Sacre Coeur Basilica

The Basilica de Sacré Coeur (which translates to the Sacréd Heart Basilica in English) is a white domed church situated on the highest point in Paris. This popular landmark is located at butte Montmartre, which is a hill that shares the same name as the district in which it's located. There are several reasons to include this spot in our recommended locations. Firstly, the Basilica itself is an impressive building, and inside has one of the largest mosaics of Christ in the world. Second, the atmosphere on the steps just before the entrance to the Basilica is wonderful. Usually there is someone playing music, people lounging around, and incongruously so for the entrance of a religious institution, lots of visitors enjoying beer and wine from the many vendors swarming the area with cases of food and drinks. It's a great chance to sit back and spend a relaxing evening enjoying the final reason why we recommend this spot-it's a great place to take in most of Paris. The elevation allows a fantastic view of many neighborhoods of the city.

I've heard of scam artists at the entrance, should I be worried?
There are several gentlemen at the base of the hill trying to scam you into allowing them to tie a "friendship bracelet" around your wrist, after which they will loudly pester you for money in exchange. However, you can just ignore them and walk past them, or say a polite "non, merci" and keep walking. Once you start up the stairs up the hill, they don't follow you, or you can avoid them entirely by taking the Montmartrobus (see below for more on this). You can read up more on this scam as well as other things to be generally careful about in our safety section under general tips.

How do I get to the Basilica?
Unlike most of the other famous tourist sites in Paris, the basilica does not have a metro stop almost in front of it. The building is located at the top of a hill, and you have several options to get to it.
First, you can take the metro to the Pigalle stop on lines 2 or 12. There's a lovely square where you get off the metro where you can sit back and enjoy a cup of coffee before you then head towards Sacré Coeur. After a short walk, you'll find yourself at the base of the hill. You can either choose to climb the steps up to the top, or alternatively you can choose to take the funicular railway up to the top. A funicular looks like a cable car riding on rails, you can't miss it on your right at the bottom of the hill. If you have a Pass Navigo like we recommended in the travel section this ride is free.
Alternatively, if you prefer to minimize your walking, you can get off at Jules Joffrin station on line 12, and then take the Montmartrobus, which is a bus that is specifically designated to take visitors up to Sacré Coeur. As mentioned above, this has the added advantage of not being exposed to the "friendship bracelet" pushers at the bottom of the hill. Also note that the Montmartrobus is also covered by the Navigo pass.

What is permitted inside the Basilica itself?
Photography is absolutely banned, even without a flash. The Blessed Sacrament inside has been in Perpetual Adoration (which is a practice in which the Sacrament is exposed and adored by the faithful) in this Basilica since 1885 and you can see as soon as you enter that this is a much more pious setting than Notre Dame. Visitors are expected to dress well and be quiet inside the Basilica

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