This tour provides insight into the past and present of the iconic neighborhood from a certified high school history teacher. The hillock of Montmartre is no doubt the part of Paris most full of contrasts : from the most holy (monks tending their vineyards and nuns praying for Paris) to the most profane (dissolute artists and their models seeking solace in cheap wine and cabaret nightlife), the medieval village grew to become the birthplace of both the Jesuit Order and the modern Counterculture.

One must see the workshops and cafés where Renoir, Vang Gogh and Picasso championed new art forms and embraced the Bohemian lifestyle. From romantic village courtyards to steep stone steps leading to panoramic terraces, we’ll venture through those places where American GIs and expat African Americans introduced jazz in the 1920s. Still the haven of free-thinkers who attempt to remake the world yet again, we’ll stroll along cobblestone streets where love, art, and dreams thrive on the edge.