Sacré-Coeur Paris

History

The Sacré-Cœur was built as a response to the trauma of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71 and the violent suppression of the Paris Commune that followed it. Two Catholic laymen vowed to build a church dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus if France was spared further disaster, and the French National Assembly voted in 1873 to fund the project through public subscription, positioning it as an act of national penance as much as a place of worship.

Architect Paul Abadie won the design competition in 1874, drawing on the Romano-Byzantine style of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul and St Mark's Basilica in Venice, a deliberate break from the Gothic style more typical of French churches. Construction began in 1875 and ran for nearly four decades, slowed by the technical challenge of the unstable gypsum ground beneath Montmartre, which required builders to sink 83 pillars up to 40 meters deep before laying the foundations. Abadie died in 1884, a full 35 years before the basilica was finished, and several other architects saw the project through to completion.

The basilica was finally consecrated in 1919, after the end of the First World War. Its construction is faced in travertine stone quarried at Château-Landon, which reacts with rainwater to release calcite, a self-cleaning effect that keeps the building's white color from weathering the way most Parisian limestone does. Since its consecration, the basilica has hosted continuous, unbroken adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, day and night, for over a century.

Opening Hours & Wait Times

The basilica itself is open every day, year-round, from 6:00 AM to 10:30 PM. The dome keeps separate hours and is closed briefly around midday for a staff break, with no fixed published time for when that break happens.

Last admission to the dome is at 9:00 PM. Dome hours can shift for maintenance work or bad weather, so it's worth checking the basilica's own website the day before if the dome climb is the main reason for your visit.

The basilica is free to enter, which means it draws heavy foot traffic year-round, especially in good weather. Since there's now only a single entrance to the church, on the left side as you face it, waits build up mainly at the security bag check rather than for the basilica itself. The dome has no online booking, so its line moves at whatever pace the single on-site ticket window allows; arriving right at opening or in the last hour before closing tends to be quietest.

Tickets & Prices

The basilica is free for everyone. The dome is a separate paid climb of roughly 280 steps with no elevator, not recommended for visitors with mobility issues, young children, or anyone uncomfortable in confined stairwells.

The crypt is currently closed to visitors for security reasons, with no announced reopening date; it's no longer sold as a ticket, whether alone or combined with the dome. Dome tickets are sold only at the on-site ticket window, in the moat to the left of the security entrance, roughly 20 meters past the checkpoint. There's no online booking and no way to skip the line, though the window generally moves quickly outside of peak midday hours. There are no restrooms along the dome route.

Guided Tours

The basilica itself doesn't offer guided tours of its interior, in order to preserve the silence expected of an active place of worship; a downloadable audio guide and printed guidebook are available from the on-site shop instead. Guided tours in Montmartre focus on the surrounding artists' district rather than the basilica's interior, and several options exist depending on how much history and detail you want.

Getting There

The easiest way up is the metro to the base of the hill, followed by either the stairs or the funicular. If you're carrying a valid day pass for public transport, the funicular ride is included at no extra cost; otherwise, a single ticket can be bought on-site. Taking the funicular downhill on your way out is usually the better call, since the queue is typically much shorter heading down than heading up.

Address: 35 Rue du Chevalier de la Barre, 75018 Paris, France

Le Petit Train de Montmartre

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Le Petit Train de Montmartre — Route

A tourist train also covers Montmartre, running a panoramic loop through the neighborhood's most scenic streets without requiring the climb up or down the hill on foot. It's a straightforward option if you'd rather see the cathedral and the artists' quarter without the stair climb, or if you're traveling with anyone who'd struggle with it.

The train departs from Place Blanche, right by the Blanche metro station on line 2, or from Place du Tertre at the top of the hill, with departures roughly every 30 minutes depending on the season. In January, it runs weekends only, from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. A round-trip ticket costs from 12.00 € for adults and from 5.00 € for children aged 2 to 12; a family pass covering 2 adults and 2 children costs from 30.00 €.

Highlights of Sacré-Cœur

Good to Know

Around the stairs leading up to the basilica, you'll regularly encounter people offering friendship bracelets, fake petitions, or photos in exchange for money. Don't engage with them; the safest response is either to ignore them completely or to give a firm, clear "no" and keep walking.

The basilica is an active place of worship, and the dress code is enforced: shoulders need to be covered and shorts or skirts that are too short aren't appropriate. Photography inside the nave isn't permitted, so plan to take your interior photos discreetly or save them for outside the building.

Sunrise, roughly 6:30 to 8:00 AM, is the quietest window for the basilica interior and for photos on the steps before the crowds and the vendors arrive. Midday is consistently the busiest and least pleasant time to visit, both for crowds and for the vendors working the lower staircase.

Frequently Asked Questions