Place du Tertre
This point of interest is available as audio on the tour: Visit Paris, The Bohemian Quarter
Welcome to the bohemian heart of Paris. Painters, songwriters, cabarets, easels… it’s all here. This is where the myth of the starving artist was born, at a time and place when lives were fueled by art and love, not money. Rents were cheap, wine flowed freely, and artists arrived from all over. The greatest names in art history – Renoir, Manet, Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso, Modigliani, and Miró – all found inspiration in the cafes around this square perched 130 meters above sea level. Today, the Place du Tertre is home to some 140 artists, each one claiming a tiny patch of pavement to capture the charm of Paris and paint portraits of passersby. Talk about picturesque! At number 6, you’ll find the historic restaurant “La Mère Catherine,” founded in 1793. Legend has it that Danton himself once wrote on its walls, “Let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we may die.” It’s also said that during the Russian occupation of 1814, soldiers would come here for drinks, shouting “Bistro! Bistro!” – that’s Russian for “quick.” And that’s how the iconic Parisian bistro was allegedly born.
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