Notre Dame Cathedrale

It is going to be closed for awhile

It will likely be closed to the public for a few years. No access at all to the public now.

I think this link has the most recent map of the streets that are open around Notre Dame.

https://en.parisinfo.com/practical-paris/info/guides/notre-dame-the-current-situation

Sorry, what does this map mean: no traffic on these streets? Can we come close to the cathedral on foot?
Can we see the archaeological crypt?

No, it had a fire. Unless you are part of the officials working on the repair and restoration you must stay outside the cordon, which will be there for many years.

There are NO areas available for tourists. It is a construction site and will be for many years.

At best you can walk on the streets nearby and you can certainly see it well from across the Seine.

The map means pedestrians can't walk thru the areas that are shaded in blue.

The orange/peach lines are additionally where vehicles can't go.

The Archeological Crypte is completely closed as it is in the blue area.

The map on the paris info site is out of date. This was drawn by me from visiting Notre Dame 2 weeks ago
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lTEveY41rEM/XW4L8fvJwrI/AAAAAAAAs4I/ijG-tsVlTc0ZY_jS9DmXzsFD4WAU2eGpQCLcBGAs/s1600/notre+dame.jpg

Thanks so much Simon. I thought there was a newer one but couldn’t find it.

So...Andrei...look at Simon’s link.

The map on the paris info site is out of date. This was drawn by me from visiting Notre Dame 2 weeks ago
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lTEveY41rEM/XW4L8fvJwrI/AAAAAAAAs4I/ijG-tsVlTc0ZY_jS9DmXzsFD4WAU2eGpQCLcBGAs/s1600/notre+dame.jpg

Am in I correct in my interpretation that the whole plaza in front of the Cathedral is off limits?

Can I go inside the Cathedral if I promise not to touch anything?

^^ Is that supposed to be a joke. Please don't.

Tmalave - Yes, the entire plaza out front is the staging area for the work. It will likely remain that way for many years.

Folks - You can still get great views of the cathedral from across the Seine, the classic river shots. Just without a roof or stained glass windows in your photos. :-(

FastEddie, you did make me laugh.....

Thank you all.
It is clear to me: no entrance to the cathedral.

Go to Sainte Chapelle cathedral instead.

And St-Sulpice or St-Etienne-du-Mont or the Pantheon on the left bank, Madeleine on the right bank, Sacre Coeur in Montmartre, or any of many other beautiful and interesting churches in Paris. Plus the Ste-Chappelle (not actually a cathedral) of course.

Ste Chapelle is not a cathedral -- there is only one Cathedral in any city. They had transferred Cathedral status briefly to St. Sulpice but I think it has changed again. St. Denis is the oldest gothic church in Europe; I would definitely see that if you want to see a church. The tombs of the French King are amazing works of art saved by some sensible revolutionary when the kings themselves were torn from their tombs and dumped.

The Cathedral is the seat of the local bishop.

Janet,
Did the bastards remove all the king's remains, including Charlemagne?

I tend to agree with lisalu910. Notre Dame is spectacular and admittedly a one of a kind sight, mostly for the wonderful stained glass and for it's place in Paris' (and France's) history. But there are other spectacular cathedrals within about an hour and a half (or less) of Paris - Amiens (mentioned above), Rouen, Reims, Chartres, St Denis are all worth taking the time to see if you're interested in cathedrals.

Notre Dame will not be visitable for years and maybe not in many of our lifetimes and that is a tragedy, but there're so many more churches, cathedrals, synagogues, and mosques to see that are equally beautiful and historically important.

Charlemagne was not buried in St. Denis; he is somewhere in Germany.

They ripped the French kings from the tombs and trashed them -- supposedly the remains were recovered after the revolution and reburied in a mass grave also in St. Denis -- I have my doubts that much of them actually ended up back in the basilica.

The tombs are pretty amazing though.
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2010/10/26/confronting-mortality-at-st-denis/

Charlemagne was reburied in the Karlsschrein in the Aachen cathedral in Aachen Germany, still called Aix-la-Chapell by the French.

We were just there this week. You can get pics - from a distance. We went to St Chapelle instead. Absolutely beautiful. Great decision. Another Basilica within 2 hours by train is Fourvière in Lyon. Breathtaking! Enjoy your travels. I know I am enjoying mine!

@Barbara. If that reply was directed to me, I did read Janet’s reply above. I did not refer to St Chapelle as a chapel or Basilica if that is what you are saying. I did say that we had chosen to go there instead of Notre Dame and that there is a Basilica in Lyon though. I guess I should have been more specific and stated ‘like Notre Dame?’ to keep the correctors at bay? Or done two separate posts? How would you like me to have stated it so it is understood without question?

OK, it is crystal clear for me now.
Notre Dame is closed. Period.
Thanks to all of you for your valuable inputs!
Let us round up this discussion, OK?