Notre Dame

Paris Notre Dame Cathedral

On 15th April 2019 a devastating fire took hold of the roof on Notre Dame cathedral. Repair and renovation work will now take several years. This page stands as a tribute to what was there before and what will be there in the future…..despite the fire, you can still get the most out of your visit with the Notre Dame Walking Tour with Crypt Entry.

Construction of the cathedral began in 1163, although it wasn’t completed until around 1240.  As such, when you walk inside you get a real sense of the history of the building.  The high roof emphasises it’s size and the eye-catching circular stained glass window is stunning from inside too.  It’s well worth spending some time wandering around and when it’s not too busy it really is a peaceful place to be.

Paris Notre Dame tower view (www.free-city-guides.com)
The view from the towers of Notre Dame


Join the queue to the left of the building to climb the towers (for a fee), but be aware it moves very slowly!  Our top tip is to arrive around 15 minutes before the towers open at 10am and see how many people are waiting.  They let around 20 people climb the steps every 10 minutes, so you can work out roughly how long you’ll have to wait.

Admission to the cathedral is free, but the trip up the towers costs 8.50 Euros (2012 prices) but are free for under 25s if you are from the EU and have ID.  The towers are open daily from 10am.  They close in the winter at 5.30pm and in the summer at 6.30pm but on Saturdays and Sundays in June, July & August the towers aty open until 11pm.  You can also pay to visit the crypt at Notre Dame at an adult price of 4 Euros (2012 prices).  

LOCATION & CONTACT

Address: Notre Dame de Paris, Place du Parvis Notre Dame, 75004 París, France
General Tel: +33 (0) 1 42 34 56 10
Towers Tel: +33 (0) 1 53 10 07 00
Crypt Tel: +33 (0) 1 55 42 50 10

The nearest Metro stop is Hôtel de Ville or Châtelet, or RER stop Notre Dame Saint Michel. 

MORE ON NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL

Hotels near Notre Dame – Best prices from Hotels.com
Notre Dame – Official Website
Notre Dame Towers – Official Website
Notre Dame Crypt  – Official Website
Books on Notre Dame
Wikipedia – Notre Dame page
Paris Guide Books – Amazon.co.uk

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