Montmartre/Sacre Coeur and Placa de la Bastille

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris, commonly known as Sacré-Cœur Basilica and often simply Sacré-Cœur , is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in Paris, France.  A popular landmark, the basilica is located at the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in the city. Sacré-Cœur is a double monument, political and cultural, both a national penance for the excesses of the Second Empire and socialist Paris Commune of 1871 crowning its most rebellious neighborhood, and an embodiment of conservative moral order, publicly dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was an increasingly popular vision of a loving and sympathetic Christ. [Wiki]

We took bus 95 from Palais Royal going to Montmartre.  We passed by Academie Nationale de Musique, Concorde Opera de Paris and other landmarks.  We got off at the stop after a cemetery.  It was about a 5-10 minute walk from the bus stop to the funicular.

Bus 95 Route to Montmartre

At the lower funicular station, there's a public toilet.  It's rare to see public toilet in Paris, or Europe in general.  The one here is being automatically cleaned after each use.  You might just need to wait a while for your turn, as it might take 10-20 minutes for each person (and the toilet cleaning) to finish.  When a person comes out, the next one shouldn't go in right away as the doors will close and cleaning will begin.  The next person can come in when the light on the left turns green (or was it blue?).

Free Entry Toilet A recorded message can be activated by pushing the button on the right hand side on entering the toilet.  Only one person may use the toilet at any time except for those accompanying a child or a disabled person.  The toilet bowl is washed, disinfected and dried automatically after each use.  The floor is also washed after each use.

We took the funicular to the top, but one could also walk going there.  FYI:  The funicular is included in the Paris Visite pass that we purchased.

Funicular

It was a nice view on top.  I just didn't have the chance to take pictures inside the church as it's prohibited.  Although, some tourists still take some pictures.

View from the top

Sacre Coeur

Sacre Coeur

On the way back, we took the metro.  From the lower funicular station, we turned left and followed the signs to the metro.  Before going back to the hotel to retrieve our bags, we dropped by Placa de la Bastille for some pictures.

Placa de la Bastille