The 18th Arrondissement by Lady_Mystique
The 18th is a popular tourist destination full of contrasts. It's noted for the Neo-Byzantine Basilique du Sacre-Coeur sitting high on the "Butte" Monmartre overlooking the Paris landscape and village Monmarte to its west. The animated Place du Tertre is a virtual tourist trap unless you arrive early in the morning. Village Monmartre has winding cobblestone strets, vestiges of former windmills, and delightful green spaces. Here you'll find former haunts of the artists and writers who lived in the area at the turn of the century; the oldest and still operating cabaret; Au Lapin Agile, a functioning vineyard and several small museums.Quartiers in the 18th include the Butte, Abbesses with its Art-Nouveau Metro entrance, the rather sleazy Pigalle, Barbes, La Chapelle, and La Goutte d'Or, a vibrant haven of primarily African and Arab immigrants.
Paris' largest flea market is at the northern edge of the 18th at the Porte de Clignancourt
