It’s half an hour by metro from the hotel to the Sacré-Coeur Basilica, which towers over the city from the top of Montmartre in northern Paris.
Built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, this massive, domed Romano Byzantine-style church was constructed from Château-Landon stone, which reacts with rainwater, turning it white. A highlight is the huge, colourful apse mosaic, depicting the risen Christ along with saints, popes and historical events. The climb to the top of the dome rewards you with panoramic views across the city and beyond. From here you can see the bell tower, which houses the enormous Savoyarde bell. At the foot of the dome steps, look for the church’s foundation stone, laid in 1875.
On Sundays, listen out for the 1898 pipe organ, built by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll for a chateau in Biarritz and installed in the Sacré-Coeur in 1919.
