Notre Dame Cathedral

Built between 1163 and 1245 on the Île de la Cité, Notre Dame de Paris is one of the oldest gothic cathedrals in the world. The name of the cathedral in English means 'Our Lady', and it is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin.

During the last eight centuries, the cathedral building has been renovated and restored several times. The most significant renovation took place in 1845 and took twenty-five years to complete. During this restoration, the flying buttresses were replaced, the chapel was restored, statues were added and a new rose window was placed.

Decisive events have taken place in Notre Dame, including the coronation of Napoleón Bonaparte, the beatification of Joan of Arc and the coronation of Henry VI of England.

On the 15th of April 2019, the cathedral suffered a serious fire, causing serious damage to the roof and the needle of the main tower.

The towers of Notre Dame

The cathedral has two towers standing 226 ft (69 metres) tall on its façade. Visitors can climb to the top and, apart from the magnificent views of Paris, you can visit the bell tower, where the Hunchback of Notre Dame lived, and see the cathedral’s multiple gargoyles.

The access to climb the cathedral’s two towers is found on the North Tower (rue du Cloître) and visitors will have to climb 387 steep steps, since the cathedral doesn’t have an elevator.

To skip the sometimes unending lines, we recommend that you download the JeFíle application and reserve an approximate visit time online. Or if you prefer you can also use the machines in the cathedral.

Visiting Notre Dame

Due to the fire which took place in 2019, the Notre Dame Cathedral is closed to the public until reconstruction work is completed. At the moment it is not possible to visit the cathedral, nor the square nearby.

The crypt

Located under the Parvis (medieval square) de Notre-Dame de Paris, the crypt contains historical ruins discovered during construction work in 1965. It was opened in 1980 and visitors can access the crypt from 1 place du Parvis Notre-Dame.

In our opinion, the crypt isn’t worth visiting.