Picasso – A Parisian Trip Between Montmartre and the Marais

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) is rightly considered the greatest painter of the modern era. Although he was born in Spain, from 1904 he made Paris his permanent home and settled in Montmartre, which at that time attracted the Parisian bohemian thanks to the cheap accommodation that the district offered. While living in Montmartre, Picasso painted his greatest works and was a partner in the birth of Cubism. Therefore, although he moved to Montparnasse in 1912, anyone who wants to get to know the Paris Picasso's work, you should walk in Montmartre. The route will focus almost entirely on this district and will show some of the most important stops in his life. At the end, we will catch the metro and jump into the Marais district to the Picasso Museum, which reopened in September 2014.

The first studio

Start your trip at the Abbesses metro, named after a convent that once stood there (legend has it that the convent provided nuns to satisfy the sexual needs of King François I). Go to Rue Ravignan, go up the stairs and you will reach the place where the “Laundry Ship” (Bateau Lavoir) stood, Picasso’s first studio in Paris (the building was so named because its exterior shape reminded people of the ships on the banks of the Seine where laundresses worked, who used the river water for washing). On the left you will see a window displaying old photos of the building and photos of Picasso and his friends. The building was initially used as a piano factory and later converted into a studio for destitute artists (there was no electricity or running water to speak of). This is where Picasso painted “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon”.

The places where Picasso liked to hang out and eat in Paris

Continue up the hill according to the map until you reach At the Agile Rabbit, which was one of Picasso and his friends' favorite hangouts. At the time, Picasso was so poor that he often paid for food and drink with his paintings. Today, evenings are held here Chansons Amazing and it is highly recommended to get there at 21:00 PM so as not to miss this musical experience (tickets must be booked in advance).

Retrace your steps a bit and if you are hungry you are welcome to visit the restaurant La Bonne Franquette where Van Gogh, Toulouse Lautrec and Picasso of course ate in the past. From what I heard the place has become a tourist trap so another option to eat there is at the restaurant Le Pulbot which is a few meters away.

Where did the mistress live?

After you have eaten, you are welcome to deviate from the tour for a while and reach the Place de la Tarter and the Sacra-Cer church. However, if you want to stick to the route, you are welcome to continue according to the map until you reach Boulevard Clichy. There, at number 11, Picasso lived with his mistress, and the apartment was a significant upgrade compared to the studio at the Bateau Lavour.

The palace in the Marais that became the Picasso Museum

From here, walk a few meters to the Pigalle metro and take a train to Chemin Vert. From there, walk to the Picasso Museum, which is located in Hotel SaléThe museum, which was renovated at a cost of 52 million euros and reopened in September 2014, contains quite a few works by Picasso and other 20th-century artists and is an excellent ending point to the trip.