Montmartre - Lapin Agile

In the steep Rue des Saules (No. 22) in Montmartre is another turn-of-the-century relic, the "Lapin Agile" ("Agile Rabbit"). This famous cabaret takes its name from the sign painted by André Gill showing a rabbit jumping out of a cooking-pot. Celebrated artistes performed here, including the chansonnier Aristide Bruant immortalized by Toulouse-Lautrec and his friend Frédéric Gérard, known as Père Frédé, who entertained their mostly middle-class audiences with witty and disrespectful songs. The "Lapin Agile" still has talented chansonniers who appeal to a wide public - though nowadays everything is rather dearer than it used to be.

The tradition of literary evenings at the Lapin Agile (every night except Mondays, at 9 p.m