Montmartre Museums Guide: From Dalí to Sacré-Cœur

Montmartre is the bohemian hill of Paris and home to several mid sized museums that most international tourists skip. The Espace Dalí, the Musee de Montmartre and the Musee de la Vie Romantique each tell a chapter of the artistic 19th and 20th century of Paris.

Bonus: the Marmottan Monet, technically in the 16th arrondissement, is one metro stop away and works perfectly as a Montmartre day finale. This guide builds a 4 stop Montmartre museum day.

Espace Dali: surrealism on the hill

On rue Poulbot just below the Place du Tertre, the Espace Dalí is a permanent show of 300 sculptures, etchings and watercolors by Salvador Dalí. The melting clocks and the elephant on stilts are the signature pieces.

Open every day 10:00 to 18:00. Tickets 14 EUR. Best visited early to avoid the Place du Tertre street painters crowd.

Musee de Montmartre: garden, view and Renoir studio

On rue Cortot, the oldest house in Montmartre hosts the Musee de Montmartre. Renoir, Suzanne Valadon and Utrillo all worked here. The garden behind looks out on the only remaining Montmartre vineyard.

The view from the garden over north Paris is one of the most unique in the city. Open every day 10:00 to 18:00. Tickets 15 EUR including studio. Combined with the Espace Dalí ticket 25 EUR.

Musee de la Vie Romantique: free salon house

At the bottom of the south slope of Montmartre, on rue Chaptal, the Musee de la Vie Romantique sits in the former house of painter Ary Scheffer. Free permanent collection. Chopin, Liszt, George Sand and Delacroix all visited.

The salon, the garden and the small tea room recreate the salons of the romantic era. Open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 18:00. Closed Monday.

Sacre Coeur and the view

Not a museum but unmissable. The Sacre Coeur Basilica at the top of the hill is free to enter. The dome climb costs 8 EUR and gives the second highest viewpoint in Paris after the Eiffel Tower.

Combine with the Espace Dalí and the Musee de Montmartre in a 2 hour loop. The funicular saves the steepest climb if you arrive from the south.

Day finale: Marmottan Monet

Take metro line 6 then RER C to La Muette and walk 10 minutes to the Marmottan Monet. The world's largest Monet collection including Impression Sunrise, the painting that gave its name to Impressionism.

Open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 18:00. Tickets 14 EUR. Less crowded than the Orsay. A perfect finish for a Montmartre artistic day.

A Montmartre museum day pairs the bohemian myth with actual mid sized collections that 80 percent of Paris visitors miss. Walk the hill, look out at the rooftops, then descend to the Marmottan for the Monet finale. You leave with a different Paris than the one in the Louvre selfie reel.