The iconic Notre Dame Cathedral is called the heart of Paris. Victor Hugo immortalised it in his work and the cathedral legacy created an endless stream of visitors. Thirteen million tourists come to see Notre Dame Cathedral every year, making it one of the most visited attractions in the world. In this article, we will tell you how much a ticket costs and what you can see in Notre Dame Cathedral after a major restoration that lasted almost six years.
» READ MORE – Notre Dame with TouringBee audio guide – hear the past, see the present
The square in front of the cathedral is open, the building is illuminated in the evenings, and it is one of the most spectacular views of the city. Choose one of our Paris audio guides to walk at your own pace.
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Notre Dame is once again welcoming both worshippers and travellers, although the towers are still closed. They are promised to be open by autumn 2025, but for now, visitors can enjoy a new route, a spiral staircase and a viewing platform overlooking the restored roof.
How to visit Notre Dame Cathedral?
Notre Dame de Paris is an active church, visited not only by tourists for entertainment purposes, but also by religious pilgrims. Therefore, admission to the cathedral is free for everyone. The same rule applies to the vast majority of churches in France.
There are two parts of the cathedral where you need to buy a ticket:
- The cathedral treasury, where relics and works of art are kept; you can buy a ticket there on the spot
- The observation decks on the bell towers – the towers are temporarily closed until restoration is complete
Due to the popularity of the cathedral, thousands of tourists now gather in the square in front of it, and the queue to enter can take up to a couple of hours. You can try to reserve a skip-the-line ticket on the official Notre Dame website, but in practice, few have been successful. Fortunately, you can get into Notre Dame without a reservation by queuing up.
Download an audio guide to Notre DameYes, Notre Dame has an official audio guide – and that’s great. But we have recorded our own audio guides to Paris in English. Unlike Wikipedia summaries, our audio guides are lively, with details, stories and tips.
Notre Dame opening hours
| Cathedral | Treasury | |
| Weekdays | Monday – Wednesday, Friday: from 7:45 to 19:00 Thursday: from 7:45 to 22:00 |
Monday – Saturday: from 9:30 to 18:00
|
| Weekend | Saturday and Sunday: 8:15 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. |
Sunday: from 13:00 to 17:30
|
| Last entry | 30 minutes before closing time | |
The Treasury of Notre Dame Cathedral
The Treasury is already open to the public. It houses the most important relics of Christianity: the Crown of Thorns of Jesus Christ, one of the nails used in the crucifixion, and a fragment of the cross itself.
Every first Friday of the month, every Friday during Lent, and during Holy Week, the relics are brought out for public worship. Usually at 3 p.m.
Important: tickets (€12) are only sold on site; online booking is not available.
Climbing the towers of Notre Dame
The cathedral’s towers remain closed for now, but are promised to open by autumn 2025. After restoration, visitors will be able to climb a new wooden staircase.
- Ascent – via the south tower
- Descent – via the north tower
This will help avoid crowds and open up a new route through previously inaccessible exhibition halls.
When the towers open, visitors will have to climb 422 steps without lifts or toilets. But at the top, they will be rewarded with panoramic views of Paris, a view of the cathedral’s roof and the renovated spire.
Tickets will be sold both online and on site – details will be available closer to the opening. In summer, the queue fills almost the entire square in front of the cathedral entrance, and the wait can take 2-3 hours. Purchase your ticket online in advance.
Mass schedule
Services are held daily at Notre Dame. Even if you are not religious, you can attend the service and enjoy a free organ music concert.
| Monday through Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Mass at 8:30 Morning Prayer at 9:30 Gregorian Mass at 10:00 a.m. |
||
| Mass is at 12:00 | Mass is at 12:00 | Mass is at 11:30 |
| Vespers at 5:30 p.m. | Vespers at 5:30 p.m. | Vespers at 5:15 p.m. |
| Mass is at 6:00 p.m. | Mass is at 6:00 p.m. | Mass is at 6:00 p.m. |
Just come in, listen, stay for a couple of pieces or the whole concert.
- On Tuesdays, the cathedral hosts evening concerts, starting at 8:30 p.m.
- And on Sundays at 4:00 p.m., you can listen to the grand organ for free
For the current program and prices for paid events, please visit the Musique Sacrée à Notre-Dame de Paris website.
What’s new at Notre Dame after the restoration?
