the entrance (we were treated to one dedicated to Beirut and its inhabitants), and you can take Arabic, calligraphy or Arab-Andalusian singing lessons here – yes, yes!
| STOP AT AN ASSOCIATIVE MUSEUM: l’ÉCHOMUSÉE DE LA GOUTTE D’OR
Not far from Square Léon and Rue Cavé you’ll find a associative art gallery 70m2, hard to miss because of its bright yellow facade. It operates on a self-organized basis, run by a team of volunteers committed to their neighborhood and to young artists. The venue offers artists’ workshops, exhibitions, music shows… Every Friday evening, an aperitif is organized on site, apparently a small institution.
| ENJOY A 100% PARISIAN CRAFT BEER
A 100% Parisian beer? and yes, you read that right! I didn’t know that since 2012, the 18th arrondissement has been making its own beer named after the Goutte d’Or. Right in the heart of the district, you can enter this small brasserie run by Thierry Roche (28 rue de la Goutte d’Or). Here, every beer made and sold bears a name that refers to the neighborhood. The beer is very good and suits different palates with citrus beers, IPAs, lighter beers… The friendly atmosphere makes you want to stop in more often, if only to chat at the counter or play the old video games, as Thierry has thought of everything for young and old alike. The brasserie is open to the public from Thursday to Saturday evenings.
| LET OFF STEAM WITH AN AXE
Now that’s unusual and crazy! This concept, imported from Canada, is all the rage. If someone had ever told me I was going to throw axes at a target, I wouldn’t have believed it! Welcome to the Cognées at 5 rue Stephenson for a sporty, fun and original experience.
Why throw axes, you might ask? simply to release stress, anger or just have fun with friends. The principle is simple: send spinning axes towards wooden targets. Sessions last 1 hour and are very well supervised. Good humor and fatigue guaranteed!
| A DRINK ON A ROOFTOP
The day ends in style over a drink, heading for the “Terras hotel ” above the Montmartre cemetery to admire the panoramic view. No need to stay at the hotel to enjoy the panoramic restaurant and heated rooftop on the 7th floor. It’s always a treat to watch the sun set over the rooftops of Paris and the Eiffel Tower sparkle.
I hope you enjoyed your visit to the 18th arrondissement? You can discover more than 160 addresses in Paris Essentiel guidepublished by Éditions nomades, written by Lucas, a local resident and lover of the area. This handy pocket guide is perfect for a romantic weekend in the capital. And what is your favorite neighborhood when you come to Paris?
Je vous invite également à lire tous nos articles sur Paris pour découvrir la capitale autrement:
- Balade en bateau sans permis sur le Canal de l’Ourcq
- Flâner dans les ruelles insolites de la rive gauche
- 5 adresses parisiennes pour profiter de Paris l’été
- Les rues insolites de la rive droite
N’oubliez pas d’épingler l’article sur Pinterest pour le retrouver plus facilement 🖤
