I'd like to climb the towers but only if I don' t have to wait in line for hours to do it.
When/how is the best way to accomplish that? Or should I just resign myself to letting it go and save the time to use elsewhere?
Along the same line, what about the archeological crypt in front of Notre Dame? Is there normally a long line for that?
If you want to climb the towers with no wait then I suggest you go in the off season when crowds are normally less. I've only climbed the towers in June so there's always a line. Even if you get there early before opening and are in the first few people group you'll still have to wait for the tower entrance to actually open. Maybe there are private tours, but I've not seen any.
For the tower, I like to get there 45 minutes before they open. The wait is a bit long, true, but by getting up there first, you can climb up quickly and get up there with only a few other people. I figure I'm not in Paris to sleep.
Seems like no one goes to the crypt and I love it. No lines, not many people in there that I have ever seen. I am usually there in shoulder season - late May, early June, or October.
As far as I know there are no 'skip the line' tours for Notre Dame tower. You go, stand in line, and wait your turn. Best to go early as the other poster said, about 45 min before opening (which I think is 10 am). There was always a line when I walked by but getting there early has the shortest line. They let in 25 people every 15 mins so you can estimate your wait time by how many people are in line ahead of you. I do have to say that it was one of my best experiences in Paris and well worth the wait.
I used tours in the title only because it's the French word for towers, sorry. I wasn't thinking about possible confusion when I wrote it. I may do the 45 minutes early idea, just to get up quickly and see it with fewer people. I don't mind wasting time when there aren't other options.
Thanks,
Brad
I got there at almost exactly 9 AM and there were about a few people in front of me in line. Waited about 55 minutes and was in the first group in. This was in July 2011.
Brad, it doesn't have to be a waste of time. Grab a croissant or crepe and coffee and have your breakfast while waiting in line. And people watching in Paris is never a waste of time.
There is never a line at the Crypte de Notre Dame, and it's a very interesting museum that nobody seems to appreciate. Closed on Mondays and public holidays.
You do have to get to the Towers of Notre Dame before 9 AM, if you're visiting in the busy season. There will be tour groups lining up shortly after that, so you want to avoid them.
I'm not sure that there is a certain number of people allowed up the Towers at any given time. I believe that everyone who went up must come down and be accounted for before more people can go inside - this is for safety reasons.
There are 387 winding, narrow steps to go up, and the same number to go down. You can take a little breather in the gift shop, but If you are not in good shape, or have any medical conditions, you should probably skip it.
I was first one day, in October. You have to wait for them to gradually open when they feel like it, and there was more than one wait as people the next level chokepoint up had to get motivated to start their day. But nice to be there before the crowds.
Hi Brad, we climbed the Towers in May. Got there 45 min before it opened, waited exactly 1 hour. It was worth the wait. I have the most amazing photos up close and personal with the gargoyles! No lines for the crypt. FYI, the Paris Museum Pass covers both attractions. Hope you enjoy your trip!
I'll be there in mid September (to early October). Not massive tourist season but not January either.
Thanks,
Brad
"You have to wait for them to gradually open when they feel like it, ...people the next level chokepoint up had to get motivated to start their day. "
Whoa, sounds like others cramp your style. Pretty judgmental. Are you sure the employees didn't have other things they had to do first, after probably standing in a crowded rush hour metro or RER for an hour to get to work before opening up the tower for more and more tourists who want a selfie with a gargoyle? Have some consideration for those who do this work, please.
We did the climb back in 2012 (Sept 28). Looking at the time stamps on my photos, we got in line about 11 am (we went inside first) and were up top at about 11:45. So we had about a 45 min wait. I made sure we were at the end of the line to the top (you stop in the gift shop first) as I am not the fastest person on stairs and didn't want to be holding people up if I needed to go slow.
(And I'm not sure if I changed the time on my camera when we went from the UK to the rest or Europe, so it could have been 10am - anyways, the wait was about 45 min. Good chance to admire the architecture of the cathedral as well!)
The employees probably had a meeting before they could open the site. Happens a lot more often than you might think.
Fortunately, I am in good enough shape to climb the steps (at least I think so). Anything interesting in the gift shop? I usually skip those.
Thanks,
Brad
First time to France for me. Do the creperies normally have a window open to the street to sell takeaway? If so, grabbing that on the way sounds like a good idea. I'm staying in the Marais, so should be a reasonable walk and likely something before I get to Notre Dame.
Thanks,
Brad
I don't think we found anything interesting in the gift shop, but that's the first stop before they let you go - as a group - up the steps. I believe they are waiting for other people to go down. That was our experience, anyways - you just can't go up on your own.
A gargoyle piggy bank might be nice ;-)
We were there this past May (beginning of the month) and they now have a service that you get a ticket for a return time. We got ours around 12:00 with a return time of 3:15. The tickets were all gone by our entry time. Yes it is 3 hours but we did not have to stand in line (just about 20 minutes for our number to be called). By the time we arrived at 3:15 all entry tickets for the day were gone. We enjoyed our lunch, walking around enjoying the scenery and the people watching.
That is great to hear that they issue tickets to those in line to return later. We haven't done the climb in 20 years and I would love to do it again while I can, barely.
There are some cafes directly across the street from the line that will sell you something to take away, or you can pop into any patisserie between your hotel and the line and provision in advance.
Watch for the line cutters as opening time gets closer.
I hate people who cut the line, reminds me of Virginia drivers.
No meeting, they were there, just didn't get started at opening time, that's all, didn't mean to rile anyone up.
It's easier to cut the line at Notre Dame than some other sights because the line for the tower forms on the sidewalk.
We got there 35 minutes before the opening this past July. My husband went and got breakfast treats and coffees to have while we waited.
There were about 30-40 people ahead of us. One it opened, we were in the second group to go up. Waited between 15-25 minutes. Went up and had a great time viewing the gargoyles, bells and great views.
10 euro per adult, under 18's free.
Did notice one line cutter about 10 persons in front of us. She cut and just wouldn't move. People complained, but nothing happened.
