Notre-Dame de Paris – Part 1

Joining the cathedral from the Relais du Louvre is a very beautiful walk that you must do on foot, through the new bridge, to then reach the island of the city, the place Dauphine, the Saint Chapelle, and finally the forecourt of Notre-Dame (read our article).

Notre-Dame de Paris welcomes 20 million visitors a year, making it the most visited monument in Europe.

The construction of Notre-Dame de Paris began in 1163 and ended in the middle of the 14th century. Notre-Dame is not the oldest gothic cathedral as 4 existing cathedrals precede it. Sens Cathedral was the first, erected around 1135.

Notre-Dame de Paris is one of the most emblematic buildings of the capital. Among others, Saint Louis left the Holy Crown in 1239 and much later in 1804, Notre-Dame de Paris was the place of Napoleon I’s coronation.

The best parts of the cathedral are:

• The free visit of Notre-Dame
• The two towers
• The treasure
• The great organ and free concerts
• The crypt

Tour of the cathedral

The tour, open every day from 7:45 am to 6:45 pm (7:15 pm on Saturdays and Sundays), is free. We recommend coming in the morning before 11:00 am and avoiding Saturdays, Sundays, and religious holidays.

Free, one hour visits are offered by Notre-Dame cathedral in different languages ​​to present its architecture, sculptures, stained glass windows…

The meeting place is at the back of the cathedral, under the great organ. Hours:

• French  : Monday to Friday at 2:00 pm & 3:00 pm – Saturday & Sunday at 2:30 pm – Tuesday at 10:30 am
• German: Friday at 2:00 pm – Saturday at 2:30 pm
• English: Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday at 2:30 pm – Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at 2:00 pm
• Spanish: Saturday at 2:30 pm
• Italian: Thursday at 2:00 pm
• Russian: Tuesday and Wednesday 2:00 pm – Saturday at 2:30 pm
• Chinese: first and third Wednesday of the month at 2:30 pm and some Sundays at 3:00 pm
• Portuguese: Sunday at 3:00 pm

The website of the cathedral states that it is better to call to check that there are no one-time modifications of these times: 01 42 34 56 10. We called, they respond immediately.

The two towers

500,000 people visit the towers every year. As access is via a narrow staircase, we quickly understand the technical problems that this causes.

It is therefore strongly recommended to schedule your arrival before opening, between 9:15 am (high season) and 9:45 am (low season) on Mondays, Tuesdays, or Thursdays, absolutely avoiding Sundays and holidays. Otherwise, you will have to wait up to two hours.

There is only one entry and no cut-off is possible. It is not possible to buy tickets in advance. They are sold on site because the visitors come little by little.

Hours:

• Every day from 10:00 am to 5:30 pm, 6:30 pm from April to September, and 11:00 pm in July/August on Fridays and Saturdays. Closed on January 1, May 1, December 25.
• Open at night in July and August, on Fridays and Saturdays, from 10:00 am to 11:00 pm.

Prices: Full: 8.50 €, reduced: 5.50 €, free under 26 years old

CATHEDRALE NOTRE DAME DE PARIS

Tous les jours de 8h00 à 18h45 et 19h15 le samedi et le dimanche

Site Web : http://www.notredamedeparis.fr/