Notre-Dame de Paris – Everything You Need to Know to Visit in 2025!

Notre-Dame de Paris Location

The Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral is located on the Île de la Cité, on the eastern part of the island.

The Île de la Cité is a unique place in Paris, a small island in the middle of the Seine River. Although small, there’s a lot to discover on it, like the wonderful Sainte-Chapelle, the Crypt, the Conciergerie, the nice garden around Notre-Dame, and more. 

Definitely one of the best places to start for a weekend in Paris!

How to Get to Notre-Dame de Paris

You have a few options to get to the cathedral.

I advise against driving to it, as there are only a few parking spots in the area and you’ll probably end up driving around for a while before finding where to park your car. And also, parking is very expensive in Paris.

One of the best ways to get around Paris is definitely with the metro system. With that being said, you can either:

• take the train – RER C to Saint-Michel-Notre Dame or metro 4 to Cité or line 1 to Hôtel de Ville
• rent a bike or scooter
• walk from nearby places, such as the Louvre or the Panthéon

Make sure you download an offline map of Paris in Google Maps while connected to the wifi, this will allow you to use your GPS even with no internet connection!

Best Facts About Notre-Dame de Paris

Here are some interesting facts you can tell your friends or family when visiting Notre-Dame de Paris that will make you the cool gal/guy?

• It took almost 200 years to build the Cathedral – from 1163 to 1350! 
• The largest bell (Emmanuel Bell) weighs 13 tons (28,000 pounds)!
• Before the 2019 fire, more than 13 million people visited the cathedral every year, making it the most visited French monument. Following its reopening in December 2024, the cathedral expects to welcome even more visitors, about 15 million people every year. 
• The cathedral is not only a national monument, it’s an active Catholic church.
• There are 422 steps to climb to reach the top of the towers
• The restoration effort after the 2019 fire brought together about 1,000 artisans from all over the world! 
• During the reconstruction, archaeologists found hidden treasures under Notre-Dame, including statues, tombs, and a 14th-century lead sarcophagus.

Want more facts? Check out these 86 fun facts about Paris!

The Visit & What to Expect

If you’re only spending 2 days in Paris, Notre-Dame de Paris is definitely a must-visit.

Your visit will actually be divided into 3 main parts: seeing the cathedral from the outside before entering, then visiting the cathedral, and then climbing to the top and inside the towers.

Notre-Dame de Paris From the Outside

The photos in this post were taken before the 2019 fire and reconstruction.

Even after living in Paris for so many years, and having seen Notre-Dame so many times, it always strikes me how massive the cathedral really is.

When you head to visit it, you’ll see it from far away, with the two big towers emerging over the rooftops of the city.

When you finally get to the Île de la Cité and stand right in front of it, Notre-Dame de Paris seems so much bigger than it was from afar. It’s imposing.

Aside from its size, the cathedral is surprising in many other ways. Take the time to go up close to the main entry, and look at all of the delicate details you will find.

It has always baffled me to think how long it must have taken to carve all of these sumptuous sculptures.

They are all over Notre-Dame, and despite not noticing them at first, when you do notice them, you’ll find yourself spending so much time watching in awe.

After a while, you’ll have seen most of the sculptures on the main side of the facade.

You are now ready to move on to the second part of the visit: inside the cathedral.

Inside the Cathedral

When you step inside the cathedral, you feel transported to a different place.

The silence and ambient calm are so relaxing for the mind, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Be respectful when you step inside, as it’s a place of worship. Take off your hat and keep quiet. There will probably be other people praying on the benches, so try to respect their privacy.

I didn’t take many pictures inside, as I didn’t feel like disturbing the place with my huge camera and loud shutter noise.

All I can say is that it looks just as amazing from the inside as it does from the outside.

Now that you’ve seen Notre-Dame de Paris from both the outside and the inside, there’s one part of the visit left: climbing to the top!

Towers of Notre-Dame de Paris

The towers are still closed for now due to construction, but they’re expected to reopen by summer 2025.

When facing the main entrance of the cathedral, go to the left side, and you’ll find another entrance: the towers entrance.

