This week’s street is a gem: Rue des Martyrs.
The street begins in the 9th Arrondissement, beginning at the Eglise Notre Dame de Lorette and close to the Opéra Garnier, Galeries Lafayettes and Printemps shopping area – on the other end, finishing in the 18th arrondissement, steps from Pigalle, Sacré Cœur and Montmartre.
Why it truly makes my list is because Rue des Martyrs retains a lot of Parisian charm and character and has everything you need including over 200 stores / cafes / restaurants / grocers / boulangeries / specialty food shops that line both sides of this narrow street.
[We included Rue des Martyrs in our NEW book about Paris because we consider it one of the Best Food Streets in Paris]
Taken from Paris Je t’aime: The story behind the name is that Rue des Martyrs recalls St. Denis, the first bishop of Paris, who was decapitated under the Roman Empire. The legend says he picked up his head to travel the length of this famous street, dying a few kilometres north of where the Basilica of Saint-Denis was later founded.
Start at Notre Dame de Lorette, 8bis Rue Choron, 75009 Paris
This church is beautiful and worth popping your head in for a few minutes. Once back outside, head around to the back of the church. Rue des Martyrs is to your right.
As mentioned above, there are over 200 fabulous stops you can make on this street. I have highlighted a few of my favorites below. In addition, there are many concept stores, boutique clothing, cafes, great pizza, hardware, fromageries, fruit stands, meat, fish, handmade ice cream, wine shops, book shops, a small park with a carousel, you name it, every thing you need is on this street.
Le Pain Retrouvé, Boulangerie, 18 Rue des Martyrs
Berrie, Food market, 21 Rue des Martyrs
Fou de Pâtisserie Boutique Pigalle, 36 Rue des Martyrs
La Meringaie Martyrs, Pâtisserie, 35 Rue des Martyrs
Laura Todd, Bakery / Cookies, 55 Rue des Martyrs
[The carousel is right here with shady benches, one of a kind coffee shops, everything you need for a nice respite on your walk up to Montmartre. And branch down any of these beautiful side streets, a lovely walk, gorgeous Parisian buildings and more great food options, including Classique [1 bis rue Lallier], an old pharmacy turned into a vibey cocktail bar with a great charcuterie board and a lovely corner terrace.]
Librairie L’atelier 9, 59 Rue des Martyrs
Peppe Pizzeria Martyrs, 61 Rue des Martyrs
Librairie Vendredi, 67 Rue des Martyrs
When you cross Boulevard de Clichy, there are so many more restaurants, luxury boutiques, souvenir shops, crepe stands, everything you need to fuel that walk up to Sacré Cœur and Montmartre.
Bulot Bulot Restaurant, 83 Rue des Martyrs
Titi Graille Restaurant, 98 Rue des Martyrs
Paris Porto (Épicerie fine portugaise, Portuguese grocery), 100 Rue des Martyrs
The other day I was walking in this area and an American couple asked me where the nearest Starbucks was. I refrained from saying anything snarky but did mention that this neighborhood is filled with mom and pop coffee shops and cafes – there are no Starbucks. Perhaps they could pop Starbucks into their phone and find the nearest one. But it baffles me that they wouldn’t just try one of these sweet little spots that they were literally standing in front of. I get it, I have had gallons of Starbucks coffee in my lifetime but if I am in a city known for its cafe culture, I can forgo something that I can easily get every single day when I am not on a trip of a lifetime visit to Paris.
[My Personal Tip: I try to avoid the chains like Amorino (ice cream), Nicholas (wine shop), all the big name grocery stores that also line this street. I personally love supporting local businesses when possible because I see first hand the impact it has on the local community.]
Hotels:
At the top of Rue des Martyrs
Middle of Rue des Martyrs
Hoy Paris [and they have a plant based restaurant]
At the bottom of Rue des Martyrs
Metro:
Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, Line 12
Pigalle, Lines 12 and 2
TIP: If you don’t feel like walking up hill, start at Montmartre and work your way down. Skip all the crowded tourist traps and walk to Rue des Martyrs and enjoy all that the Parisian charm has to offer.
FUN FACT: Only 250 of the 6,500 streets in Paris are named after women.
With nearly 6,500 streets in Paris you might imagine it is hard to narrow down favorites. But I am going to share my 100 favorites in this newsletter. There are so many categories of what ‘favorite’ even means and my informal judging includes nothing scientific, only subjective criteria that speaks to me.: the prettiest, the most iconic, best shopping, food streets, historic and some may be all of that rolled into one.
all photos in this post are taken by Wandering Mr and Missy © Melissa Madden and Keith Pitts
