Free, open from 6:30 in the morning to 22:30 at night, and the view from the steps costs nothing. Here is how to do the hill.
The short version
- The basilica is free and open every day from 6:30 to 22:30, until midnight on the first Thursday of the month. No ticket, no reservation; details at sacre-coeur-montmartre.com.
- It is a church first. Silence inside, hats off, shoulders covered, no photographs during services. Mass and adoration run through the day and visitors walk the side aisles while they do.
- The dome is the paid part: a ticket at the door on the left of the basilica, about 300 steps in a spiral with no lift, and the highest open-air view in Paris after the Eiffel Tower.
- Take the funicular up from the foot of the hill on a standard metro ticket; it runs every few minutes and saves the 222 steps. Walk down.
- Metro Anvers on line 2 puts you at the bottom of the steps. Abbesses on line 12 puts you in the village behind the basilica, which is the better way to arrive.
- Come at opening or at dusk. By late morning the steps are full, the hawkers are out, and the string-bracelet men are working the crowd; keep your hands in your pockets and keep walking.
Getting in
There is nothing to book. Walk in through the central doors; bags may be checked at the entrance. The crowd inside is constant but it moves, and 30 minutes covers the nave, the apse mosaic and the chapels.
The dome ticket is sold at the door on the left of the facade, cash or card, and the climb starts from there. It is a tight stone spiral to the outside gallery under the dome, then a second flight to the top. Thirty minutes up and down, more if you stop at the gallery.
The main organ is under restoration through May 2027, so the music at services comes from the choir organ. The church is open on every holiday of the year.
Or let a guide walk you up the back way: our half-day Paris walking tour is about three hours with a private guide, start times from 9:00 to 18:00, and a Montmartre route takes the quiet streets from Abbesses to the basilica, the vineyard and the Place du Tertre.
The visit
The basilica was voted by the National Assembly in 1873, after the defeat of 1870 and the Commune, and built from 1875 to 1914 in a white stone from Château-Landon that cleans itself in the rain. It was consecrated in 1919. The mosaic of Christ over the apse is one of the largest in the world.
Inside, go to the front for the mosaic, then the side chapels. The Savoyarde in the bell tower is one of the heaviest bells in France. Perpetual adoration has run here day and night since 1885, which is why the church never closes for long.
The view from the steps is the one in the photographs and it is free: the whole city laid out south, with the Panthéon and the Eiffel Tower on the skyline. The view from the dome adds the north and the west and the roofs of Montmartre at your feet.
Behind the basilica is the village: the Place du Tertre with its painters, the vineyard on rue des Saules, the Musée de Montmartre. Give the hill two hours in all.
When to go
Opening time, 6:30 to about 8:30. You have the steps to yourself, the light is on the city, and the basilica is quiet. Dusk is the other hour: the city lights come on below the steps and the Eiffel Tower sparkles on the hour.
Avoid 11:00 to 17:00 on weekends from April to October, when the steps, the funicular and the Place du Tertre are at capacity.
Open every day of the year, holidays included. The dome closes in bad weather. The first Thursday of the month the basilica stays open until midnight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sacré-Cœur free?
Yes, the basilica is free, every day, with no ticket or reservation. Only the dome climb is paid, with a ticket sold at the door.
Is the funicular included in a metro ticket?
Yes. The Montmartre funicular takes a standard Paris metro ticket or any pass that covers the metro. It runs from the bottom of the hill to the terrace below the basilica in about 90 seconds.
How many steps is the dome?
About 300 in a spiral, with no lift. Count on 30 minutes up and down. The basilica and the steps outside are flat enough for everyone; the dome is for anyone comfortable on a long stair.
Can I go in during mass?
Yes. Visitors use the side aisles during services and keep quiet. Mass times are posted at the door and on the basilica’s site; the main Sunday mass is the fullest hour inside.
Is there a tour that includes Montmartre?
Yes. Our private Paris in a Day is eight hours with a driver-guide and puts Montmartre and Sacré-Cœur beside the Louvre and Notre-Dame; the car takes you up the hill, which on a hot day is the point.
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