How to Get to the Moulin Rouge

If you are already thinking about buying tickets for the Moulin Rouge with dinner, you will probably want to have some information first to plan your experience. The most famous cabaret in Paris is located on Boulevard de Clichy in the north of the city, just south of the hill in the Montmartre neighbourhood and in the district of the same name. It is not a central tourist attraction, but it is very well connected and easy to get to. By metro, bus, on foot... there are many ways to visit it, and below I will tell you which are the best.

In the vast majority of cases, the metro is the fastest way to get around Paris, and in this case, it is no exception. Right next to the Moulin Rouge is the Blanche metro station, which is served by line 2.

Get off at this stop and you will find your destination just outside the metro exit on the left. Another option is to take line 13, which drops you off at Place Clichy, also very close to the Moulin Rouge, a 5-minute walk away.

How to get to the Moulin Rouge using the Paris metro

Using the Paris Metro is the most common way to get to the Moulin Rouge from anywhere in the city. There are two ways to get a ticket for public transport. One is to buy a regular ticket and the other is to purchase a weekly pass. A single ticket in Paris is known as a Ticket t+ and is valid for all public transport for 90 minutes. It costs €1.90 or €14.90 if you buy a pack of 10 tickets.

The weekly pass, or Passe Navigo as it is called in Paris, is the best option for stays of a week or more in the French capital. It works by zones: from 1 to 5, from the most central to the outskirts. The zones we are interested in to get to the Moulin Rouge are zones 1-3, and the pass that allows us to travel around this area costs between €19.80 and €22.00, depending on which one we choose.

We can also use this pass to ride the Montmartre funicular. The Paris metro runs from 5:30 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. On Fridays and Saturdays, closing time is extended to 2:00 a.m.

Useful information

• Price: €1.90 single ticket. €14.90 pack of 10 tickets.
• Journey time: Depends on the starting point. From Place de la Concorde it takes 17 minutes.
• Hours: From 5:30 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.
• Recommended if: You are looking for the fastest form of transport.

The bus is not the fastest form of transport, but it is a comfortable and recommended option if you are someone who likes to enjoy the city by looking out the window. The Moulin Rouge is also well connected by this means of transport. Lines 30, 54, 68 and 80 have stops nearby. I recommend using lines 30 and 54, as the stop is next to the Blanche metro station and just a few metres from our destination.

And if what you value most is seeing some of the most important monuments on the way, you can always take the Paris tourist bus. In Paris, the "official" buses are known as Open Tour buses, and there are several lines with different routes. In this case, the red line stops at the Moulin Rouge itself and costs around £25 per day.

Price and information

Tickets and fares are exactly the same as those for the metro and all public transport: the basic ticket, Ticket t+ (€1.90), or the Passe Navigo, valid for one week (around €20 depending on the zone). Tickets can be purchased at metro stations or kiosks throughout the city, as well as on the bus itself, with a 20-cent surcharge.

Buses operate from Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 8.30 p.m., with some main lines running until 12.30 a.m. There are also night buses, identified by an N, which run from 12.30 a.m. to 7 a.m.

Useful information

• Price: £1.90 single ticket. £14.90 pack of 10 tickets.
• Journey time: Depends on the starting point. From the city centre, around half an hour depending on traffic.
• Timetable: Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 8.30 p.m. Night buses from 12.30 a.m. to 7 a.m.
• Recommended if: You are looking for fast transport that allows you to enjoy the journey.

I'm not telling you anything new when I say that Paris is an extremely beautiful city and a pleasure to explore on foot. If you're staying in the city centre, you can always consider walking to the Moulin Rouge. To give you an idea of the distance you'll have to cover, here's how long it takes from some of the city's tourist attractions.

• If you visit the Louvre Museum and then head to the Moulin Rouge: It's about 2.5 kilometres and takes approximately 36 minutes.
• If you visit the Eiffel Tower and then head to the Moulin Rouge: It's almost 5 kilometres and a 1-hour walk.
• From the Arc de Triomphe to the Moulin Rouge: It takes about 45 minutes to walk the 3.3 kilometres between them.
• If you visit Notre Dame and then head to the Moulin Rouge: it takes just under an hour and is 4.2 kilometres.
• If you visit the Paris Opera and then head to the Moulin Rouge: It is less than two kilometres, which you can cover in just over 20 minutes.

Useful information

• Price: Free.
• Journey time: Depends on the starting point.
• Timetable: Whatever you choose.
• Recommended if: You want to enjoy the streets of Paris.

There's nothing more convenient than being picked up wherever you want and taken right to the door of the Moulin Rouge. That's what taxis are for. It's not the fastest form of transport due to Paris's heavy traffic, nor is it the cheapest, but it does save you waiting and changing transport, as well as being more comfortable.

In Paris, there are more than 20,000 taxis available 24 hours a day. It is somewhat difficult to distinguish them as they are normal cars whose only distinguishing feature is a small illuminated sign on the roof. When you get into one, make sure it has a meter and a licence with its respective number. If not, it is better to get out and look for another one that does meet these requirements.

Prices and information

There is a single telephone number for requesting taxi services: 01 45 30 30 30. As for prices, the minimum service costs €7.10 and the initial fare is around €2.60.

The final price depends on the time and distance, which is usually quite high due to traffic and the size of Paris, and on supplements, which vary depending on the time and day you take the taxi. Between 10:00 and 17:00, they are slightly cheaper than after that time. Sundays, public holidays and night-time hours have additional supplements.

Useful information

• Price: From £7.10.
• Journey time: Depends on the starting point. From Place de la Concorde it takes 15 minutes, depending on traffic.
• Hours: 24 hours a day.
• Recommended if: You are looking for total availability and convenience.

If you are a regular user of services such as Uber, you can also use them in Paris. The big advantage is that you can book it from the app and, unlike taxis, you will already know the route and the price you are going to pay for it. If you know how it works and have the app on your mobile phone, it is certainly one of the most convenient ways to get around Paris.

Useful information

• Price: Depends on the journey.
• Journey time: Depends on the starting point. From Place de la Concorde it takes 15 minutes, depending on traffic.
• Hours: 24 hours a day.
• Recommended if: You are already a user and are looking for total availability and convenience.

It's not the norm, but you may be travelling to Paris in your own car or renting one upon arrival. Although it offers you more freedom of movement, traffic and the streets of Paris are not very car-friendly.

To get to the Moulin Rouge, you will need to enter this address into your GPS: 90 Boulevard de Clichy, 75018 Paris, France. When you arrive, forget about parking in a public car park, as it is almost impossible. You will most likely have to leave your car in a car park. The closest one is Clichy Montmartre, about 300 metres from the Moulin Rouge.

Useful information

• Journey time: Depends on your starting point. From the city centre, it takes about 15 minutes, but this always depends on traffic.
• Opening hours: Whatever time you choose.
• Recommended if: You want total independence and don't mind paying extra for parking.

The RER, or regional trains, are used to travel from places near Paris but also as a complement to the metro as they run through the city centre. Their main advantage is that they allow us to reach the Moulin Rouge from places outside the city such as Disney, Versailles or the airports.

If you are travelling by train, the most efficient way to get to the Moulin is to go to the Saint-Lazare train station. Fortunately, it is very close to our destination. It takes only 15 minutes to walk north, and from the station itself, we can take the metro, a bus or a taxi. The fare depends on where you are coming from, but the Ticket t + and the Passe Navigo are also valid on these trains.

Useful information

• Journey time: Depends on your starting point. It is a 15-minute walk from the station to the Moulin Rouge.
• Timetable: Depends on the train.
• Recommended if: You are coming from outside the city from places such as Disney or Versailles.