An introduction.
Researched by the Audiala editorial team from historical records, architectural archives, and local expertise.
AA square famous for easels and espresso once watched executions, revolutionary crowds, and one of France's first motorcars clawing up the hill. Place du Tertre, in Paris, France, is worth visiting because it still feels like Montmartre's old village nerve center, not just a backdrop for portraits. A few steps from Sacre-Coeur and Saint-Pierre-de-Montmartre, it gives you the rare Paris thrill of hearing souvenir chatter, clinking glasses, and eight centuries of argument on the same patch of stone.
Most visitors come for the painters. Fair enough. But the square makes more sense when you notice where you are: on the summit of the Butte, beside one of Paris's oldest churches, where the abbey lands of Montmartre slowly turned into a village center and then into a stage set for the world.
Records and later plans show that by the 17th century this was already functioning as Montmartre's public square, and by 1790 No. 3 held the first mairie of the independent commune. That changes the mood. You're not standing in an artists' fantasy but in the old administrative heart of a hill that once sat outside Paris proper.
And the square still has grit under the varnish. Look past the portrait stalls and restaurant awnings and you find a place where local memory keeps colliding with legend, from the disputed birth of the word "bistro" at La Mere Catherine to the plaque claiming Louis Renault drove a petrol car here on 24 December 1898, a machine arriving where donkeys once hauled cabbages uphill.
01 What to see.
The Artists' Square
Saint-Pierre and the Old Montmartre Core
Do the Montmartre Triangle
02 In pictures.
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Tickets & tours.
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Also on GetYourGuide
More tours for Place Du Tertre
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Arc de Triomphe Rooftop Tickets
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€16
Eiffel Tower Entry Ticket with Optional Summit Access
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€24
Eiffel Tower Summit or Second Floor Access
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Paris: Montmartre Highlights Walking Tour with a Local Guide
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Paris - "L'appartement 1B" Escape Game
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03 Visitor logistics.
The practical scaffolding for a good visit — kept short.
Getting There
From Abbesses on Metro line 12, walk uphill 8 to 10 minutes via rue Yvonne-Le-Tac and rue Norvins; the last stretch is steep and cobbled. From Anvers on line 2, take the Montmartre funicular up toward Sacre-Coeur, then walk about 4 to 5 minutes west; by car, expect slow access and limited parking because the Butte has seen more pedestrianization and fewer parking spaces since 2025.
Opening Hours
As of 2026, Place du Tertre itself is a public square and stays open all day and all night. The real timetable belongs to the artists, cafes, and nearby churches: portrait stands and terraces usually build from late morning into the evening, while Saint-Pierre-de-Montmartre and Sacre-Coeur keep their own hours and may limit access during services or bad weather.
Time Needed
Give the square 20 to 30 minutes if you only want the view, the painters, and that first hit of Montmartre theater. Stay 60 to 90 minutes for a coffee or portrait, and 2 to 3 hours if you fold in Saint-Pierre, Sacre-Coeur, and a slow walk down toward Abbesses.
Accessibility
The square sits on the summit of the Butte, and the ground is uneven old stone with tight gaps between easels and terrace chairs. The easiest low-climb approach is usually a taxi drop-off near rue du Mont-Cenis or the funicular from the south, but even then you should expect slopes, crowding, and a surface that can feel as bumpy as a dried riverbed.
Cost and Tickets
As of 2026, Place du Tertre has no entry fee. The spending starts when you sit down: portraits and caricatures are priced by each artist, restaurant bills rise fast on the square, and the funicular uses standard Paris public transport fares rather than a separate sightseeing ticket.
05 Tips for visitors.
Small things that change the day.
Church Etiquette
If you step into Saint-Pierre-de-Montmartre or Sacre-Coeur after the square, dress with a little restraint: shoulders, torso, and thighs covered works best, and men should remove hats indoors. Keep your voice low; the mood changes fast once you leave the clatter of plates and sketchpads.
Photo Rules
Casual photography on the square is generally fine, but tripods, organized shoots, and any drone use move into permit territory with the City of Paris; drones need an AGATE application. Also ask before photographing an artist's work up close, unless you enjoy starting a tiny diplomatic incident before lunch.
Scam Watch
The busiest approaches near Sacre-Coeur and the stairs below Montmartre draw pickpockets and bracelet-scam operators. Keep your phone and wallet in zipped front compartments, and do not stop for petitions, friendship bracelets, or anyone trying to grab your wrist.
