Reopened in December 2024 after five years of restoration, Notre-Dame de Paris is once again welcoming visitors seven days a week — and the key decisions happen before you arrive: do you need a ticket, a time slot, a guided tour? Here's the short answer, followed by all the detail.
Visiting Notre-Dame: the essentials in 30 seconds
| Question | Quick answer |
|---|---|
| Entry price | €0 — free entry (nave, chapels, ambulatory) |
| Do I need to book? | Not mandatory, but a free time slot booked online saves 30–90 minutes of queuing in high season |
| Opening hours | Daily, roughly 7:50 AM – 7 PM (late opening on Thursdays) — details here |
| Cathedral towers | €16, online ticket mandatory, 424 steps |
| Time to allow | 45 minutes to 1 hour for the nave, +1 hour for the towers |
| Best time to visit | At opening on weekdays, or Thursday after 7 PM |
Sources: the cathedral's official website (notredamedeparis.fr) and the Centre des monuments nationaux. Double-check before your visit — hours shift around religious celebrations.
Where to start?
Tickets & prices
What's free and what isn't: towers (€16), treasury (€6), audio guide, guided tours and discounts.
See prices →Opening hours
Day-by-day opening times, Thursday late opening, Mass times and the best slots to avoid the crowds.
See opening hours →Inside the cathedral
Rose windows, great organ, Pietà, treasury and Crown of Thorns: what to see inside after the restoration.
Explore the interior →Guided tours
Guided tours of the interior and exterior, sunset walks, and combos with Sainte-Chapelle.
Compare tours →
Booking a free time slot: how it works
The cathedral runs a free time-slot reservation system on its official website and app. In practice:
- Slots open 2 days before your visit date, with regular new releases — log on early in the morning for the best choice.
- One reservation covers up to 6 people.
- With a time slot, you use the dedicated lane, which is faster than the walk-up queue.
- Without a reservation, you can still get in via the walk-up queue: expect anywhere from 15 minutes (weekday mornings) to over an hour (weekends, school holidays).
Ticket or guided tour: which should you choose?
Three ways to visit, depending on your time and budget:
- Self-guided visit (€0) — ideal if you simply want to see the restored nave. Book a free time slot and pick up the audio guide (€6) for context.
- Guided tour (from €5) — a guide unpacks the facade, the restoration project and the history; the interior + exterior option (~€35) is the most complete. Comparison here.
- Île de la Cité combos — Notre-Dame + Sainte-Chapelle or the Conciergerie in the same half-day: efficient for a first trip to Paris.
When to come: the simple rule
The cathedral receives around 30,000 visitors a day. For a quiet visit:
- Arrive at opening (7:50 AM on weekdays): morning light in the choir, uncluttered aisles.
- On Thursday evenings the cathedral stays open late: after 7 PM, crowds thin out noticeably.
- Avoid 11 AM – 4 PM, weekends and school holidays if you can — details on the opening hours page.
Eight centuries of history, five years of rebirth
Begun in 1163 under Bishop Maurice de Sully and largely completed around 1345, Notre-Dame witnessed Napoleon's coronation (1804), inspired Victor Hugo (1831) and carries Viollet-le-Duc's spire, rebuilt exactly as it was after the fire of 15 April 2019. The restoration — nearly 2,000 oak trees for the roof frame, €846 million in donations — culminated in the reopening on 7–8 December 2024. The towers reopened in September 2025 with a brand-new visitor route.
Today the cathedral is at once a working parish church (daily Masses), the most visited monument in France and a Gothic masterpiece inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list as part of the "Banks of the Seine in Paris".
How to get there
Notre-Dame stands on the Île de la Cité, at the exact centre of Paris (the kilometre-zero marker of France's roads is on the parvis):
- Metro: Cité (line 4), a 3-minute walk; Saint-Michel (line 4) and Hôtel de Ville (lines 1, 11) less than 10 minutes away.
- RER: Saint-Michel – Notre-Dame (RER B and C), "Notre-Dame" exit.
- Bus: lines 21, 38, 47, 85 and 96 stop close by.
- On foot: 10 minutes from the Louvre along the riverbanks, 15 minutes from the Marais or the Latin Quarter.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a ticket to enter Notre-Dame de Paris?
No. Entry to the cathedral is free, with no ticket required. You can reserve a free time slot on the official website to use the dedicated lane, but you can still get in via the walk-up queue.
How much does it cost to visit Notre-Dame?
The nave is free. Paid areas: towers €16, treasury €6, audio guide €6. Commercial guided tours start at around €5 (exterior) and €35 (interior + exterior).
How do I reserve a time slot for Notre-Dame?
On the cathedral's official website or its app, free of charge. Slots open 2 days in advance and go fast in high season — log on in the morning.
Can you visit Notre-Dame without a reservation?
Yes, via the walk-up queue. Early on weekday mornings the wait is often under 20 minutes; on weekends and at midday it can exceed an hour.
Are the Notre-Dame towers open?
Yes, since September 2025. Access (424 steps, no lift) costs €16 and must be booked online only, through the Centre des monuments nationaux.
How long does a visit to Notre-Dame take?
Allow 45 minutes to 1 hour for the interior, around 50 minutes for the towers, and half a day if you add a guided tour and the treasury.