Notre-Dame Cathedral is Open: Here’s the Best Way to Visit this Medieval Jewel and Its Neighborhood | ShermansTravel
Notre-Dame Cathedral is Open: Here’s the Best Way to Visit this Medieval Jewel and Its Neighborhood
Emily Monaco | December 3, 2024
Getty Images/f11photo
Five years after the devastating fire that reduced Notre-Dame de Paris’ spire to ash, rebuilding has nearly finished. The 13th-century “forest” of oak supporting the roof has been replaced with a hand-built replica; the northern tower’s eight bells were restored by one of the country’s only two remaining specialist foundries. And of course, the emblematic spire added by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th-century renovation has been entirely rebuilt. The cathedral is primed to reopen to the public on December 8, the feast day of the Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. But this doesn’t necessarily mean business as usual for Paris’ most famous place of worship.
Despite opening its doors to visitors, work will likely continue until 2027 or even 2028. Opening ceremonies beginning on December 7 will last through December 18, with regular concerts continuing through June. And since the cathedral expects to welcome more visitors than ever before, new access protocols will be put into place.
Here’s everything you need to know about seeing the cathedral now and in the months to come — plus, the best ways to experience the surrounding Ile de la Cité and Latin Quarter neighborhoods.
A Few New Additions
Credit: Courtesy of Arnaud Sabatier
The restoration was an opportunity for centuries worth of dust and dirt to be cleaned from the cathedral’s walls, frescoes, tiled floors, and more than 2,000 statues and bas-reliefs. The natural light invited into the space by virtue of its Gothic architecture is now supported by a new lighting system, and the treasured Crown of Thorns will be better showcased against the blue backdrop at the heart of a new stone, cedar, and glass reliquary (a container designed to hold sacred relics) designed by the Bordelais Sylvain Dubuisson.
Other contemporary artists and artisans have lent their expertise, with French designer Guillaume Bardet crafting a bronze font, altar, and cathedra (bishop's throne); new oak chairs for the faithful were designed by Ionna Vautrin, also a French designer. A new free app for IOS and Android will offer five different circuits to visitors, including a general visit, a religious visit, and one specially designed for kids. These circuits naturally progress from Old Testament to New and from “the darkness of the north to the light of the south,” Olivier Josse, secretary general for the cathedral, told .
Visitors to Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia may find some familiarity in the future of Notre-Dame, for despite its opening, work on the cathedral is not expected to finish for another three to four years. Still to come are contemporary stained-glass windows, commissioned to replace those added to six southern chapels in the 19th century. A new outdoor pedestrian area designed by Belgian landscape gardener Bas Smets will eradicate parking spaces between the cathedral and the Memorial to Martyrs of the Deportation in favor of a pedestrian promenade.
Accessing Notre-Dame
Credit: Getty Images/instamatics
Before the fire, approximately 10 million people visited Notre-Dame each year. Moving forward, 14 to 15 million visitors are expected annually. To cap visitors at 2,500 at a time, the cathedral has launched a system of timed tickets, which can be booked online a few days in advance. Despite rumors to the contrary — and the circulation of fake tickets online — the cathedral has confirmed that these tickets will be free.
Visitors who do not have a ticket will not be turned away, though estimated wait times for ticketless visitors are expected to exceed two hours.
Notre-Dame reopened to visits from individual members of the public on the evening of December 8 with special hours. From the 16 of December onwards, the cathedral will be open at its usual hours: from 7:45 a.m. to 7 p.m., with Masses celebrated at 8 a.m., 12 p.m., and 6 p.m. on weekdays; 8:30 a.m., 12 p.m., and 6 p.m. on Saturdays; and at 8:30 am, 10 a.m. (in Latin), 11:30 a.m., and 6 p.m. on Sundays and feast days.
The cathedral will not be accessible to group tours until June 9, though groups of pilgrims will be welcomed beginning February 1.
The Best Views of the Cathedral
Credit: Getty Images/Givaga
Grab a seat on the terrace of The Shakespeare and Company Café (37, rue de la Bûcherie) for a phenomenal view of the southern tower (and a slice of lemon pie), or slip down rue du Petit Pont for an artisanal cream puff at Odette (77, rue Galande), where the terrace offers a unique perspective of the cathedral looming over the picturesque cobbled street. You’ll get an astounding view of the back of the cathedral from the 9th floor rooftop of the Institut du Monde Arabe (1, rue des Fosses Saint-Bernard), while the façade is nowhere more magnificent than from the decks of one of Paris’ classic Bâteaux Mouches.
Free views abound as well. Perhaps the best one is from Pont de la Tournelle, showcasing the new spire surrounded by the 19th-century statues of the Apostles and Evangelists, which had serendipitously been removed for cleaning just days before the fire.
Ile de la Cité and the Latin Quarter
Credit: Getty Images/Dovapi
Notre-Dame sits on Ile de la Cité, an island also home to Sainte-Chapelle. The chapel built by Louis IX to house the relics of the Passion is renowned for its incredible stained-glass windows, including the western rose window of the Apocalypse. Stroll through the Flower Market on Place Louis Lépine, which on Sundays transforms into an exotic bird market, and pay a visit to the powerful Mémorial des Martyrs de la Déportation at the tip of the island.
When lunchtime beckons, grab a quick bite at La Parisienne (52, boulevard Saint-Germain), home to some of Paris’ best sandwiches, with generous fillings stuffed into Paris’ official Best Baguette of 2016. At Au Bougnat (26 rue Chanoinesse), a criminally reasonable prix-fixe lunch joins an ever-changing à la carte menu of classic fare like slow-simmered beef bourguignon or goat cheese salad, all served in a quaint dining room beneath exposed beams, while Bistro des Lettres (52, boulevard Saint-Germain) is a neighborhood newcomer with a truly phenomenal roast chicken and house-made fries.
Come evening, grab a glass of wine and dig into an assortment of cheese and charcuterie with weekend apéro at wine shop Merci Vigneron (38, rue Monge), or do it up right with a meal at Michelin-starred La Tour d’Argent (15, quai de la Tournelle), perhaps as famous for its duck à la presse and storied wine cellar as for its top-floor views of the cathedral.
Where to Stay
Credit: Courtesy of Maison Colbert Meliá
The Latin Quarter is known for boutique hotels like Villa Pantheon (41, rue des Ecoles), a cozy, refined option with a lobby bar of dark wood and green marble. The peaceful rooms at Maison Colbert Meliá Collection (7, rue de l’Hôtel Colbert) are arranged around a 16th-century courtyard; some rooms boast views of the cathedral just steps away.
At the Hôtel Saint-Louis en l’Isle (75, rue Saint Louis en L’Ile), details like a vaulted stone breakfast room or exposed beams are joined by sumptuous touches of velvet and leather, and some rooms boast balconies with cathedral views.
A bit further afield, just steps from Place Vendôme, Castille Paris is offering a full Notre-Dame package to guests, including transport to and from the cathedral and access to a mini exhibition of four exclusive photographs taken by Patrick Zachmann, the only photographer granted access to the restoration site.
