Louvre and Notre Dame entrance May

I will be doing this same thing in April. I have sort of been practicing to see what happens 2 days ahead for ND and it's not good. Tickets seem to go immediately. I am in the US (MT) so try to access the ND site soon after the tickets supposedly are available. Actually hoping things calm down in the next month of so.

The Lourve-tickets are available. I will be there the first Friday in April when they stay open till 9pm. Tickets are free after 6pm and like you have been there numerous times before so trying to capture a free ticket. But they too are only available a day or two before for the free entry. Again will try a practice run for March and if not successful, will just buy a ticket for 530 which is the latest time slot available.

Is it accurate that Notre Dame entrance tickets are only available two days before a visit?

Yes

There are several threads on this topic on the Forum discussing people's experiences recently

Hi! For Notre Dame, yes, time slots can only be reserved for dates up to 2 days in advance. Time slots can be reserved on Notre Dame’s official free online reservation system: https://resa.notredamedeparis.fr/fr/reservationindividuelle/tickets

• The first batch of new time slots is released at midnight (Paris time), for the date 2 days ahead. For example: At midnight (Paris time) on April 1st, time slots are released for April 3rd. Any dates beyond April 3rd will automatically be greyed out/appear to be full. This first batch can fill up within ~20 minutes of being released, so I recommend opening the reservation system around 11:50pm. For the fastest connection, I recommend accessing it on your computer using Chrome.
• New/additional "same day" time slots are released 4 hours in advance. For example: At 5:00am (Paris time), new time slots are released for 9:00am for that same day. At 5:30am, new time slots are released for 9:30am, etc. However, there are certain hours when no time slots are ever offered (see below), therefore no new time slots are released 4 hours in advance of those hours. For example: No time slots are offered for 12:00pm, therefore no new time slots will be released at 8:00am. The availability of these time slots is based on the planned and/or current capacity available inside the cathedral, and are not guaranteed.
• New/additional "spontaneous" time slots are released sporadically throughout the day. The availability of these time slots is based on the current capacity available inside the cathedral, and are not guaranteed.

Time slots are offered in 15 minute intervals (as of February 12th), instead of the previous 30 minute intervals. This change is meant to help spread out the flow of visitors coming in/out, but it doesn't mean that you're limited to only 15 minutes to visit!

• Monday to Thursday & Saturday, time slots are usually offered between 9:00am and 11:15am and between 1:00pm and 4:15pm. On Thursday, additional time slots are usually offered between 7:00pm and 9:15pm.
• On Friday, time slots are usually offered between 9:00am and 11:15am.
• On Sunday, time slots are usually offered between 1:00pm and 3:15pm.

As noted above, there's certain days/times of the day when there's no time slots offered. This is because there's no time slots offered during Mass/liturgical services. Visitors are still allowed to enter during Mass/liturgical services, but priority entrance is given to those attending Mass/liturgical services. During Mass/liturgical services, the front section of the Nave (the centre) and the crossing of the Transept are closed to visitors. Occasionally, there may be other miscellaneous times of the day during certain days when there's no time slots offered if there's a special event/celebration.

Reservations are not required, but are strongly recommended. Since you'll be visiting in May when crowds will be increasing, and if visiting Notre Dame is super important to you, it's better to reserve a time slot just in case, or else you could be waiting up to 3 hours with the risk that you won't be allowed to enter. Notre Dame has a very strict capacity limit. Those without reservations are the lowest priority, and are not guaranteed entrance. The wait time varies significantly, between no wait time and up to 3 hours, depending on the combination of: the season, the day of the week, the time of day, and if there's any liturgical services happening at that time.

A few important notes!

• Only reserve time slots directly on Notre Dame's official online reservation system. Reservations/time slots obtained from anywhere else are not are real/valid, and will not be accepted at entry.
• Do not purchase tickets from any 3rd party. It's always free to visit the main floor of Notre Dame and/or to attend Mass/liturgical services.
• No guided tours/tour groups are allowed inside Notre Dame before June 9th.

