How to Visit Notre Dame Paris Today [Updated 2025]

Notre Dame Visit – Read Before You Go

A quick guide to getting into Notre Dame in Paris, with the latest information, my recent experiences visiting Notre Dame, and insider tips.

Following the 2019 fire, Notre Dame of Paris has been closed to the public. Finally, after 5 years of reconstruction work, Notre Dame Cathedral reopened its doors on December 7, 2024.

Located on Ile de la Cité, Notre Dame Cathedral is Paris’s beating heart and one of the must-visit sites in the capital. Here’s how to visit Notre Dame in Paris based on my recent experiences. I am a local in Paris, and I pass by Notre Dame Cathedral quite often, so the information in this article is always up to date.

Last update: 31 March 2025

Is Notre Dame Open to Visitors?

Notre Dame Cathedral is currently open for individual visitors.

Notre Dame Paris opened its doors on 7-8 December 2024 with the celebration of several events. Finally, Notre Dame in Paris opened its doors for visitors on 9 December 2024.

Notre Dame Cathedral Opening Times 2025: Monday to Friday from 7:50 a.m. (on Thursday, it closes at 10 p.m.) to 7 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 8:15 a.m. to 7:15 p.m.

The busiest days to visit Notre Dame are weekends and holidays. The high season in Paris goes from 1st April to 1 November, during which the crowds will be more intense.

The busiest hours to visit Notre Dame are from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Notre Dame Cathedral’s Treasury Opening Times 2025: Weekdays from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (until 9:00 PM on Thursdays); Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Notre Dame Cathedral’s Towers Opening Times 2025: For the time being, there’s no word on when the tower climbs will resume.

I was one of the first visitors to Notre Dame! When Notre Dame Cathedral opened the reservations on 7 December, I managed to book a time slot for 9 December. I tried some minutes before 9 a.m., which was the first time slot available for visits, and I was put on the waiting list. When I got in, the first time slot available was 4:30 p.m. Five minutes after booking my time slot, everything was sold out for that day!

Do I Need Tickets to Visit Notre Dame?

The visit to Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is free for everybody. When Notre Dame opened in December 2024, getting a ticket was a must for visiting Notre Dame.

Today, there’s a second line to visit Notre Dame for people without tickets. When I passed by Notre Dame in March (still low season, picture above), there was a waiting time of around 30 minutes on this line while there was no line for people with tickets.

Getting a ticket to visit Notre Dame is still a good idea because it will reduce your waiting time considerably, especially during the high season. Keep reading to learn how to get free tickets to Notre Dame, so you skip the longest line!

Beware that Notre Dame has a very strict capacity limit. Those without reservations are the lowest priority and are not guaranteed entrance. If you want to visit Notre Dame Cathedral in July and August (very high season), keep clicking for the latest updates.

GOOD TO KNOW: There’s a fee to visit Notre Dame’s Treasury. This is because the Treasure is managed by the National Monuments while the Cathedral is managed by the Church. You can purchase this ticket to the Treasury inside the Cathedral.

How to Book Notre Dame Tickets for Free

The Cathedral has set up an online booking system that allows visitors to book a time slot up to 2 days in advance, thus limiting the waiting times to visit Notre Dame.

This step is not compulsory anymore, but I still believe booking a free ticket via the website is the best way to visit Notre Dame.

Although there are between 10,000 and 15,000 reservation slots available daily, everything is sold out pretty fast. To secure your tickets, visit the website 2 days before your date of visit, and start trying before 8 a.m.

First, the system will put you on a waiting list to access the booking page. Don’t refresh the page, or you will lose your turn.

On page #1, you will be asked to choose the number of visitors (6 adults maximum).

On page #2, you will be asked the date and time slot of your visit. The days and time slots available to book will appear in blue. You need to do this very fast, and there won’t be much choice, so flexibility is key!

TIP: To give everyone the opportunity to visit Notre Dame with a timed entrance ticket, new visiting hours are regularly made available. For example, on 31 March 2025, at 9:30 a.m., I tried to book a ticket for the day, but there was no availability. Two hours later, I tried again, and I could book for 3:30 p.m.

On page #3 (no screenshot for this page), you will be asked for your data (name, email address, country, telephone number). After a confirmation page, you will receive your free tickets by email.

