A Small Dog’s Guide to Montmartre, Paris

Hanging out indoors to avoid the snow.

Bonsoir from Paris, darlings!

As you know, Luna and I spent most of this winter in Paris’ charming Montmartre, a quiet, cobbled neighborhood straight out of the movies (seriously, literally). As it was winter, we didn’t do as much exploring as normal, choosing instead to cozy up in our tiny studio apartment when it was rainy or dropped below freezing and often spending our more social hours at the spacious home of my dear expat friend and her French husband or the living room with a view at my landlord’s apartment, both of which were also conveniently in Montmartre.

So, we didn’t get out terribly much.

That said, we do have a few favorite spots and lovely walks to recommend:

We bought our food and treats at the teeny pet supply and dog grooming salon on Rue Custine near the corner of Rue Clignoncourt. They had a small selection, but still managed to carry some hypo-allergenic food and one of the younger ladies who works there speaks English.

We didn’t make it back this winter, but our favorite summertime walk was in Buttes-Chaumont, a surprisingly large park full of hills, gazebos, and even a waterfall or two. And our second favorite walk was up the steps to the Basilique Sacré Cœur just steps away from our Montmartre apartment.

As usual, transportation was simple and the Paris metro is dog-friendly (though we honestly mostly walked, as I prefer it). However, this time I found that many of the bakeries and little shops we passed were not dog-friendly, so perhaps it’s true what I’ve heard (that Paris is getting less dog-friendly as time goes on) or perhaps dog-friendliness varies by street—Paris is, after all, an incredibly large and varied city.

Finally, here’s a quick French lesson to make your dog travel easy:
Bonjour – good day (to be used until after dusk)
Bonsoir – good evening (to be used after dusk)
Bonjourne – Have a good day (to be used before dusk)
Bonsoire – Have a good evening (to be used after dusk)

(These don’t just apply to humans. I’ve had Parisians say bonjour to Luna and/or encourage their dogs to say bonjoir to Luna. It’s adorable.)

Chien – dog
Viola – Taa daa
Parfait – perfect

Bonsoire, then, darlings. Until next time.

Skills Luna does not possess: the ability to look straight at the camera and keep her mouth closed at the same time.

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