Thank you Emily, for the link and the detailed response. That was extremely helpful. We will be visiting late September. It seems to me the chances of free tickets are slim, so unless you are willing to wait hours, the only way to secure an entry is a tour.

For the Louvre, just keep watching the official ticketing website. You'll see when your days are added. Today, 2/22, booking is open thru April 30.

https://ticket.louvre.fr/en

When faced with trying to get tickets to many cathedrals, we just attend Mass. it takes a lotta stress off my planning.

I’m in Paris right now. I’ve had no luck snagging a reservation ticket.

On Wednesday afternoon 2pm the line for those without a reservation was very long but it appeared to move quickly. I did not wait.

On Thursday morning I arrived at 745 for 800 Mass. there were several hundred people at most and we went right in. It was an extraordinary experience and you are able to look around the cathedral after Mass. I left around 930 and the no-reservation line was very short… minimal waiting. Security is very efficient.

I hope this might be helpful. The restoration is a remarkable and is a tribute to the people of France.

Thank you Emily, for the link and the detailed response. That was extremely helpful. We will be visiting late September. It seems to me the chances of free tickets are slim, so unless you are willing to wait hours, the only way to secure an entry is a tour.

You're welcome, Lulu348!

Getting tickets/time slots is mostly dependant on aligning the timing of when they're released and when you're online to reserve them. Things might change after June 8th (the official end of the reopening celebrations) but that's still TBC at the moment.

If you're visiting without a reserved time slot, I would recommend visiting between Monday-Thursday. And if you're available to go later in the day, Notre Dame is open late/until 10:00pm on Thursday nights, and it's quieter after 7:00pm!

The morning is also quieter, but there's a few caveats....Notre Dame opens at 7:50am on weekdays and at 8:15am on weekends. However, the first available time slot is at 9:00am. This is because Morning Mass is at 8:00am (8:30am on weekends), and no visitor time slots are offered during Mass or other liturgical services. Visitors are still allowed to enter before 9:00am/during Mass/other liturgical services using the "Free/open entry without reservations" queue, but priority entrance is first given to those attending Mass/liturgical services, then visitors are allowed to enter. During Mass/liturgical services, the front section of the Nave (the centre) and the crossing of the Transept are closed to visitors.

If you're visiting in the morning without a reserved time slot, I would recommend visting between 9:00am and 10:00am, so that you'll be able to see everything, and still beat the heavy crowds!

I was at Notre Dame in December, a week after it opened. We were unable to secure tickets using the reservation system. However, we went when the doors opened (that was 7:45 am for us) and there was no line. Just go early and enjoy the peacefulness.
I also had trouble getting tickets tot he Louvre. We skipped it in December. When we went in July 2022, we opted to book a small group tour who secured the tickets. Worth the money.

Tell me more about attending mass. I couldn't figure out what to do on the website. Is there a special line? Do you still need to reserve a time slot? I'm not interested in the 8 am mass, but I would like to attend at 12 or 6 or any of the Sunday masses. Bonus points if you can recommend a particular mass setting.

MJinNC,
There is a separate line for those attending mass. I have been to mass there before, prior to the fire, of course. It is not a concert or show. It is a religious celebration. I have never felt it important to get a "good" seat for the "best view". Mass is mass. Anyone attending should know that this is part of the Catholic faith. Just as I removed my shoes and wore a head covering to respectfully visit the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul, and didn't go there during prayer times, I would hope non-Catholics attending mass in a Catholic church would respect the service. Going to mass shouldn't be a short-cut "skip the line" tactic.
I remember at St.Peter's in Rome in 1998, where a mass is almost always going on at one or the other of the many chapels within, some tourists gawking and noisily taking photos of a funerary remembrance mass at a small chapel on the side of the nave. They even pulled aside a privacy screen. How sad for the family to be the object of curiosity at that time!
I hope everyone visiting Notre Dame, and any of the others churches, temples, synagogues and mosques during their travels will show respect for those who worship therein.
Just my deux centimes. I hope I haven't been too strident, but this is an important topic for us all to remember. Thanks, all.

