Norte Dame Tickets

Please don't encourage scalpers buy buying from them. Do a search here about getting tickets to visit Notre Dame, to get honest and reliable info about visiting the church. There are numerous threads. Put in "Notre Dame tickets" in the search bar above, then filter for "forum" and 6 months or less. You will find tons of info to answer your questions. You are not the first seeking these answers. And you will find that a"skip the line" bait is often just that...bait. (n.b. It is Notre Dame...Our Lady...not THE Notre Dame)

Judy, l did all of that. No good answers, hence this post.

Hi Ttay!

I completely understand wanting to visiting Notre Dame and being worried about not being able to secure a time slot in advance. Since you'll be visiting in May and the crowds will be increasing by then, you are correct that it's best to reserve a time slot in advance.

However, please do not purchase tickets. It's always free to visit Notre Dame (except for the treasury, the archaeological crypt and the bell towers, since they are considered museums and are separate the main floor of the cathedral) and/or to attend Mass and liturgical services. Any company who is selling tickets is not authorized to do so. Only reservations/time slots obtained from Notre Dame’s official reservation system (https://resa.notredamedeparis.fr/fr/reservationindividuelle/tickets) are real/valid. Reservations/time slots obtained from anywhere else, other than from Notre Dame’s official reservation system will not be accepted.

Time slots can be reserved for dates up to 2 days in advance:

• 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, 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.
• New/additional "spontaneous" time slots are released sporadically throughout the day based on the capacity that's currently available inside the cathedral.

Time slots offered:

• On Monday to Thursday & Saturday, time slots are usually offered between 9:00am and 11:00am and between 1:00pm and 4:00pm. On Thursdays, additional time slots are usually offered between 7:00pm and 9:00pm).
• On Friday, time slots are usually offered between 9:00am and 11:00am.
• On Sunday, time slots are usually offered between 1:30pm and 3:00pm.

As noted above, there's certain days and/or times of the day when there's limited or no time slots offered, such as: during Mass and liturgical services, during special events, etc. Visitors are still allowed to enter during those times, but priority entrance is given to those attending Mass/liturgical services. While Mass/liturgical services are happening, the front section of the Nave (the centre) and the crossing of the Transept are closed to visitors.

So glad emilyofnotredame piped in. She is the go to person for info on Notre Dame.

Thank you so so much Emily for the extremely helpful information about obtaining those tickets. I’ll be sure to follow carefully with the time-slot. There will be the 6 of us.

I figure that because the cathedral was recently opened, there’s a definite probability of high volume of visitors even in mid-May.

I am almost certain that the Rick Steves peeps here will benefit from the information you provide here.
Merci Beaucoup!

Warmly,
Ttay

P.s. l also would like to thank Judy for your helpful advice as well. Much appreciate it.

I walked past Notre Dame late yesterday afternoon. The no ticket line was no longer than it typically used to be, about 3 minutes. It was moving very fast so I went inside. The weekend lines have been huge, with hundreds of people crowding the pavais.

I recommend avoiding weekends; early weekdays or late afternoon weekdays might be the optimum time to go.

This info is priceless! Unfortunately, Saturday is the only day we can do it.

@Judy:

So glad emilyofnotredame piped in. She is the go to person for info on Notre Dame.

When Notre Dame is mentioned, I'm usually not far behind...hehe. This is such a huge compliment, thank you!

@Ttay:

Thank you so so much Emily for the extremely helpful information about obtaining those tickets. I’ll be sure to follow carefully with the time-slot. [...] I am almost certain that the Rick Steves peeps here will benefit from the information you provide here. Merci Beaucoup!

You're very welcome! I'm always happy to help. I hope you enjoy visting Notre Dame while you're here in Paris!!

@Tocard:

I recommend avoiding weekends; early weekdays or late afternoon weekdays might be the optimum time to go.

Yes, you are exactly right! Notre Dame is typically the busiest between 10:00am and 4:00pm. And particularly busy on weekends, public holidays, solemnities/liturgical days and during school closures/breaks.

For those who may be wondering, the best times to visit without a reservation are:

• Before 9:30am: Notre Dame opens at 7:50am on weekdays and at 8:15am on weekends. Priority entrance is given to those attending Morning Mass (8:00am on weekdays/8:30am on weekends), then visitors are allowed to enter. The crowd for Morning Mass (except on Sunday) is typically lower, so you likely won't have to wait too long to enter, even as a visitor. Please note, the front section of the Nave (the centre) and the crossing of the Transept are closed to visitors until Mass is finished and the gift shop, the visitor services desk and the treasury are not open until later in the day.

