Notre Dame: Tower visits to resume Sept 20

I made a topic about this about ~20/25 minutes ago with all of the information, but for whatever reason, it's not showing up (it shows in my post history, but I get a 404 when I click the link) :\

Tickets will go on sale early September (Date, TBC).

Since the bell towers are managed by the Centre des monuments nationaux (Centre of National Monuments), or CMN for short, the reservation system won't be on the same website as the time slots to visit the main floor of the cathedral. Before the fire, reservations were facilitated through a mobile app called "DuckTheLine", but that will likely change. The reservation system for the bell towers hasn't been announced yet. No other specific ticketing information has been confirmed/released yet, but advanced reservations will be required.

Since the bell towers are considered a tourist site, there will be an entrance fee of €16 per person. It's still TBC if the bell towers will remain included in the Paris Museum Pass.

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.

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 south 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!
• Pass by the north belfry (since the north tower/the bells in the north tower will be functioning, his area won't be as open/accessible as the south bell tower.
• 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).

This is exciting news for us as we will be in Paris in October!! We went up in 2015 and I’d like to do this again on our return trip. Thanks for sharing, Kim, and thanks Emily for the additional info.

I’m so excited for this. Thanks for the information Kim & Emily.

Merci beaucoup Kim and Emily!

thanks -- this is great news. I last did the Towers about 30 years ago with my then 14 year old daughter -- it is a thrilling experience -- maybe I'll get to take my grandson.

Thanks for the helpful information.

I see your post [Updated] from the 30th, Emily. It opened just fine for me.

"This is exciting news for us as we will be in Paris in October!! We went up in 2015 and I’d like to do this again on our return trip. Thanks for sharing, Kim, and thanks Emily for the additional info". [...] "I’m so excited for this. Thanks for the information Kim & Emily." [...] "Merci beaucoup Kim and Emily!" [...] "Thanks -- this is great news. I last did the Towers about 30 years ago with my then 14 year old daughter -- it is a thrilling experience -- maybe I'll get to take my grandson. Thanks for the helpful information."

You're welcome Juile, Andrea, Kay and janettravels44!

I see your post [Updated] from the 30th, Emily. It opened just fine for me.

Thanks, Nigel! Hmm, that's odd it's not working for me. Oh well, I'll check back later.

Regardless, just like all of my other Notre Dame "resources", all of the details can be found in my Reddit post(s), which is where I'll post updates first. I'll try to post them here on this forum too, but it's easier to forget when I'm less active here. Plus the word limit on Reddit much higher, and well, I talk a lot! Haha. I created a new one for the reopening of the bell towers, specifically, and just added new updates: https://www.reddit.com/r/ParisTravelGuide/comments/1lojm4u/the_reopening_of_the_notre_dame_bell_towers/

Thanks, Emily. I knew if i posted the headline grabber, you would be here soon to fill in the details ! Thanks for the info for everyone.

And, thanks to you, Kim, for finding Emily in the first place. A few months ago you posted that there was this person named Emily who posted on Reddit about Notre Dame Cathedral. You and Emily make a good team.

Bumping back up

Hot Damn! I arrive in Paris 25 September for a month. Can't wait.