High quality plaster was extracted from the quarries, which was used for large-scale construction projects as well as for the design of works of art. The 11 hectares of the Montmartre cemetery are located on this huge site.

The neighbourhood is rather quiet and residential, with mixed architecture. There are buildings from the 1920s known as HBM, recognisable by their different shades of brick, as well as very beautiful and imposing Haussmannian buildings and artists’ lofts. For the more privileged, a few confidential cul-de-sacs, such as the cité Pilleux, hide charming little houses.

At number 189 rue Ordener, the monumental “Montmartre aux artistes” housing estate is worth a visit. Designed in the 1930s by the architects Adolphe Thiers and Henry Résal, it is made up of 177 studios and still hosts artists and exhibitions.

The district benefits from the very commercial rue Damrémont, very lively on weekends with families coming to do their weekly shopping. At number 43 of this street, a small treasure well known to the inhabitants of the district. In the corridor formerly serving the Bains Damrémont, the architect of the time had placed earthenware paintings presenting children’s games on the Montmartre hill. Dating from 1910, they are now listed as historical monuments.

Crossed by many stairs leading up to the Butte, this district also includes the very chic avenue Junot where artists come to take refuge in magnificent townhouses or loft-style apartments. Nearby, we will of course also note the Villa Leandre, a charming little cul-de-sac lined with charming little houses in this Haussmann landscape.

In the 19th century, industries replaced the countryside, bringing with them a working population wishing to be closer to the city. Today, the vestiges of this time are still visible like the many preserved red brick walls. Popular and lively, the district is ideal for spending an evening at the Jonquière theater, contemplating the architecture
neo-Romanesque church of Saint-Joseph-des-Épinettes, or take a walk in the City of Flowers.

The inhabitants benefit daily from the ubiquitous vegetation, thanks to the many green spaces including the Square des Épinettes or recently the Martin Luther King Park, while being connected to the city thanks to lines 2 and 13 of the metro, the RER C or the tramway.

This district includes one of the most sumptuous decorations of the Capital. The Luxembourg garden, designed by Marie de Médicis, covers 23 hectares and offers its visitors an exceptional setting. The panorama on the Luxembourg Palace, seat of the French Senate, brings its edifying side to the landscape.

If the first houses date back to Roman times, today it is one of the most affluent districts, but also a center of knowledge and science for researchers and students. Remarkable buildings such as the Institute of Art and Archaeology, the Panthéon-Assas University or the Faculty of Pharmacy of Paris make this district a dynamic center for the left bank.

The Luxembourg district is located on the RER B line at the Luxembourg station, there are also metro stops on line 4.

Located near Les Halles, the Montorgueil district can be reached via the Passage du Grand Cerf. At the time, it was at the heart of a working-class district with many factories and workshops. Even today, there are many second-hand furniture and craftsmen’s shops.

At 51 rue Montorgueil, in a sumptuous setting designed by Paul Baudry (decorator of the Opéra Garnier), is the Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Stohrer. Founded in 1730, it is the oldest pastry shop in Paris. At 78, the listed building Au Rocher de Cancale opened in 1848 when the street was just a succession of caterers specialising in the sale of oysters.

The heterogeneous population of this district changes according to the time of day: sometimes visited by tourists during the day who find the Paris of the postcards, by bankers and start uppers of the area who come to eat there at midday and by a clientele of young active people at the beginning of the evening who come to benefit from the many trendy bars.