The garden café
A rose courtyard and glasshouse — one of Paris's quietest spots.
JLPC — CC BY-SA 3.0 · DiscoA340 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · DiscoA340 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Reinhardhauke — CC BY-SA 3.0
A small country house with green shutters at the end of a gravel lane, hidden behind a gate in the ninth arrondissement — one of the loveliest secrets in Paris and among the least crowded. And **entry is free**. It was built in 1830 and lived in by the Dutch-French painter **Ary Scheffer**, whose salon was among the most celebrated of Romantic Paris: every Friday he received **George Sand**, **Chopin**, **Delacroix**, **Liszt**, **Turgenev** and **Dickens** here. The first floor is devoted to **George Sand** — the writer who published under a man's name, wore men's clothes and smoked cigars at a time when women were permitted none of it: her furniture, jewellery and personal effects, and a cast of Chopin's left hand. The second floor holds Scheffer's studio and paintings. ⚠ But **the real value is the garden**: a small courtyard full of roses and trees with a glasshouse **café** — among the quietest places to sit in the whole of Paris, and minutes from the crush of Pigalle and Montmartre.
A rose courtyard and glasshouse — one of Paris's quietest spots.
Her furniture, effects and a cast of Chopin's hand.
The second-floor atelier and his paintings.
16 Rue Chaptal, 75009 Paris
Moulin RougeThe red windmill on the Boulevard de Clichy at the foot of Montmartre, and the m4 minutes walk4.3
Musée Gustave MoreauA museum an artist built for himself before he died — which is what makes it uni4 minutes walk4.3
Dalí Paris, MontmartreA private museum in Montmartre devoted to Salvador Dalí, steps from Place du Ter9 minutes walk4.4
place du TertreSteps behind Sacré-Cœur beats the old village square of Montmartre: the Place du10 minutes walk4.6
square Louise-MichelThe green carpet unrolled at Sacré-Cœur's feet: Square Louise Michel — named for10 minutes walk4.4Looking for halal food near Musée de la Vie Romantique? There are several options nearby, from Moroccan and Indian kitchens to quick casual spots and places with a view. Confirm the halal status and opening hours before you go — these can change.
Yes — the **permanent collection is free** to everyone, which is rare in Paris and makes it one of the best things to do there at no cost. What costs is the **temporary exhibitions** the museum runs seasonally, and those are entirely optional. The **garden café** is of course paid, but at reasonable prices, and no purchase is required to sit in the garden itself. ⚠ Check for **Monday**: the museum is normally closed then, like most of Paris's municipal museums, and that is what most often costs people the visit.
Three things. **The quiet**: you come through a gate on an ordinary street into a gravel lane and a country house with green shutters — you forget you are in Paris, minutes from Pigalle. **The free entry**: rare in a city where everything is ticketed. And **the garden**: a rose courtyard with a glasshouse café, among the best places in the city to rest in spring and summer. Treat it as a **stop** on a Montmartre day rather than a destination: an hour covers it, and you come out calmer than you went in.