We are traveling to Paris for the first time this coming May and it appears that we can attend Mass at Notre Dame without making a reservation and that worshipers start to queue up about an hour before Mass begins. Is this correct?
Also, once inside for Mass it looks like we may we stay and tour without a reservation, is that correct?
Lastly, is the roof open for visitors and if so is there a cost to visit the roof?
Thanks!
I just checked the official cathedral website (needed to make reservations for the time), and can find nothing about the tower/roof access. It is probable that it is not accessible to visit yet. You can check the website for info about attending mass, but after a quick glance, it seems that after mass you would be free to walk around and explore. They do recommend reservations for visitors to keep the church from getting overwhelmed by too many people, and to ensure the dignity of this house of worship.
In the past, I believe there was a donation or fee to access the roof, and the number of people allowed entry at a time was limited. But it has been nearly 8 years, and I may be wrong about the fee.
Best of luck!
There was no need for reservations to enter Notre Dame in mid-December 2024. I did it twice on two different days. No tickets; virtually no lines in the morning. Of course, that is not the info you are looking for re Mass, and May is a ways off.
Thank you both for the info.
Debbie you were there in December do you recall was the roof open for touring?
Hi, girlsmiley. The first day in, Monday, was maybe the second or third day the church was open to the public, and there was a 15 min line and a fair size crowd inside. I was able to sit and look around for awhile. It was about 9:30-10 AM. The second day I visited was Thursday at 8:30 AM with absolutely no line and few people inside. It was raining.
I was not aware of the roof being open. Perhaps I was not clued in? It was amazing enough to be able to walk in. It is very light and colorful now. I visited in the 70s and it was very dark and gloomy. From outside the church, one can see all the large cranes still in place as reconstruction is not complete. There are still a lot of metal supports for the walls outside.
I hope you enjoy your visit. PS, while I enjoyed visiting Notre Dame, just off the island near Shakespeare & Co. is a very small, very old church, Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre, where I happened upon one of the few services of the week. It was a highlight of my Paris trip. Best creche I saw.
Thank you so much. It seems to me that the roof must not be open as there is no info referencing it anywhere. So glad to hear you had that experience with the lines though! We know going in May it will be busier but it’s Notre Dame so we will wait! We are also looking forward to visiting Sainte Sulpice to hear the pipe organ there, Planning this springtime trip has been the perfect anecdote for our recent snowy days. Thanks again for all the feedback!
Oh hey, girlsmiley. I did not realize you are in Hershey. I am just west of Philly on the Paoli line. Yes, cold and snowy here! And tomorrow is supposed to be colder. Yikes. Enjoy planning for spring in Paris!
You might also be interested in a concert at Sainte Chapelle. Amazing venue.
https://www.classictic.com/en/special/concerts-in-la-sainte-chapelle/216/
Donna thank you these concerts sound like a lovely way to enjoy Sainte Chapelle beyond just a tour!
girlsmiley,
Just fyi, Ste. Chapelle is very easy to appreciate on your own. No need to pay for a tour, IMO. We made our reservations the same day we went. Going through security took a bit of time, but our wait wasn't too long. This was at the end of May 2023.
Enjoy your music while in Paris!
There's a reddit thread that is being kept up to date that has lots of information.
https://www.reddit.com/r/ParisTravelGuide/comments/1fpk7bp/the_ultimate_guide_to_the_reopening_of_notre_dame/
Per the above post:
Visiting the bell towers:
The bell towers are currently still closed to visitors, but estimated to open sometime this summer (2025). The exact day is still TBC.
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 more damage than expected. The damage needs to be fixed in the south belfry before the bell towers can reopen to the public. In addition, The CMN is designing a new visitor route, which can’t be completed until the repairs and the carpentry work in the south belfry is completed.
A maximum of 100 visitors will be allowed to visit the bell towers at a time.
Wow this is all great information and love the links! Thank you all! We can always count on the Rick Steve's community for helpful information.
Hi!
Yes, you are correct. No reservations are needed to attend Mass or other liturgical services. There is a separate "Mass access only" queue, which is in front of the central portal, and is marked by a small white sign (please note the sign doesn't get put out until 30 minutes ahead of the Mass start time). Once you enter Notre Dame, you'll go directly to the Nave (the centre) to take a seat for Mass/the service. Entrance still subject to the available capacity inside the cathedral.
