Montmartre Locals Say Neighborhood Now Feels Like Disneyland After Olympic Tourism Boom

Montmartre is turning into a crêpe-scented Disneyland.

After 3 million Olympic tourists packed Paris last year, the hilltop village famous for Amélie is now drowning in a 20 % surge of fresh visitors. Locals like Anne Renaudie, a 29-year resident, say the soul of the place is being swapped for souvenir berets and endless taco stands. Two butchers left—two!—and the cheese shops are vanishing faster than you can say "fromage."

Streets around the 140-year-old Sacré-Cœur have become human traffic jams where tour guides blast history through megaphones. Resident Anthea Quenel admits she now shouts "Excusez-moi!" just to reach her own front door. The Vivre à Montmartre Association wants tour groups capped at 25 people, loudspeakers banned, and tourist taxes hiked before the neighborhood becomes a full-time theme ride.

Mayor Eric Lejoindre points to the real villain: Airbnb, which has helped shove real-estate prices up 19 % in a decade. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, Mexico City locals are marching against the same plague of gentrifying vacation rentals. It seems the Olympic flame didn’t just light up stadiums—it also ignited a global housing headache.