Le Passe-Muraille
Le Passe-Muraille
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The area
Address
Neighbourhood: 18th Arrondissement - Butte-Montmartre
How to get there
- Lamarck – Caulaincourt • 3 min walk
- Abbesses • 5 min walk
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
157 reviews
Excellent
55
Very good
73
Average
22
Poor
6
Terrible
1
Emma Solomon
Flamstead, UK69 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
Great statue and brilliant story behind it. What would you do if you could walk through walls? Not that far from Sacre Coeur, then pretty walk back down into Paris centre.
Written 26 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CPaM68
Texas686 contributions
Jul 2018 • Family
I recently had the opportunity to vacation in Paris with my children and grandchildren and we did a guided walking tour of Montmartre where we saw this statue with the funny story. Mounted on a stone wall and looking as if the man was caught mid-stride walking through a wall, the bronze statue is a tribute to the work of the French writer Marcel Aymé. Aymé spent a great part of his life in Montmartre and situated most of his novels in the neighborhood. In this story, a man named Dutilleul finds out he has the ability to pass through the walls. He uses this unique talent to becomes a jewelry store burglar and bank robber. His criminal exploits soon became the talk of the town. He then allows himself to be caught and jailed but then escapes by simply walking through the walls of his jail cell. He also falls into an illicit love affair with a married woman whose jealous husband works at night. Although the husband locks her in the bedroom each night before he leaves, Dutilleul simply uses his power to walk through the bedroom wall and “visit” while the husband is away. One night after a “visit” he loses his power and ends up stuck in the middle of the wall. There, he remains to this day. His outstretched hand is bright and smooth from the many tourists and visitors who have tried to help and pull him on through wall. The statue, made in 1989 by Jean Marais -– a French actor and sculptor — is actually in front of Marcel Aymé’s old house which sits in the shadow of Sacre-Coeur. I’ve visited Montmartre several times over the years and something always makes me think of coming back.
Written 20 January 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ronak S
Paris, France2,014 contributions
Apr 2018 • Solo
Le Passe-Muraille (The passer-through-walls) is a French short story published by Marcel Aymé in 1943. It ends with the lead character getting stuck in a wall. This mural is a representation of that.
The sculpture is based on the character and was made by Jean Marais in 1989. It is located in Place Marcel Aymé at the bottom of Rue Norvins, very close to Moulin des Galettes.
Closest metro is Lamarck - Caulaincourt on Line 12.
The sculpture is based on the character and was made by Jean Marais in 1989. It is located in Place Marcel Aymé at the bottom of Rue Norvins, very close to Moulin des Galettes.
Closest metro is Lamarck - Caulaincourt on Line 12.
Written 9 May 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rumples
Tucson, AZ11,709 contributions
Mar 2015 • Solo
I wasn't quite sure what to make of this sculpture (The Walker Through Walls) when I stumbled across it in Montmartre at Place Marcel Ayme. It depicts a man starting to emerge from a wall. But once I learned about French author Marcel Ayme (1902-1967) and Dutilleul, a character in one of his short stores, it all made sense. Dutilleul discovers he can walk through walls, a feat that has its consequences.
French actor Jean Marais (1913-1998), who played more than 100 film and television roles, created the bronze figure, which honors Ayme. Extremely realistic, Dutilleul looks as if he will make it through the wall soon. His left hand, which is just starting to emerge, has been rubbed to a golden glow. I'm unsure whether rubbing a part of a fictional character brings luck, but perhaps this is what some visitors hope. Or maybe they're trying to help Dutilleul get through that wall.
I think this sculpture is definitely worth a stop when in Montmartre. Place Marcel Ayme is located at 26-28 Rue Norvins near Place du Tertre.
French actor Jean Marais (1913-1998), who played more than 100 film and television roles, created the bronze figure, which honors Ayme. Extremely realistic, Dutilleul looks as if he will make it through the wall soon. His left hand, which is just starting to emerge, has been rubbed to a golden glow. I'm unsure whether rubbing a part of a fictional character brings luck, but perhaps this is what some visitors hope. Or maybe they're trying to help Dutilleul get through that wall.
I think this sculpture is definitely worth a stop when in Montmartre. Place Marcel Ayme is located at 26-28 Rue Norvins near Place du Tertre.
Written 10 April 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Christine
New York341 contributions
Jun 2019
Look up the story of "The Man Who Could Walk Through Walls" by Marcel Ayme. It's a cool piece of story-telling and the inspiration for this piece that you can find while walking through Montmartre. If can find 5-minutes on your travels, it's a quick little site to take in, but the story adds so much context, so look it up!
Written 27 October 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Katalin R
Toronto, Canada68 contributions
Jul 2019 • Couples
Easy to miss if you're wandering about Montmartre but impossible to forget once you've spotted him. It helps to understand if you know the story of Marcel Aymé's Passe-Muraille. The overall effect is a little creepy, especially the statue's left hand which is shiny and skeletal. Apparently, many visitors try to help out and lend a hand by trying to 'pull' the statue through the wall. I wouldn't put this statue at the top of my Paris attractions but it is worth a visit if you are in the neighbourhood.
Written 22 July 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anna H
Chicago, IL1,169 contributions
Sept 2016
This sculpture is a tribute to a short story by Marcel Ayme, after whom the plaza is named. In fact his face is on the larger-than-life sculpture, by his friend Jean Marais. A civil servant in Montmartre has the incredible ability to traverse walls due to a magical pill, but in the end gets stuck after he takes the antidote by mistake.
Written 16 October 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Miss_Cukiee
Hong Kong, China228 contributions
Feb 2016 • Solo
I specifically went to visit it while I was in Paris, as it was an interesting art - a fictitious man who could walk through wall. I spent a good 5-10 minutes taking photo with the man, holding his left hand and hope to help pull him out. :P
Written 31 March 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thomas V
Oakland, CA17,485 contributions
Jun 2022
Very charming outdoor art of a man passing through a wall, elegantly displayed in a charming corner of Montmartre. I took a group of friends here to show it off.
Written 28 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Adventurer828136
Hartlepool, UK214 contributions
Nov 2018 • Friends
Set in the very quiet residential area, the statue is unassuming and would be very easy to miss.
Off the beaten track a little, (walk down Rue Norvins from Place du Tertre or walk to the opposite corner from the Dalida bust), it's another thing that not every tourist manages to find.
It's such a fun piece and very tactile, he has a very shiny shoe, knee and fingers! I love art that is interactive and encourages you to be involved with it. Much more inviting than a picture in a frame in my opinion!
Off the beaten track a little, (walk down Rue Norvins from Place du Tertre or walk to the opposite corner from the Dalida bust), it's another thing that not every tourist manages to find.
It's such a fun piece and very tactile, he has a very shiny shoe, knee and fingers! I love art that is interactive and encourages you to be involved with it. Much more inviting than a picture in a frame in my opinion!
Written 8 January 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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