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Number 5 of 20 in Paris

Notre-Dame Cathedral: inside the restored masterpiece

Notre-Dame burned on 15 April 2019 and reopened on 8 December 2024. Five years of work gave back the spire and the roof, and left the inside brighter than anyone alive had seen it.

The west front of Notre-Dame de Paris lit at night, its two towers and rose window above the three portals.
Gerda Arendt, CC0
What it is
Church
Time to allow
45 to 90 minutes
Cost
Free
Best time
Early, on a weekday

Paris this week

    Why Notre-Dame is worth it

    Notre-Dame is where Paris measures itself from: a bronze marker in the square in front of the cathedral is the point from which distances in France are counted. Building began in 1163 and went on until 1345, and for eight centuries the cathedral has been the stage of the city's history.

    The fire of April 2019 destroyed the spire and the medieval oak roof. The towers, the walls, the great organ and the rose windows survived. The spire has been rebuilt exactly as the architect Viollet-le-Duc designed it in the nineteenth century, and the whole interior has been cleaned, so the pale stone and the painted chapels now glow.

    Entry is free, as it has always been. About twelve million people a year came before the fire, more than to any other monument in Paris, so the queue is part of the visit. Go early.

    What to see

    1. The west front

      Three carved portals, a row of twenty-eight kings, the rose window and the two towers. Stand back in the square to read it from the bottom up, as it was meant to be read.

    2. The nave

      Cleaned of centuries of soot and candle smoke, the stone is the colour of cream. Look up at the vault where the spire fell through, rebuilt stone by stone.

    3. The rose windows

      Three of them, to the north, the south and the west. The one to the north keeps most of its glass of the thirteenth century, and all three came through the fire.

    4. The great organ

      More than 8,000 pipes. It was not burned, but every pipe was taken out, cleaned of lead dust and tuned again.

    5. The view from behind

      Walk round to the garden at the east end, or cross to the Left Bank, for the flying buttresses and the new spire.

    How to do it well

    • Arrive at opening time or in the last hour. The line moves faster than it looks, but at midday it can still take the better part of an hour.
    • A free time slot can be reserved on the cathedral's own app and site, which shortens the wait. It is not required.
    • The towers are visited separately from the cathedral, with a ticket.
    • This is a working church. Services go on through the day, and parts of the nave are closed to visitors while they do.
    • The Sainte-Chapelle is five minutes away on the same island. See both in one morning.

    Where it is

    Address

    Parvis Notre-Dame, on the Île de la Cité, 4th arrondissement

    Nearest station

    Cité, on line 4

    Museums and sights nearby

    Distances are in a straight line.

    Tickets and tours: Notre-Dame Cathedral

    Notre-Dame Cathedral: common questions

    Is Notre-Dame open again?
    Yes. The cathedral reopened on 8 December 2024, a little more than five years after the fire of 15 April 2019.
    Do you need a ticket for Notre-Dame?
    No. Entry to the cathedral is free. You can reserve a free time slot to shorten the wait, but it is not required. A guided tour, or the visit of the towers, is paid for.
    What was destroyed in the Notre-Dame fire?
    The spire and the wooden roof. The towers, the walls, the buttresses, the great organ and the stained glass were saved. The spire has been rebuilt to the design of the nineteenth-century architect Viollet-le-Duc.
    How much time do you need for Notre-Dame?
    Allow 45 to 90 minutes. That is this site's estimate for an unhurried visit.

    What visitors say about Notre-Dame

    Rating from Google

    4.7

    101,142 ratings on Google

    Google's figures as read on 4 October 2026.

    Read every review on Google

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