If you take the train from Paris’ main airport (Roissy Charles de Gaulle) into the city, the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur will be your first glimpse of Paris intra-muros. As the trains clatter in from the north, after passing the Stade de France sports stadium, the back of the Butte Montmartre looms into view. This historic hill, so known for its Belle Epoque dance halls and its place in the Impressionist art movement, is recognisable from afar by the dazzling white dome at its peak. The Basilica looks down over the entire city from this hilltop perch.
By contrast with the grey, gargoyle-laden Notre-Dame de Paris or its Medieval cousins like the Eglise Sainte-Eustache in the city centre, Sacré-Coeur looks like something out of the Byzantine Empire. It was built in the late 19th century for the region’s Roman Catholic population, in what was then the far north, still beyond the city bounds. Today, it’s mostly a tourist destination (beware of the pickpockets at the base of the Butte). But it is also still a place of worship, which is why I don’t have any photos to share from the beautiful interior.
When you visit, make sure the soak up the view from in front of the Basilica itself. For not only is Sacré-Coeur the first sight you’ll catch when entering Paris from the north. It’s also the best viewpoint from which to take in the rest of the city, laid out before you like a treasure map.
The Musées de Paris museum map of Paris
35 Rue du Chevalier de la Barre, 75018 Paris, France, métro: Anvers (line 2), Abbesses (line 12) or Château Rouge (line 4)
Free to visit
Opening hours: Every day from 6am to 10.30pm (last entry 10.15pm)
Wheelchair accessible (take the funiculaire de Montmartre to get up the hill)
Les Musées de Paris 