Montmartre has shifted from a village-like neighborhood to a tourist-dominated area with disappearing local shops and a loss of friendly atmosphere. Hordes of visitors take selfies, buy tourist trinkets and occupy cafés whose seating spills into narrow, cobbled streets. Pedestrianization of local streets and rising visitor numbers complicate life for residents, especially those with disabilities who face transport challenges. The Basilica of Sacré-Cœur attracts up to 11 million visitors annually, exceeding the Eiffel Tower. Tuk-tuks, tour groups, photo queues and short-term rentals overtake daily life. Residents have organized protests and some have put homes up for sale.
When Olivier Baroin moved into an apartment in Montmartre about 15 years ago, it felt like he was living in a village in the heart of Paris. Not anymore.Stores for residents are disappearing, along with the friendly atmosphere, he says. In their place are hordes of people taking selfies, shops selling tourist trinkets, and cafés whose seating spills into the narrow, cobbled streets as overtourism takes its toll.
Atop the hill where the Basilica of Sacré-Cœur crowns the city's skyline, residents lament what they call the "Disneyfication" of the once-bohemian slice of Paris. The basilica says it now attracts up to 11 million people a year - even more than the Eiffel Tower - while daily life in the neighborhood has been overtaken by tuk-tuks, tour groups, photo queues and short-term rentals.
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