Notre Dame Cathedral was restored five years after the fire. In 2025, not all the work has been completed yet, but the cathedral is open to worshippers and tourists.
Architects and restorers used historical drawings, 3D scanning and manual labour to restore not only the cathedral’s appearance but also its dignity. The work took almost six years and became a true national project for France.
Inside the cathedral, a memorial has been erected in honour of the firefighters who saved Notre Dame from complete destruction in 2019. Their names are inscribed in history alongside the architecture, and now any visitor to the cathedral can pay tribute to them. It is a reminder that great buildings live on thanks to people.
Where is Notre Dame Cathedral located?
The cathedral is located in the very centre of the city, on the Île de la Cité. It is very easy to get to this Parisian landmark, as there are several metro and RER stations nearby.
| Metro | RER |
| Line 4 – Cité or Saint-Michel station Lines 1 and 11 – Hôtel de Ville station Line 10 – Maubert-Mutualité or Cluny – La Sorbonne station Lines 7, 11, 14 – Châtelet station |
Lines B and C, Saint-Michel-Notre-Dame station |
» READ MORE – Paris 2025. How much does it cost?
Hotels near Notre Dame
Notre Dame Cathedral is located in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. This is the historical, cultural and administrative centre of the city.
Staying in this area is a pleasure. Everything is close by, accessible and the views are wonderful. The downside may be the small rooms in the hotels. As this is a historic area, the houses here are quite old, with tiny rooms. So if you like space, this is not the option for you. But if you want to live in a real 16th-17th century Parisian house, why not choose this area? List of hotels near Notre Dame.
Cafés and souvenirs near Notre Dame Cathedral
Notre Dame is definitely lucky in this respect. If you stand facing the cathedral and turn left onto the street, you will find a cluster of inexpensive souvenir shops. In this small market, souvenirs are sold at the most reasonable prices in Paris.
To the right of Notre Dame, across the Seine, is the Latin Quarter with many inexpensive tourist cafes. Walk around and choose what you like. There is everything from shawarma and the cheapest hot dogs in Paris to haute cuisine (for this, you need to walk to the Luxembourg Gardens).
And if you go around Notre Dame from the back and walk to the neighbouring island of Saint-Louis, you will find the most delicious ice cream café in Paris!
When and in what style was Notre Dame built?
The architecture of the cathedral is truly unique. The temple was built over almost two centuries, from 1163 to 1345. When its first stone was laid, the Romanesque style reigned supreme in France with its dense and solid structures. Over time, it was replaced by the Gothic style, which was more intricate and light. Thanks to the fact that the cathedral incorporated the best of both styles, its building acquired its unique appearance.
There are no internal stone walls in the cathedral. They are replaced by columns that connect the soaring arches, and stained glass windows serve to divide the rooms. According to Gothic canons, there are no paintings on the walls of the temple. This allows the light penetrating through the coloured glass to create beautiful patterns.
Visiting Notre Dame is definitely worthwhile for anyone who:
- Is interested in French culture and history
- Believes in God
- Loves beautiful buildings
It seems that these three groups include almost all travellers.
The difficult fate of Notre Dame
The cathedral is over 850 years old and its history is full of tragic events. It has been used as a bargaining chip by the country’s rulers many times. Under Louis XIV, the cathedral lost its main decoration — stained glass windows — for the first time. And during the Great French Revolution, Robespierre announced to the inhabitants of the capital that he intended to demolish the shrine. But the Parisians’ love for the cathedral was so great that they all agreed to pay an extortionate tax for the needs of the revolution so that Notre Dame de Paris would not be touched. Robespierre spared the building, but ordered the heads of the stone statues of kings that adorned its facade to be cut off.
A large-scale reconstruction of the cathedral began in 1841, ten years after the publication of Hugo’s novel. It lasted for 23 years. The building was completely restored, broken statues and stained glass windows were replaced with new ones, and a spire appeared on the roof. The space in front of the cathedral was also cleared surrounding structures to create a square.
A new phase of restoration began in 1991. It had not yet been completed when the fire broke out in 2019. Fortunately, the cathedral is now open again and you can visit it.
A visit to Notre Dame de Paris is part of every tourist’s itinerary when visiting Paris. Moreover, many visitors to the capital who have been to the cathedral more than once admit that they want to return there again and again.
Enjoy your visit to Notre Dame Cathedral!
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