I see in Ricks book that there's a free tour of Notre Dame some afternoons but there's always a huge line to get into the cathedral. Do I have to stand in line in the square to get in for the free tour?
Posted by
Fort Wayne, IN, USA
2349 posts
The line may be long but it moves very quickly. Like at a walking pace. I've never been in line more than 10 minutes. I don't know about the free tour. Just don't be scared off by the line.
Posted by
Glen Ellyn - Chicago Western Suburbs, IL, USA
20 posts
Carol, we did the free tour on our last trip and it was great. Check on line at the Notre Dame website as it shows the times they are offered in various languages. There are tours going on in the cathedral with private tour companies all the time but the free one is best. Becasue the "free" guides are docents of the cathedral, they get access to a very special area that paid tours do not. Our guide took us through locked gates, of which he had the key, to a secondary altar behind the main one where mass is celebrated. That was the spot where Napoleon crowned himself emperor. It made us feel smart that we followed Rick's info for the free tour since the paid ones did not get to see this very historical place.
Posted by
OP
Tillsonburg, Ontario, Canada
161 posts
Thanks for your responses.
On the Notre Dame website, I couldn't see any info on free tours. When i searched for Notre Dame Paris free tours, I found several links but couldn't open any of them. Any suggestions?
I'd like to check -
1. If the times for the English tours are correctly listed in the RS book: Wed and Thurs at 2 pm and Sat and Sun at 230 pm (we'll be there third week of September)
2. Do we need to reserve in advance?
3. Where do we meet?
Thanks for your help.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
I think this page has what you need, plus see the calendar view: http://www.notredamedeparis.fr/spip.php%3Farticle1683.html.