Author, documentarian and Paris native Thierry Secretan takes you beyond the Sacre-Coeur crowds to discover the authentic spirit of Montmartre. “What inspires me most about Paris is the irreverence of its people, its unruliness,” Thierry says. “Paris is a town always on the brink of rebellion.” The first shots of the 1871 Paris Commune were fired in Montmartre, and Thierry’s great-grandfather was a message runner during the fighting; later he cofounded the literary journal of legendary cabaret Le Chat Noir.

Thierry will lead you on an private, after-hours visit to the Musée de Montmartre, including an exclusive viewing of the archives to see artwork and artefacts from the celebrated artists and entertainers who lived here. You'll discover the secret garden and learn how the Commune led to the flowering of art and culture known as the Belle Epoque, and how today’s Paris connects to this unruly past.