we will be in Paris the first week in April. We are interested in hiring a local guide for interior tour of Notre Dame de Paris. How do we go about that? Any suggestions for local guides or entry into Notre Dame.
Posted by
Atlanta, GA, USA
2816 posts
Entry is free but you should book on their website. (Hint, if the site tries to charge you, you are on scam site.. back away)
Posted by
🇫🇷 Paris, France (📍Probably at Notre Dame)
35 posts
Hi!
Time slots can be reserved for dates up to 2 days in advance on Notre Dame’s official free online reservation system, which can be accessed directly from the cathedral’s website, or via their official mobile app which is available to download on the Apple and Android (Google Play) store. For the fastest connection, I recommend accessing it on your computer using Chrome.
- 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 will be 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.
- 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 (see below), therefore no new time slots are released 4 hours in advance of those hours. For example: No time slots are offered at 12:00pm, therefore no new time slots will be released at 8:00am. The availability of these time is still subject to the current available capacity inside the cathedral.
- New/additional "spontaneous" time slots are released sporadically throughout the day. The availability of these time slots is based on the current available capacity inside the cathedral.
Monday to Thursday & Saturday, time slots are usually offered at 9:00am, 9:30am, 10:00am, 10:30am, 11:00am, 1:00pm, 1:30pm, 2:00pm, 2:30pm, 3:00pm, 3:30pm and 4:00pm. On Thursday, additional time slots are usually offered at 7:00pm, 7:30pm, 8:00pm, 8:30pm and 9:00pm.
On Friday, time slots are usually offered at 9:00am, 9:30am, 10:00am and 10:30am.
On Sunday, time slots are usually offered at 1:30pm, 2:00pm, 2:30pm and 3:00pm.
(There are less time slots offered on Sunday and Friday, due to the increased number of Masses and/or liturgical services (ie. the Veneration of the Crown of Thorns on Friday afternoons). Visitors are still permitted to enter during Mass/liturgical services, but priority entrance is given to those attending Mass/liturgical services.)
If you don’t have a reservation, you can wait in the "Free/open entry without reservations" queue in front of Notre Dame. However, entrance is not guaranteed. The wait time varies significantly, between no wait time and up to 3 hours, depending on the day of the week, the time of day, and the available capacity inside the cathedral.
For the best chance at visiting without a reservation, I recommend visiting at the following times: Any time when it's raining (there's typically no wait time when it's raining), before 9:30am, or after 4:00pm (and/or after 7:00pm on Thursdays when Notre Dame is open late).
FYI, guided tours/tour groups are not allowed inside Notre Dame until June 9th. Don't book a tour with any tour guide or tour company who is offering tours inside the cathedral before then. They are not authorized to do so.
There's truly nothing I love doing more than sharing my love and knowledge of all things Notre Dame. If you have any other questions about visiting Notre Dame, I'd be more than happy to help!