On the day of the visit, head to the line reserved for ticket holders 5 minutes before your time slot and simply show your ticket to the staff (paper or digital) plus an ID card. And voilà! you are in Notre Dame!

How to Visit Notre Dame Cathedral (+ My Experience Inside Notre Dame)

To visit Notre Dame Cathedral, you’ll need a reservation, or you’ll need to join a long line for people without tickets. Notre Dame has a very strict capacity limit. Those without reservations are the lowest priority and are not guaranteed entrance.

With more than 40,000 visitors a day, I recommend trying to book timed entrance tickets (see above).

There’s the possibility of renting an audio guide inside the Cathedral. The cost is 6€, and it is available in French, English, and Spanish.

Here’s what Notre Dame writes about the visit:

Unlike the visits before the Notre Dame Cathedral reopening, this time, visitors will follow a set itinerary designed to offer a better comprehension of the Cathedral and the Christian faith in general.

Entry will be through the central portal of the Last Judgment; then, visitors will follow a biblical, educational, and symbolic path leading them to life and light. During the visit, visitors will be able to appreciate a new layout of the chapels, new signage, and furniture, as well as admire all the frescoes, paintings, and objects recently restored.

Here’s my experience during my visit to Notre Dame Cathedral on 9 December 2024:

I arrived half an hour before my time slot because I did not know what to expect. There was a long, long line of people without tickets hoping to enter. The staff used the loudspeaker to announce that everything was sold out, so people without tickets could not get in. I just showed the staff my QR code, and I had immediate access even if my ticket was for 30 minutes later.

After a security check, I could cross Notre Dame’s magnificent doors (don’t forget to look at them carefully before entering the cathedral!). There was no set itinerary; people could wander around the cathedral as they pleased. Once in, I could remain as much as I wanted.

I spent three hours visiting the Cathedral, with many breaks for taking pictures.

Read about the Compagnons du Devoir, a secretive brotherhood of craftsmen set up in the Middle Ages. Based in France, the Compagnons du Devoir are among the world’s best craftspeople and have been key for the reconstruction of Notre Dame.

When Can I See the Crown of Thorns?

The relics of the Crown of Thorns consist of a piece of the True Cross and a Nail of the Passion. They are displayed inside Notre Dame Cathedral, more precisely, in the reliquary shrine of the axial chapel (=in the chapel right behind the main altar).

Although the reliquary is always there, the relics are not displayed all the time. This means that if you want to see the Crown of Thorns inside Notre Dame Cathedral, there’s a bit of planning.

The relics of the Crown of Thorns are displayed every Friday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The reliquary is a huge golden disk and has a small window in the center that opens during this time window.

DID YOU KNOW? The return of the Crown of Thorns in Paris in 1239 cost King Louis IX half of France’s yearly budget! By purchasing the relics of the Crown of Thorns, King Louis IX put France in debt for 50 years. When they arrived in Paris, the relics were displayed in the Sainte-Chapelle, an impressive gothic building that was built to host the Crown of Thorns.

Guided Tours of Notre Dame

Given the expected number of visitors, Notre Dame wants to prioritize individual rediscovery. 

Guided group tours will start on 9 June 2025. Notre Dame’s reservation system for groups will launch in April 2025.

Groups will be able to visit the Cathedral for free as well, but audiophone rental will be necessary. Groups must be accompanied by a speaker. Only professional tour guides and teachers will be able to speak inside (= holders of a national speaker card or practicing teacher card).

Free Guided Tours Outside the Cathedral

Volunteer guides offer free guided tours around the Cathedral in French, English, German, and Portuguese at 2:30 p.m.

Tours in French are daily, while tours in other languages have specific days (see tour schedule).

There’s no need for a prior reservation, just be there at the proposed time. The meeting place is in front of the Statue of the Virgin and Child, on the right side of the parvis (forecourt).

When Will Notre Dame Be Finished

Although Notre Dame visits started on 9 December 2024, this doesn’t mean that all the work is finished.

The exterior of the Cathedral’s apse will still be under construction for the next two years, and new stained-glass windows will be installed on the south aisle of the nave. The redevelopment of the surroundings will start in 2025.

For the time being, the Cathedral hasn’t communicated a finish date for all the works.

Back to Homepage