Entrance starts 30 minutes ahead of the start time of whichever Mass/service you're attending (except for Morning Mass/the first Mass of the day when entrance starts when Notre Dame opens, which is 7:50am on weekdays and at 8:15am on weekends). However, depending on which Sunday you attend, and which Mass, you may need to arrive earlier (ie. if you want to attend the 11:30am Mass, I recommend arriving about 45 minutes in advance).
If you attend Morning or Afternoon Mass, you can stay and visit the rest of the main floor of the cathedral without having to exit/re-enter with a time slot. FYI, Morning and Afternoon Mass during the week and on Saturday doesn't include the Notre Dame de Paris Choir and The Grand Organ is only played during the 10:00am, 11:30am and 6:00pm Mass on Sunday. 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).
Someone else already commented the link to my Reddit post with all the full details, that I do regularly keep updated (thanks, Lynn!), but the bell towers are currently still closed to visitors. The reopening date of the bell towers is still TBC, but as of now, it's estimated to be around mid-September. Advanced reservations will be required, and 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.
(Also! Off-topic, but I just noticed that you're from Hershey. In what feels like a life time ago, I spent a lot of time there. I'm pretty sure I still hold the record for the most number of rides on the Skyrush rollercoaster at Hersheypark, haha)
My family and I are traveling to Paris and would like to attend Sunday Mass at Notre Dame. I understand that you don’t have to make reservations, but can you explain the queue and/or process? For instance, are there signs? From my research it sounds like it’s a separate entrance and to arrive 20mins early… We will be staying in walking distance of the cathedral!
pirlsmiley,
See Emily's response above. Yes to a separate entrance. Dieu benisse!
I didn't attend Mass, but in April I did attend 2 services, the Veneration of the Holy Crown of Thorns and, on a Sunday, Vespers.
Unless something has changed, there are 2 entrances for the Cathedral. Facing the Cathedral, you'll see a long line for visitors without tickets on the left. There is an entrance on the right, no signage, for visitors with tickets. Let the security person know that you are attending the service. They will advise you where to wait for entry to the service.
As long as you are not visiting on a holy day, 20 minutes should be fine.
My family and I are traveling to Paris and would like to attend Sunday Mass at Notre Dame. I understand that you don’t have to make reservations, but can you explain the queue and/or process? For instance, are there signs?
No reservations are needed to attend Mass or other liturgical services. There is a separate "Mass access only" queue, which is in front of the central portal, and is marked by a small white sign (please note the sign doesn't get put out until 30 minutes ahead of the Mass start time). Once you enter Notre Dame, you'll go directly to the Nave (the centre) to take a seat for Mass/the service.
Entrance starts 30 minutes ahead of the start time of whichever Mass/service you're attending (except for Morning Mass/the first Mass of the day when entrance starts when Notre Dame opens, which is 7:50am on weekdays and at 8:15am on weekends). However, depending on which Sunday you attend, and which Mass, you may need to arrive earlier (ie. if you want to attend the 11:30am Mass, I recommend arriving about 45 minutes in advance).
If you attend Morning or Afternoon Mass, you can stay and visit the rest of the main floor of the cathedral without having to exit/re-enter with a time slot. FYI, Morning and Afternoon Mass during the week and on Saturday doesn't include the Notre Dame de Paris Choir and The Grand Organ is only played during the 10:00am, 11:30am and 6:00pm Mass on Sunday. 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).
Unless something has changed, there are 2 entrances for the Cathedral. Facing the Cathedral, you'll see a long line for visitors without tickets on the left. There is an entrance on the right, no signage, for visitors with tickets.
There's 3 queues:
"Access without reservations" queue, which is on the left side of Notre Dame (if you're facing it), and is marked by blue signage/banners.
“Reservations with QR code” queue, which is in front of the central portal, and is marked by an orange sign/banner.
"Mass access only" queue, which is in front of the central portal, and is marked by a small white sign, which gets put out 30 minutes before the start of Mass(es).