Make sure you’ve booked your spot or you won’t be able to enter. Learn more about this below.

After entering, and climbing a few steps, you’ll be in a huge room, where you’ll wait for the next visit to start.

The room itself is beautiful, with a high ceiling and paintings on the walls. There is also a book with beautiful pictures of Notre-Dame and historical information, that I found pretty neat!

When everyone is ready, usually 5 minutes after stepping into the big room, you’ll be able to start the climb.

The first climb will take you to the gargoyle level. You can walk on the balcony, and go around Notre-Dame. This is where you’ll see the iconic view of the Eiffel Tower with the gargoyle in front of it.

Since 2018, safety nets have been installed in front of the balcony, making it harder to take good photos.

If you take photos with your phone, you will be fine, you can put your phone through the holes in the net to take the pictures.

For camera users, use a longer lens (>85mm), and a wide aperture (below f/2.8) to make the net disappear.

On this level, there is a small door that will take you inside the tower, and up to the bell! Look for it, and make your way inside.

Inside the tower, you’ll find a wooden staircase: be careful, it’s very steep!

Up the stairs is the big bell, and it’s pretty impressive to see. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near that thing when it rings.

Well, that was incredible, right? So much to see up the towers of Notre-Dame de Paris. But wait, there’s more!

When you’re ready to go, you can move on to the next and last part of the visit. Follow the « exit » signs, and wait in front of the security line.

After a few minutes, someone will come to open the line, and you’ll be able to go back down. Or you could go up.

I would advise going up.

By climbing up the last stairs of Notre Dame de Paris, you’ll be at the very top of the cathedral. This is where you’ll have the best view!

On top of the tower, you’ll have an impressive 360° view of Paris. How many monuments can you name?

It’s also pretty interesting to be high above Notre-Dame, as you can see details that you wouldn’t see from the ground, such as beautiful statues and ornaments.

After this, the visit is over. You can go back down, using the small stone staircase.

I bet you’ll feel dizzy when reaching the ground after spinning down the 422 steps!

Notre-Dame de Paris Tickets

The entrance to Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral is free.

That said, you should book a slot on the platform to skip long waits. 30-minute slots are available the day before, the day before, and the day of your visit.

Without booking, you can still get in, but with the risk of a longer queue, especially during busy periods. 

Regarding the entrance to Notre-Dame Towers used to be charged, so expect the same when the tours are reopened.

Notre-Dame de Paris Opening Hours

Notre-Dame de Paris is one of the French monuments that is open the most. You can visit every day of the year, as it never closes.

Here are the opening hours: 

• Monday to Friday – 7.50 am to 7 pm (until 10 pm on Thursday)
• Saturday and Sunday – 8.15 am to 7:30 pm
• Closing days: The cathedral is open all year, every day

There are 3 daily Masses at 8:30 am, 12 pm, and 6 pm. Visitor access is paused during services. And there’s a separate entrance for those attending Mass.

Best Tips For Visiting Notre Dame

Here are a few tips for you to help you make the most out of your visit: 

• No luggage is allowed in the cathedral. If you have a suitcase or bulky bag with you and still want to visit, you can leave your bags in lockers around the city
• Right in front of Notre-Dame de Paris is the « point zero » or « point zero des routes de France »: that’s the very center of Paris!
• Booking opens early in the morning, so set your alarm for two days before your visit to grab a spot for the first or last time slots. You’ll deal with shorter lines, fewer people in your photos, and a much better experience!
• If you come before 2 pm and after 5 pm, you shouldn’t wait more than twenty minutes. Sometimes not at all. But if you can, avoid weekends when the crowds are the craziest. 

What to Visit Next?

After your visit to Notre-Dame de Paris, there are a few things to visit in the same area! Right next to the cathedral, you’ll find:

• Sainte-Chapelle du Palais
• La Conciergerie
• The Pont-Neuf – Paris Oldest Bridge

Check all my Paris travel guides here.
 

I hope this guide helped you in planning your visit, and that you’ll enjoy your time there 🙂

If you post photos from the place on Instagram, make sure to tag them with #kevmrc so that I can see them!