Open again since December 2024, free, and busier than it ever was. Here is how to walk in without the wait.
The short version
- Entry is free and no ticket is needed. The cathedral is open every day from early morning into the evening, with a late opening on Thursday; the day’s hours are posted at notredamedeparis.fr.
- Book the free reservation on the official site or app a day or two ahead. It gives you a time slot and a separate entrance from the walk-up line, which runs an hour on a weekend afternoon.
- No reservation? Come before 9:00 or in the last hour before closing. The square fills from mid-morning.
- The towers are a separate visit run by the national monuments service: €16, free for EU residents under 26, 424 steps and no lift, booked at tours-notre-dame-de-paris.fr.
- It is a working cathedral. Mass is said several times a day, and visitors walk the aisles while it goes on; the nave is quiet and the choir is roped off during services.
- Bags go through an X-ray. Leave the suitcase at the hotel, and expect a short security line even with a reservation.
Getting in
There are two lines on the square: the walk-up line, which anyone can join, and the reservation line, which moves at the pace of the time slots. The reservation costs nothing and is made on the cathedral’s own site or app; slots are released a day or two ahead and the best ones go fast.
Inside, the route is one way around the nave and ambulatory, past the Crown of Thorns reliquary and the new altar. Forty-five minutes at a walk. The treasury in the sacristy is a separate paid ticket at the door.
The towers are a different visit with a different ticket: 424 steps to the top of the south tower, past the bells and the gargoyles, with the whole of Paris from the top. It is timed, it sells out, and it is not for anyone who has trouble on stairs.
Or do the island with a guide: our private Notre Dame and Latin Quarter tour is two hours from the Saint-Michel fountain, up to five people, the cathedral and the quarter explained as you walk, with a pastry stop on the way.
The visit
The fire of April 15, 2019 took the roof and the spire. The cathedral reopened on December 8, 2024, after five and a half years, with the spire rebuilt to Viollet-le-Duc’s 1859 design, a new oak roof, and the stone inside cleaned to a pale blond most Parisians had never seen.
Walk the nave slowly and look up; the vaults are the new work. The rose windows survived the fire, and the north rose, from the 1250s, is the one to find. The choir stalls and the Virgin of Paris statue against the southeast pillar are originals.
The Crown of Thorns is shown for veneration on the first Friday of the month and every Friday in Lent. The great organ, 8,000 pipes, was cleaned pipe by pipe and plays at the main Sunday mass and at recitals.
If you climb, climb after the cathedral. The tower entrance is separate, on the north side of the cathedral, and so is its line.
When to go
The first hour after opening on a weekday, with a reservation. The square is empty, the light comes through the east windows, and you are out before the groups arrive.
Sunday morning is mass, not a visit; come for the music if you want it, and for the empty aisles after the last service. Thursday evening is the quiet late slot.
Open every day of the year. The square is at its worst on weekend afternoons from April to October and in the week between Christmas and New Year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Notre-Dame free?
Yes. Entry to the cathedral is free, no ticket, every day. The towers and the treasury are paid, separate visits.
Do I need a reservation for Notre-Dame?
No, but get one. The free reservation on the official site or app gives you a time slot and a shorter line. Without it you join the walk-up line, which is short early and late and an hour long in the middle of a weekend.
Can I climb the towers?
Yes, since September 2025. €16, free for EU residents under 26, 424 steps, no lift, timed tickets at tours-notre-dame-de-paris.fr. Book ahead; the day’s slots are usually gone.
How long does Notre-Dame take?
Forty-five minutes inside at a walk, an hour if you sit. Add an hour for the towers, and 20 minutes for the treasury.
Is there a tour that includes Notre-Dame?
Yes, two. The private Notre Dame and Latin Quarter tour is two hours on foot around the island and the quarter. The private Paris in a Day is eight hours with a driver-guide and puts Notre-Dame beside the Louvre and Montmartre in one day.
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