Address Place St. Pierre, Butte Montmartre, 75018 Metro: Anvers or Abbesses Take the funiculaire or the steps up to the basilica Admission: Free for church, dome and crypt are 5 € Open: daily from 6 a.m.–11 p.m. Dome and crypt from 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Sacre Coeur is the “wedding cake church” that sits atop the butte Montmartre was built after the Franco-Prussian war in 1870 in hopes of freeing France from more suffering. The church was begun in 1876 and finished in 1919. The exterior has been made famous in paintings and film, and the interior is equally as impressive, covered in mosaics. In 1944 the stained glass was destroyed by the battle for Paris at the end of WWII, but has been well replaced.

Some believe that the crypt contains Christ’s heart, thus the name “Sacred Heart”.

The view from the steps leading to the entrance of the Sacré Coeur is very impressive, and you can see why so many artists were inspired by living in Montmartre. Go around the back of Sacré Coeur and follow the crowds to the Place du Tertre, but don’t buy anything…the art is high price and generally low quality, and so are the restaurants. Instead, take some of the side streets that lead out of the Place du Tertre for a real feel for Montmartre.

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