A Paris day from Montmartre's steps to a Pigalle cocktail bar

A proper Parisian bistro for breakfast just south of the Montmartre hill. Fresh-baked brioche, yogurt with honey, a real café crème. Communal tables, no English menu but the staff explain.

The white basilica on top of the butte. Take the funicular or walk the 222 stone steps. Arrive before 10:00 — the front steps empty, the interior cool and dark, the dome view of Paris at its clearest before the haze builds.

The old artists' square behind Sacré-Cœur. By 11:00 it's a tourist pen; at 10:30 the painters are just setting up. Walk through, then take Rue Poulbot down for the quieter Montmartre streets.

The pink-and-green corner café at Rue Norvins is the most painted spot in Paris. Don't eat there — the food is tourist grade. Photograph it and walk down Rue des Saules to the actual working streets.

La Maison Rose on Rue de l'Abreuvoir — the pink house Utrillo painted, which still serves a reasonable charcuterie-and-wine lunch on its terrace. The vineyard next door, Clos Montmartre, is the last active vineyard in Paris.

A small museum in the house where Renoir had his studio, with Valadon and Utrillo's rooms preserved. Free garden access with a ticket; the garden is the most charming in Paris. Ninety minutes.

A tiki cocktail bar in the former red-light quarter, done up like a Polynesian fever dream. Order the Dirty Dick Zombie; limit of two per customer (a house rule). Small plates to soak it up.