Eat Selectively
For a quick, lighter stop, Carette at 7 Place du Tertre works well for pastries and coffee; for a fuller mid-range meal, Le Relais Gascon is a better bet off the main square. La Mere Catherine at 6 Place du Tertre has the history and the old-bistro aura, but check the menu before you sit because the romance arrives with Paris prices.
Beat The Crowds
Come before 10:30 a.m. if you want to hear chair legs on stone instead of a wall of restaurant chatter and selfie instructions. Late afternoon can also be good in cooler months, when the light turns the facades honey-colored and the square feels less like a queue with easels.
Pair It Well
Do the square with Saint-Pierre and Sacre-Coeur in one sweep, then leave quickly through the side streets toward Abbesses if you want Montmartre to feel like a neighborhood again. Place du Tertre is the stage set; two streets away, the set starts to crack, which is where the place gets more interesting.
Where to Eat
Don't Leave Without Trying
Dining Tips
- check Try Le Grenier à Pain for the best baguette in Montmartre.
- check For a classic French bistro experience, order the onion soup or duck confit.
- check Avoid restaurants with menus only in English—locals eat where the signs are in French.
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04 A history of reinvention.
From Abbey Ground to Painted Myth
Place du Tertre began as something harder and stranger than the postcard version. Documented history ties the square to the abbey of Montmartre, founded in 1133, and to Saint-Pierre-de-Montmartre, whose main fabric dates to the 12th century; together they made this summit a religious enclosure long before it became a painters' theatre.
By the 17th century, secondary sources agree, abbey land here had been opened into a public square, and by 1686 the abbey itself had shifted downhill toward the Abbesses quarter. The artists came much later. Before that, this was a village center, a political address, and on 18 March 1871 one of the ignition points of the Paris Commune.
The Morning Command Broke
On 18 March 1871, before sunrise had properly reached the Butte, General Claude Lecomte arrived with troops to recover 171 cannons from Montmartre. That number matters because it was absurdly visible: a line of artillery spread across the hill like iron fence posts laid on their sides. For Lecomte, the stake was personal as well as political. If he restored control, he served the government in Versailles; if he failed, his authority dissolved in public.
Documented accounts describe the turning point with brutal simplicity: the crowd thickened, women and National Guards pressed in, and Lecomte's soldiers refused the order to fire. Everything changed in that refusal. A routine military operation became a revolutionary break, and the hill that had once answered to abbesses and mayors now helped set Paris on the road to the Commune.
Standing in Place du Tertre today, you hear cutlery and sketch pencils. That morning, people heard shouted commands, boots on slope-worn stone, and then something rarer than gunfire: obedience failing all at once.
The Village Before Paris
Artists, Rules, and a Good Deal of Theater
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06 Frequently asked.
The questions travellers send us most about Place Du Tertre.
Is Place du Tertre worth visiting?
Yes, if you want Montmartre's theater rather than a quiet square. Place du Tertre works best when you treat it as the old village heart of the hill: portrait artists working in public, cafe trays rattling over the paving, and Saint-Pierre-de-Montmartre a few steps away reminding you this was a religious and civic center long before it became postcard Paris.
How long do you need at Place du Tertre?
Plan on 30 to 60 minutes for the square itself. Stay longer if you want a portrait, a drink on the edge of the square, or a short detour to Saint-Pierre, the Musee de Montmartre, or the lanes around Rue Norvins and Rue des Saules where the crowd thins and old Montmartre starts to show through.
How do I get to Place du Tertre from Paris?
The easiest way is to take the Metro to Abbesses or Anvers, then walk uphill into Montmartre. Abbesses gives you the shorter climb through neighborhood streets; Anvers gives you the classic ascent toward Sacre-Coeur, with more crowds and more opportunists working the stairs.
What is the best time to visit Place du Tertre?
Early morning is best if you want the square before it turns into a shoulder-to-shoulder performance. Late afternoon also works well: the light warms the facades, artists are still out, and the place feels less like a funnel than it does around midday.
Can you visit Place du Tertre for free?
Yes, the square itself is free and always open. You only pay if you sit at a terrace, commission a sketch, or add nearby sights such as the Musee de Montmartre; the real cost here is patience, because the busiest hours can feel packed.
What should I not miss at Place du Tertre?
