Learning French in Montmartre: Lessons, Cafés and Walks with a Local Tutor
Updated: Oct 2
I'm from Brittany, but Montmartre is home. I've lived in Paris for more than 15 years, and since 2016 most of my French lessons have happened here, in the cafés and steep little streets of the 18th.
People sometimes ask me why I don't rent a classroom. Honestly? Because the neighbourhood teaches half the lesson for me.
My day usually starts on my bike. I grab my croissant, then I walk up the hill to meet my student. That's my sport for the day, and honestly, the best part of my job. I breathe, I look around, I bump into the same faces. After all these years, the waiters know me, and I know their coffee. That's the Montmartre I want my students to live: a village where people recognise you, and where you get to practise your French with them.
Why Montmartre works so well
On rue Lepic, you can't hide behind an app. You have to ask for your cheese, understand the price, and say merci like you mean it. That's the French that sticks.
And there is always something to talk about. Painters on Place du Tertre, the last vineyard in Paris, the Maison Rose from a thousand Instagram photos. Even a beginner can say « c'est joli ». An advanced student can argue about whether it's become too touristy. (It has, a bit. We can discuss.)
My favourite Walk & Talk route
Every walk is different, but this is the one I come back to:
Abbesses and the Mur des je t'aime. We start with introductions, surrounded by "I love you" in hundreds of languages. Hard to be shy here.
Rue Lepic. Food words, quantities, polite questions. « Qu'est-ce que vous me conseillez ? » is your new best friend.
Place du Tertre. We describe the paintings and give opinions: je trouve que…, ça me plaît, bof.
The steps of the Sacré-Cœur. All of Paris below us, perfect for comparisons.
Rue de l'Abreuvoir and La Maison Rose. We tell stories in the past tense.
A café to finish. You order. I just sit there and look proud.
A few of my own favourite stops, when we have time: Le Vrai Paris, a restaurant I love, the crêperies (I'm Breton, I'm very strict about crêpes, and these are good), and the old photo booths, because a photo strip is the best souvenir of a lesson. And Place Dalida. I stop there and play her songs to my students. It takes me straight back to my childhood, and it's a lovely way to hear French that people still sing everywhere.
One family told me afterwards that my kind nature gave them the confidence to speak without fear of mistakes. That's exactly the point: on a walk, nobody is grading you.
Practical tip: wear comfortable shoes. Montmartre is a hill, and I will make you climb it. Weekday mornings are the calmest.
6 phrases you'll use on the butte
In French | In English |
Je voudrais une baguette, s'il vous plaît. | I'd like a baguette, please. |
C'est combien ? | How much is it? |
Qu'est-ce que vous me conseillez ? | What would you recommend? |
On se retrouve à Abbesses ? | Shall we meet at Abbesses? |
Quelle vue ! | What a view! |
Je peux prendre une photo ? | Can I take a photo? |
How to learn French with me here
Private lessons in a café, all levels, including DELF, DALF, TCF and TEF prep. From €80 per hour.
Walk & Talk tours through Montmartre, alone or with friends and family. From €150 per session.
Small groups of 2 to 4 learners, in Paris or online. From €40 per class.
Not in Montmartre? My colleagues Lisa and Lola teach in Le Marais and Saint-Germain-des-Prés, and I teach online too.
Come and see the butte with me. Bring good shoes and a little courage.
À bientôt, Caro
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