I had a lot of “must see” items on my list when visiting Paris, Arch De Triumph, The Louvre, and, of course, the Eiffel Tower, but all paled in comparison to one; Sacré-Cœur. Now when you look Sacré-Cœur up online you will see some fantastic photos of a beautiful Roman Catholic Church one that is great to see in person, but not really the main reason to visit Sacré-Cœur.
I have to admit I didn’t even go inside Sacré-Cœur. Instead, I climb what felt like hundreds of stairs and a workout good enough for the whole week, to see the view from the top as I stood in front of the church. Montmartre is the tallest hill in Paris and is where the Sacré-Cœur sits. From here you can see out to all of Paris, and it is quite a sight to see. You can even get some spectacular views of the Eiffel Tower.
As for the tourist trap part, it was definitely a big part of the scene down below the stairs to the Sacré-Cœur. Once up top we weren’t hassled at all, but Montmartre has become the prime area for tourist gift shops, scams and even being charged to use a restroom. I promise the view is worth dealing with all of that and more. It’s quite spectacular and definitely should be on the top of your list.
(pick a sunny day and your photos will be fantastic! I unfortunately only had cloudy days while visiting)
Here is my tip to avoid some of the scammers at Sacré-Cœur: If you don’t mind skipping going up the stairs right in front of the Sacré-Cœur, trust me they aren’t the best stairs anyway. I would recommend heading over to the far left of the church and taking the stairs to the left of the tram. Yes, there is a tram (or as it’s called in Paris, The Funicular) that can take you up to the top, but unless you don’t need any more exercise or have a hard time climbing stairs I would skip it and save your money (yes it costs).
Be sure to take your camera with you as these will be some of your best photos of Paris!
