The neighbourhood: La Nouvelle Athènes
I have lived on Rue des Martyrs since 2009 and have been guiding tours in this neighbourhood for fifteen years. La Nouvelle Athènes is a development from the Restoration period, featuring private mansions with gardens built between the 1820s and 1840s for bankers, actresses, and artists. The name comes from the then-fashionable idea of a neoclassical Paris. Moreau’s parents bought their house here in 1852, when the district already had its illustrious residents. This history is detailed on the history of the house-museum page.
The most logical visit after the Musée Gustave Moreau is the Musée de la Vie Romantique, at 16 Rue Chaptal, five minutes away. It is an artist’s house with a garden, where you can find mementoes of George Sand and her circle. Its permanent collections are free, it is closed on Mondays, and the Musée Gustave Moreau ticket grants a reduced rate. Between the two, Place Saint-Georges and its fountain, then Rue des Martyrs for lunch: cheese shops, bakeries, wine merchants—everything the museum does not offer.
To the south, a ten- to twelve-minute walk via La Trinité and Chaussée-d’Antin leads to the Palais Garnier. To the north, Rue des Martyrs climbs to Pigalle, and a twenty- to twenty-five-minute uphill walk takes you to Place du Tertre, where the guided walks in Montmartre begin. The museum sits at the exact centre of this day, which is why I always schedule it for the morning.
On Thursdays and Fridays, walk up Rue des Martyrs around 11 a.m.: that is when the neighbourhood still feels like a village, before the afternoon visitors arrive.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Nouvelle Athènes in Paris?
A neighbourhood in the 9th arrondissement built in the 1820s–1840s around Place Saint-Georges, where George Sand, Chopin, Delacroix, Géricault, and La Malibran once lived. The Musée Gustave Moreau has been located here since 1852, as explained on the page history of the museum.
Which museum should you visit near the Musée Gustave Moreau?
The Musée de la Vie Romantique, at 16 rue Chaptal, five minutes away, free for its permanent collections and closed on Mondays. Further afield, the Palais Garnier to the south and the Musée d’Orsay via line 12. See the visits we compare.
Can you walk from the museum to Montmartre?
Yes, a twenty- to twenty-five-minute uphill walk via rue des Martyrs and Pigalle. The guided walks in Montmartre start from Abbesses or Blanche.