Our Visit To Notre-Dame de Paris

Notre-Dame de Paris is an iconic sight of the city. This is a medieval Catholic cathedral which is one of the most famous in the world. Notre-Dame de Paris takes its beginning in 1160 when the first stone for this grand cathedral was laid. The cathedral was finished in a hundred years in 1260. Can you imagine that a hundred years was needed to build this amazing piece of architecture? Although since then the cathedral has been rebuilt many times.

Notre-Dame de Paris is a great example of French Gothic architecture. The highlights of the cathedral are large stained-glass windows called “rose windows”.

The cathedral gained extreme international recognition after the famous writer Victor Hugo wrote his novel “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame” in 1831. Since then the popularity and the number of visitors has grown drastically. In 2018 the cathedral was visited by 12 million people, which made it the most visited sight in Paris. Two of those visitors were Cody and me.

While travelling in France and staying for some time in Paris, Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral was the first iconic sight we visited, even before the Eiffel Tower or the palace of Versailles. As probably most tourists, I was driven to the cathedral not because of my religion believes, but because of its beauty and the mystery that Victor Hugo created around this place.

When we got to Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral around 10 AM the square in front of the cathedral was packed with tourists. I suggest taking a moment and look at the façade of the cathedral. Every small statue carved out of stone is so detailed and every gargoyle is amazing.

The entrance to the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral is free. And the line (at least in the morning) is not that long. Cody and I waited less than 10 minutes to get inside. To visit the cathedral itself you need around 30 minutes, but of course, you can stay longer if you want.

There is a possibility to climb up the towers to have a look from above and enjoy the view of the city. The entrance to the towers cost 10€, but you need a reservation to enter the towers. I suggest going and book a time before exploring the cathedral and at the end of the visit you can get up the towers. You also can book the ticket to enter the top of the cathedral on the app “JeFile” and pick up the ticket at the entrance once you are at the cathedral.

The cathedral is absolutely beautiful from inside and outside. A must-visit place for everyone, especially for those who enjoy architecture and history. I suggest walking around the cathedral to get to the back courtyard with a few benches and a small garden. Surprisingly, we didn’t see many tourists in this garden.

On April 15 in 2019 a tragedy has happened. The spire and the roof of the Notre-Dame de Paris caught fire. Luckily, the fire did not destroy the rose windows, however it damaged a big part of the roof.

The cathedral had to be closed for the renovation. The French president Emmanuel Macron said that Notre-Dame de Paris will be open in 5 years after completing the renovation.

So, while it is closed, tourists can see it just from outside and hope that everything goes according the plan and it will be open in 2024.

Key Information:

Hours: temporarily closed due to the renovation after the fire in 2019.

Price: before the fire the entrance to the cathedral was free and the entrance to the top of the cathedral cost 10€ (for people younger than 18 years old or for those who are citizens of EU and younger than 25 years old is 8 €);

Location: 6 Paris Notre-Dame – Pl. Jean-Paul II, 75004 Paris, France.

Our Visit To Notre-Dame de Paris