• After 4:00pm (and/or after 7:00pm on Thursdays): Priority entrance is given to those attending Vespers (5:30pm on weekdays/5:15pm on weekends) and Evening Mass (6:00pm), then visitors are allowed to enter. The queue may look long, but it moves fairly quickly at this time. The last entry is 30 minutes before closing, but they start closing the Ambulatory (the back) earlier, so I recommend entering at least 1 hour before closing. Please note, the front section of the Nave (the centre) and the crossing of the Transept are closed to visitors between 4:30pm and 7:00pm.

• Any time when it's raining: If you don't mind a little rain (or bringing an umbrella), there is typically no wait time when it's raining!

Much appreciate everyone chimed in with such helpful advice and feedback.
Emily@nortedame, you’re the bomb!

How much time should one allow when visiting Notre Dame? (Trying to plan our days). Let’s say you plan to visit early - 8:30, do you still need a ticket for that time slot?

How much time should one allow when visiting Notre Dame? (Trying to plan our days). Let’s say you plan to visit early - 8:30, do you still need a ticket for that time slot?

Hi Gigi8!

For the average tourist, a visit to Notre Dame takes approximately 30-45 minutes (not including the wait time in the queue to enter). But of course you're welcome to visit longer if you'd like!

Whether or not you need to reserve a time slot in advance highly depends on what exactly you're planning to visit. Generally speaking, visiting before 9:30am without a time slot is doable most days without a long wait. The first time slot of the day is 9:00am.

Notre Dame opens at 7:50am on weekdays and at 8:15am on weekends. Priority entrance is given to those attending Morning Mass (8:00am on weekdays/8:30am on weekends), then visitors are allowed to enter. The crowd for Morning Mass is typically lower (except on Sunday), so you likely won't have to wait too long to enter, even as a visitor.

Please note, the front section of the Nave (the centre) and the crossing of the Transept are closed to visitors until Mass is finished. Mass is typically between 40-45 minutes on ordinary days, and between 1-1.5 hours on solemnities/liturgical days and for special celebrations.

However, if you're planning to visit on a weekend, during peak season, public holidays, solemnities/liturgical days and/or during school closures/breaks - 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, and those without reservations are the lowest priority, and are not guaranteed entrance.

Just a note, I’m on a Facebook group for France and I’ve already seen a poster who bought a ticket for Notre Dame from someplace (I don’t know where) and it turned out to be a scam. It was not a valid ticket. Of course the clue should’ve been that she bought it two weeks before her trip and she had the exact time and date she wanted. Hmmm

But they’re scammers out there selling these tickets for a lot of money

Appears the only interior tours you can schedule at this time at Notre Dame are the free tours via their own website and can only be done 2 days prior to the date, correct? Makes it difficult for a real planner!

Appears the only interior tours you can schedule at this time at Notre Dame are the free tours via their own website and can only be done 2 days prior to the date, correct?

Hi kromalley!

The tours that you're referring to are the tours that are hosted by a volunteer organization called CASA (Communautés d’Accueil dans les Sites Artistiques / Welcome Communities in Artistic Sites). They mainly focus on the religious and spiritual aspects/topics of the cathedral, and their tours are the "official" tours offered by Notre Dame (in partnership with the Diocèse).

However, not even CASA are allowed to do interior tours until June 9th. No guided tours by anyone or by any organization are allowed inside Notre Dame until June 9th.

Emily, not sure if you know.....should you make a reservation to see the Veneration of the Crown of Thorns (weekly on Friday until April 18, etc.)? Or, will the walk up line be too long to ensure getting in?

Emily, not sure if you know.....should you make a reservation to see the Veneration of the Crown of Thorns (weekly on Friday until April 18, etc.)? Or, will the walk up line be too long to ensure getting in?

Hi lakertone40!

The Veneration of the Crown of Thorns takes places every Friday (until April 18th) from 3:00pm until 5:00pm. Starting on May 2nd, it will take place on the 1st Friday of each month from 3:00pm until 5:00pm.

There's no advanced reservations to attend the Veneration, and there's no visitor time slots offered on Fridays during the Veneration. On Fridays, visitor time slots are usually offered between 9:00am and 11:15am and the Veneration doesn't start until 3:00pm.

To attend the Veneration, you can enter in the queue marked "Mass access only", which is on the right side of the central portal (if you're facing Notre Dame looking at the facade). The "Mass access only" queue in the same spot at the "Reservations with QR code” queue (there's no time slots/reservations during the Veneration or Mass times, so just use the same queue and switch the purpose and the signage).

Entrance is still subject to the available capacity inside the cathedral. I would recommend arriving at least 45 minutes in advance.