Notre Dame de Paris rooftop

My understanding is, we are a long way from being able to climb the towers

There is still a lot of scaffolding up there and a lot of work to do.

Was just in Paris. Scaffolding all over the southeast side and a tower crane. Was very disappointed given all the press that the restoration was “done”. The interiors may be, but getting tickets is incredibly difficult and after seeing the crowds in front, we didn’t go near the place. Nowhere else in Paris was near as crowded.

Hi!

The bell towers are currently still closed to visitors. The reopening date of the bell towers is still TBC. As of now, it's estimated to be around mid-September. Although the restoration work in the north tower has been more publicized than the work in the south tower, it was discovered that the belfry (the wooden structure that contains the bells) in the south tower had sustained damaged that started even before the fire, that needs to be repaired before reopening.

Additionally, the visitor route is being resigned! The direction of the visitor route through the bell towers will be reversed from what it was before the fire. As of now, the plan for the new visitor route is:

• Enter through the south tower (the right side of the cathedral).
• Visit a room that's newly open to the public on the "first level" within the tower that will have exhibitions showcasing the cathedral’s history, key dates of its construction, major historical events, and replica molds of 3 of the chimera (The Stryge, The Pelican and The Dog-headed Woman).
• A new wooden staircase is being built. This staircase will be one of the most impressive elements of the restoration in the bell towers and it's a completely new addition to Notre Dame! It’s a “double-helix staircase”, which has two separate spirals that intertwine, allowing one side for walking up and the other side for walking down. People going opposite directions won’t run into each other, but can see each other through the middle!
• (TBC) Visit the Gallery of Chimeras, but only partially/on the south side (the north side will be now be closed to the public).
• Climb inside the south belfry and see the two bells, Emmanuel and Marie.
• Climb the stairs to the terrace at the very top of the south tower.
• Climb down to the terrace between the south and north tower. This is a new area that wasn't not open to the public before the fire. There will be a viewing area to see inside the newly rebuilt "Forest", the wooden framework of the roof!
• The north tower/the bells in the north tower will be functioning, so this area will likely stay closed to the public. There may be a few things to see at a distance, but that’s still TBC.
• On the descent, there will be a gift shop. It’s still TBC if the gift shop will remain in the same room it was before the fire, or if it will be moved to a new location.
• Exit out of the north tower (the left side of the cathedral).

No specific ticketing information has been confirmed/released yet, but advanced reservations will be required. As of now, guided tours/tour groups will not be allowed in the bell towers, due to the limited amount of capacity/space and to keep the flow of visitors moving smoothly. A maximum of 100 visitors will be allowed to visit the bell towers at a time

Since the bell towers are considered a tourist site, there will be an entrance fee (this is no different from how it was before the fire). Tentatively, the entrance fee will be €16 per person. It's still TBC if the bell towers will remain included in the Paris Museum Pass.

As for the scaffolding still that's up...the restoration isn't finished yet! In addition to bell towers, the restoration work continues on the following:

- The lead covering of the middle section of the spire, and its decorations: One big reason this hasn’t been completed yet because the restoration team was told to have the scaffolding around the spire removed for the Olympics. The middle section covers a very large surface area, meaning a lot more lead and more complexities than the other sections, and it was determined that it wouldn’t be possible for it to be completed for the Olympics, so they put a cover around the wooden framework to protect it from being damaged (with a photo print of what it will look like once it’s done) and removed the scaffolding around that area. Now they have rebuilt scaffolding around that area, continuing work, and will remove the scaffolding again once finished. This work is estimated to be completed by this summer.

- The replacement of the stained glass windows in the south chapels: It's estimated that this work will happen in 2026.

- The exterior, the chevet (the back of the cathedral), the flying buttresses, and the exterior of the Sacristy: These areas will be repaired and many of the flying buttresses will be rebuilt. Restoration work on these areas were needed/were planned before the fire. It’s estimated that this work will be completed by the end of 2028.

- The outside area(s) surrounding the cathedral: Work on redeveloping the outside area(s) around the cathedral will start this fall (2025) and will be completed in phases. It's estimated that this work will be completed by the end of 2030. Redevelopments include: the transformation of the current underground parking area beneath the cathedral into an indoor promenade, a riverside park with seating and shaded areas on the south/right side of the cathedral, an expanded green space at the back of the cathedral, the addition of 100+ new trees in the surrounding area and the addition of a cooling system.

The Cathedral is closed to tourist visits until next week - so for the last two weeks, first holy week and then the morning period for the Pope. You can enter to prayer but the photo rules are apparently enforced and wandering around to view the interior not permitted. We went by a couple of days ago and the line was about 6 blocks long -- it was moving quickly but not quickly enough for us to line up. Since our daughter is making a brief visit we are hoping to get ticket for Monday or Tuesday but they are difficult to acquire; they go quickly.

They announced that the towers would be open for visits in June, but that has apparently been pushed back. Lots of work left on the outside of the Cathedral. My favorite view is the back and you can't see that for the office stacks and the equipment back there.

Hi janettravels44!

You can enter to prayer but the photo rules are apparently enforced and wandering around to view the interior not permitted. [...] They announced that the towers would be open for visits in June, but that has apparently been pushed back. Lots of work left on the outside of the Cathedral. My favorite view is the back and you can't see that for the office stacks and the equipment back there.

You can still "wander around to view the interior", but it's not encouraged.

Photos are also not encouraged, but have been more relaxed during non-service/Mass hours. I don't mean to sound rude by saying this, and this isn't directed at you personally, but there's only so many staff/volunteers/security, compared to the numbers of visitors and although we do tell people not to take photos/follow the rules & the signs, etc...whether they listen or not...well, that's a different story and unfortunately, there's less people who listen than those who do.

During the vigil on Monday night, the ambulatory and the back chapels were closed and "wandering around to view the interior" wasn't allowed. We were instructed to tell visitors absolutely no photos - and even not to have a phone out at all. And security very strongly enforced it (ie. showing people the door if they didn't follow the rules). Operations will be same during the second vigil tomorrow (Friday) night.

They announced that the towers would be open for visits in June, but that has apparently been pushed back. Lots of work left on the outside of the Cathedral.

As of now, the estimated reopening date for the bell towers is estimate to be around mid-September. The restoration work on the cathedral (and the sacristy) is estimated to continue until the end of 2028, and the redevelopment of the surrounding areas is estimated to run from 2025 until 2030. More details are in my previous comment(s).

Thanks so much, Emily and Carol and Janet! We were able to see/HEAR the bells ringing when we were actually looking at them when we were up on the roof in 1995! What an experience! But the local gargoyle was still my favorite part of the roof visit. Thank you Emily for the very detailed information. We don't have a firm date yet for travel to France but I will certainly keep this post with the great answers handy. And thank you also for taking care of Notre Dame! I feel better with you watching over her.