What is it like to live in Montmartre, Paris? Are some areas better than others?

Hi, I'm from Paris and every time I go back what strikes me most is how different each area is. Think of the arrondissements as little villages within a big city. Montmartre definitely has a quaint village feel to it: small (and steep!) cobblestoned streets, little cafés with outdoor tables (and heating for the many smokers!), nice little boutiques, locals and tourists seamlessly going about their business. I rented a holiday apartment in Montmartre the last two times I went to Paris but would I move there if I had to go back? For me the area is too busy, day and night, nice if you're a tourist but not if you're a resident. Plus you're just above the seedy red light district so I wouldn't like to have to go back at night by myself. I'd probably rent in the 17th or the 19th myself - not far from Montmartre but somehow worlds' apart! Hope this helps!

I also live in Montmartre and have for 20 years. The part described by Simon is quite correct, very 'Amélie Poulain' and touristy. There is even a little vineyard not far, the only one in Paris! There are open air markets, the Marché aux Puces (flea market, the biggest in Europe) every weekend and Mondays, a wine harvest festival, lots of little fashion creator shops, boutiques, artist, etc... Rents are high, but depending on where you go, they can be cheaper, but attention- Nearby Barbès and certain parts of the 18th Arrondissement can be pretty dangerous, and real shock for people looking for 'postcard' France. I now live a bit further north, towards Jules Joffrin,and off of the Butte, but I am at the frontier where it become a bit more urban, ethnically mixed and less 'cute' (whilst still being 15 minute son foot from Sacré Coeur. The 18th is my favourite neighbourhood because it is so lively, varied and culturally rich and mixed, but it is not for everyone. My girlfriend's family tinks I have moved her into some sort of cut-throat island cum prison but I love my neighbours and my neighbourhood.