Notre-Dame de Paris

Notre-Dame de Paris is the cathedral of the archbishop of Paris, standing on the Île de la Cité in the middle of the Seine. Construction began in 1163 under Bishop Maurice de Sully and continued for nearly two centuries, producing a landmark of early and High Gothic architecture. Its west facade, with two square towers and three deep portals, the great rose windows and the flying buttresses around the apse made it a model for cathedral building across Europe.

The cathedral has been at the centre of French history for centuries. Napoleon crowned himself emperor here in 1804, and in the nineteenth century Victor Hugo's novel Notre-Dame de Paris helped save the building from neglect, inspiring a major restoration led by the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, who added the spire and many of the gargoyles and chimeras that crouch on the towers. The interior holds the choir with its carved stalls, the side chapels, the sculpture of the choir screen and an extraordinary treasury of liturgical objects.

On 15 April 2019 a fire destroyed the roof frame and the spire and caused part of the vault to collapse, and the world watched as the towers survived. A vast restoration followed, with carpenters, stonemasons, glassmakers and organ builders working for years, and the cathedral reopened in December 2024. Visitors today see a clean and bright interior, with the stone cleaned to a pale honey colour, the vaults repaired and the stained glass and paintings restored. The new lighting and layout make the building feel almost as it must have looked when it was first completed.

Entry to the cathedral is free, and reserving a time slot through the official website or app is recommended to avoid queues. The Treasury, with precious reliquaries and vestments, and the climb to the Towers, with their close-up views of the gargoyles and over Paris, require separate tickets. The Crown of Thorns, one of the most revered relics, is shown on certain Fridays. It is still an active church: masses, confessions and sacred music concerts, notably the Musique Sacrée summer series, are held regularly; services are also broadcast live on the Catholic channel KTO, and visitors are asked to respect services and keep voices low.

For a calmer visit, arrive early in the morning or near closing. The square in front, the Parvis, and the nearby Conciergerie and Sainte-Chapelle make a natural walk on the Île de la Cité, and the Seine's banks and the bookstalls of the bouquinistes are close by.