Itinerary 1: Musée de la Vie Romantique & Montmartre Cemetery
Walking difficulty level: Easy
Romantic-ometer score: 6/10
Start at the cemetery. Miles smaller than Père Lachaise or Montparnasse, Montmartre Cemetery, just a few minutes’ walk from Place de Clichy, is a gem. From the pantheon of Dead Romantics, you will find the graves of the painter Ary Scheffer, novelists, dramatists and poets such as Alexandre Dumas Fils (below), Alfred de Vigny and Théophile Gautier, and the composers Hector Berlioz, Léo Delibes and Jacques Offenbach.
Other oddities/graves of note
- The startling statue of a grieving woman (right) by sculptor Jacqueline Didsbury entitled “La Douleur,” as a poignant tribute to her son, Robert, who died aged 20.
- Marie Duplessis, Muse, it girl and the inspiration for her neighbour-in-death, Alexandre Dumas the Younger’s novel La Dame aux Camélias.
“L’amour, c’est la fusion, l’identification de deux êtres qui s’admirent et s’adorent l’un l’autre.”
“Love is synthesis: when two people who admire and adore one another identify with one another.”
George Sand, Le Diable aux champs
Afterwards, walk back out of the cemetery via Avenue Rachel then turn left along Boulevard de Clichy until you get to Place Blanche; take a right down Rue Blanche. A few minutes’ walk will take you to Rue Chaptal on the left, where you’ll find the Musée de la Vie Romantique (left, and at the top of the page). This was formerly the home of the Romantic painter Ary Scheffer (buried nearby in Montmartre Cemetery), who used to hold salons here every Friday, attended by the likes of George Sand, Eugène Delacroix and Frédéric Chopin.
OK, there’s not an awful lot to see in terms of exhibits, but the venue and location are delightful – a haven of greenery and tranquillity amid the hustle and bustle (and the odd sex shop) of Pigalle. And the garden of the tea room is an ideal place to stop for refreshment.
Susan Turbie 
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