Don't miss the contrast between the square's artist spectacle and the older layers hiding in plain sight. Look for Saint-Pierre-de-Montmartre beside the square, No. 3 where Montmartre's first mairie stood during the Revolution, and the Renault plaque recalling the 24 December 1898 climb by automobile; it changes the place from a caricature market into a site with a long memory.
Verified, and shown.
Researched and written by the Audiala editorial team from historical records, architectural archives, and local expertise.
Official heritage notice used for the 1133 abbey foundation context and historic setting around Place du Tertre.
Museum collection entry used for Saint-Pierre and abbey context near the square.
Official heritage notice confirming the church's 12th-century construction phase.
Transit heritage page used for Saint-Pierre chronology and Montmartre background.
Tourism page used for the reported 1147 consecration date and visitor context.
Secondary history source used for the square's early chronology, 1635 opening, and old map references.
Secondary history source used for repeated local anecdotes such as 1336 naming and 1775 hanging claims.
Used for overall chronology, local history, mairie reference, controversies, and civic context.
Secondary local history source used for map-date support and place background.
Tourism source used for the square overview, mairie claim, and La Mere Catherine context.
Duplicate museum citation in the research packet; used for church and abbey context.
Secondary summary used for timeline synthesis, Commune framing, and broad site history.
Used for Felix Desportes and the first mairie at No. 3 Place du Tertre.
Used for Montmartre's municipal birth in 1790 and early civic administration on the square.
Used for the restaurant's revolutionary-era history and the disputed bistro etymology legend.
Used for historical anecdotes, La Mere Catherine lore, and late 19th-century context.
Official archive source used for the 1860 annexation of Montmartre into Paris.
Used for annexation-era legal context around Montmartre and Paris.
Used for the dramatic 18 March 1871 cannon episode and Commune ignition point on Montmartre.
Alternate citation to the same Paris1900 historical page in the research packet.
Used as evidence for the Renault commemorative plaque on the square.
Used as supporting visual evidence for the 24 December 1898 Renault plaque claim.
Official legal source used for the artist-square regulatory framework and one-square-meter pitches.
Secondary legal summary used to explain the 1998 decision on artist permits.
Research packet citation used for the debated bistro etymology discussion.
Used for archaeological uncertainty around the earlier abbey footprint under later urban fabric.
Supporting repository citation for archaeology around Montmartre's earlier layers.
Used for general square description, nearby sights, and artist-square overview.
Used for atmosphere, artist activity, timing, sensory details, and practical visiting advice.
English tourism page used for square overview and visitor framing.
Used for the square's artist activity, cafe perimeter, and day-to-night atmosphere.
Used for nearby cultural context and quiet alternative to the crowded square.
Used for restaurant identity and long association with the square.
Used for side-street detours, Rue Durantin details, and lesser-known Montmartre corners.
Used for visual character, village-scale facades, and commentary on mass tourism.
Used for nearby photogenic facade and neighborhood context.
Used as evidence that guided walks around the square are actively marketed.
Used for guided-visit context around the site.
Used for crowd-level visitor impressions, atmosphere, and tourist feedback.
Official city source used for the current artist-permit system, vacant spaces, and annual fee.
Used for recent resident criticism of tourism pressure and the square's staged feel.
Used for French reporting on overtourism, resident fatigue, and local identity tensions.
Used for local opposition language around authenticity and tourism pressure.
Used for resident-style commentary on the square's changing character.
Used for local criticism of crowding, commercial pressure, and public-space conflicts.
Used for guidebook framing, local perceptions, and practical visitor context.
Used for recent cultural programming in the wider Montmartre area.
Used for current event programming and guided cultural experiences nearby.
Used for practical visit context tied to the church next to the square.
Used for mainstream guidebook framing of the square and its tourist image.
Used for safety advice about pickpockets and distraction scams in crowded tourist areas.
Used for restaurant history and local cultural importance.
Used for pricing and dining-category context on the square.
Used for quick-stop food and pastry context on the square.
Used for local coverage of the city's artist-place recruitment and ongoing debates.
Used for redevelopment pressure and public-space changes affecting the square.
Used for official district-level improvement works and accessibility updates.
Used for wider neighborhood pedestrianization and crowd-management context.
Used for dress and behavior guidance when visiting the nearby church.
Used for behavior, filming, and practical etiquette at the nearby basilica.
Used for filming and photography rules in Paris public space.
Used for permit and drone rules for professional shoots in Paris.
Used for current scam warnings around Montmartre approaches.
Used for nearby dining price references in the local-food section.
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