One of my favorite foreign films is “Amelie”. For those of you who have never seen the movie, “Amelie” came out in 2001 and was directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. The story follows a sweet, imaginative do-gooder named Amelie Poulain and her adventures throughout her life. It received five Oscar nominations at the time, including Best Foreign Film and Best Cinematography. I definitely can attest that the cinematography was gorgeous. If nothing else, this movie is worth watching as a beautiful work of art.
What does this seemingly little movie have to do with Paris? Funny you should ask. A lot of the filming locations took place in the Parisian neighborhood of Montmartre. Jeunet captured the creativity and the beauty of this neighborhood so well that I’ve been captivated by it and wanted to visit ever since I first saw the movie. So during a recent trip to Paris with a friend, we had to do a self-guided walking tour through Montmartre.
Sacré-Cœur and Carrousel de Saint-Pierre
Our first stop was Sacré-Cœur, the basilica on top of a hill, and the famous carousel, Carrousel de Saint-Pierre. To get there by the metro, take it to the Anvers stop. Walk up Rue de Steinkerque two blocks until you see Square Louise Michel.
On the way up to Sacré-Cœur, we passed Carrousel de Saint-Pierre. This area was featured in the movie when Amélie takes a mysterious man on a treasure hunt for a photo album that he lost. We took the stairs, but if you have mobility issues or just prefer something a little less strenuous, I recommend taking the funicular up. The cost is the same as a single-ride metro ticket, which as of this writing, is currently €2,10.
When we reached the basilica, we made sure to turn around and take in the beautiful views of Paris. It was a little dreary that day in January, but the view was still no less remarkable.
We walked alongside the front of the basilica west towards the funicular entrance. We didn't take it down. We ended up walking down the road perpendicular to it, called Rue Foyatier. It has a beautiful stairway down to the bottom. On our way down, we caught one funicular going down one set of tracks and another going up on the other set of tracks and they passed each other as we reached one of the landings.
Au Marché de la Butte
From there, we walked to our next stop. From Rue Foyatier, turn right and walk 1/4 mi (400 m) to 1/3 mi (500 m) northwest to Au Marché de la Butte.
This is the grocer in the neighborhood who Amélie visits often. The owner, Monsieur Collignon, is an unkind man who is cruel to his son. Amélie witnesses this behavior too many times and decides to hatch a plan to torture the grocer to make his son feel a little better and empower him to stand up for himself. The grocer and his son's last name, Collignon, appears on the façade of the building.
Cafe des Deux Moulins
Then we walked toward the cafe from the movie, walk 1/3 mi (500 m) southwest to Rue Lepic, one of the most famous and liveliest neighborhoods in Montmartre.
We finally reach the famous cafe where Amélie works. In the movie, the cafe features some sweet, quirky, and sometimes odd characters who work here and eat here. They are frequently mentioned in her story. She tries to help one lonely woman who works behind the cigarette counter find love with a frequent visitor to the cafe.
Appetizer
For the appetizer, I opted for the soup à l'oignon (French onion soup). It was delicious. I always love a good french onion soup, so of course, I had to try it. To drink, I ordered the hot chocolate because I was trying others in Paris, so I might as well try theirs as well.
For more information on my hot chocolate review of Paris, visit the reel here.
Main Course
For the main course, we both chose the quiche de poulet, (chicken quiche) with a small side salad. It was delicious but very filling!
Dessert
This lovely dessert was mousse de chocolat (chocolate mousse). Unfortunately, by the time I got to dessert, I was getting full, so I was only able to take a quick taste. Verdict: So good! Definitely worth it. Next time, I think I might only order either the soup à l'oignon (French onion soup) or the quiche au poulet and get the mousse de chocolat.
When we left, we walked around a little and stopped at Coco Bello to taste macarons. This was not part of the movie walking tour, but it was a fun and interesting stop. It was a couple doors down from Cafe des Deux Moulins. I love pistachio-flavored macarons in general, but when I tried another green macaron, I was instantly hooked! The flavor was mojito and it tasted a little boozy and was delicious. I definitely picked up a small takeaway box of macarons, including the mojito flavor.
Overall, I really enjoyed walking around Montmartre. I love the bohemian-type energy of the neighborhood. It really speaks to my artistic, nomadic heart. If I ever lived in Paris and I had to choose a neighborhood where I would like, I'd choose Montmartre in a heartbeat. I hope you enjoyed my short walking tour of Montmartre. I will be back soon with more tales of my travels!
Locations Featured in this Post
Sacré-Cœur, a/k/a Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre, 35 Rue du Chevalier de la Barre, 75018 Paris, France, https://www.sacre-coeur-montmartre.com/.
Carousel, a/k/a Carrousel de Saint-Pierre, Pl. Saint-Pierre, 75018 Paris, France.
Au Marché de la Butte, 56 Rue des Trois Frères, 75018 Paris, France.
Café des Deux Moulins, a/k/a "Two Windmills Cafe", 15 Rue Lepic, 75018 Paris, France, https://cafedesdeuxmoulins.fr/fr.
Coco Bello, 17 Rue Lepic, 75018 Paris, France. (Not officially part of my Amélie movie walking tour, but it's a cute place to stop afterwards for macarons)
For more photos from Montmartre, check out the reel on my travel advisor page here.
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