Perhaps I have used the wrong word. By setting I meant the format of the mass. For example from the Notre Dame website for Sunday the service schedule is "10:00 AM – Gregorian Mass 11:30 AM – Mass 5:15 PM – Vespers 6:00 PM – Diocesan Mass." The daily masses are listed as "angelus and mass." Just wondering if someone has found one or the other particularly moving or OTOH long and boring. I would be attending with my husband. We are both familiar with the liturgy in English and I speak intermediate French, so we should be able to follow along. Full disclosure, we are both lapsed Catholics and I attend the Lutheran church, so we won't partake in the Eucharist, but we are both Christian and know how to be respectful during the worship service.

@MJ in NC- You can see the services (both Mass and the other Offices of the day) at Notre Dame live (or afterwards) on this You Tube Channel-https://www.youtube.com/@ktotv/streams

If I was attending Gregorian Mass I would expect a Mass set to Gregorian Chant (that is unaccompanied plainsong) with congregational hymn singing.

The weekday Angelus and Mass at 8, noon and 6 I would be expecting to be said services of 30 to 45 minutes duration. On the ND website it says that 8am is the first service daily but the You Tube broadcasts show that it is preceded by the Office of Lauds at 7.25am and that the 3pm Rosary is actually at 3.30 pm.

Emily of Notre Dame (above) has said elsewhere on the forum that there are separate lines for worshippers, as opposed to tourists.

The Angelus is a prayer service held at noon. It takes about 15 minutes, and would be followed by the mass. I am guessing mass would be 45 minutes. The time is often variable based on how many persons receive communion. When we went to mass at St. Sulpice in 2023, it was on Pentecost, and there were confirmations, so it took about 2 hours all told. I'm sure it won't take that long, even on a Sunday. I find that Lutheran and Catholic services have much in common, so even with it being in French, you will probably recognize parts of the service. To be honest, I would opt for the Gregorian mass, as Gregorian chant is beautiful and very fitting for Notre Dame.'s medieval architecture. The Diocesan mass means just regular mass, without any particular type of music. It is possible that there may not be a choir, although a cantor will undoubtedly be there to sing certain calls for responses.

MJinNC, I apologize for misreading your earlier question. Have a wonderful time in Paris and at Notre Dame!

Tell me more about attending mass. I couldn't figure out what to do on the website. Is there a special line? Do you still need to reserve a time slot? I'm not interested in the 8 am mass, but I would like to attend at 12 or 6 or any of the Sunday masses. Bonus points if you can recommend a particular mass setting [...] By setting I meant the format of the mass. For example from the Notre Dame website for Sunday the service schedule is "10:00 AM – Gregorian Mass 11:30 AM – Mass 5:15 PM – Vespers 6:00 PM – Diocesan Mass."

Emily of Notre Dame (above) has said elsewhere on the forum that there are separate lines for worshippers, as opposed to tourists.

Hi MJinNC and isn31c!

No reservations/time slots are needed to attend Mass or other liturgical services. There is a separate queue for those attending Mass/services marked "Mass access only". Entrance is still subject to the available capacity inside the cathedral. A maximum of 1,500 people can be seated for Mass/services. Mass is typically between 40-45 minutes on ordinary days, and between 1-1.5 hours on liturgical holidays/for special celebrations.

FYI, Morning Mass during the week and on Saturday doesn't include the Notre Dame de Paris Choir.

If you attend Morning or Afternoon Mass, you can stay and visit the rest of the main floor of the cathedral without having to reserve a time slot. Evening Mass runs right until closing, so there isn't time to visit the rest of the main floor of the cathedral after Evening Mass (except on Thursday when Notre Dame is open until 10:00pm).

Gregorian Mass on Sunday at 10:00am is in Latin and includes Gregorian Chants, and the Diocesan Mass on Sunday at 6:00pm is led by a Bishop, or occasionally, by the Archbishop of Paris.

You can find the texts for the Mass, Lauds and Vespers for each day here- https://www.aelf.org/

My browser automatically translates them into English.

It is also useful that you have the texts of the other Monastic Offices of the day as well.