Please sign in to post.

Recent Notre Dame visitors, would love your advice

Posted by (Nova Scotia, Canada) on

I'm very much looking forward to my first visit to the cathedral in about 2 weeks. A few questions.

  1. I believe we are still at the point where there are no live tours allowed, but I do have the Notre Dame app and there seems to be an audio tour in there. Has anyone used it? Anything I should know? I'm hoping there's an interactive map because I have a hard time matching what's in front of me with what's on the audio tour typically!
  2. Time of visit. Was thinking I would look for the earliest reservation. Is it 8:30 or 9:00? Does anyone know? I have been playing on the website to make sure I know how things are set up and I will be looking around midnight two days before we plan to visit.
  3. Is there a treasury area or some additional exhibit within the cathedral that is an additional cost? How do I find it? And is it harder to get into than the cathedral itself? Anything I should know?

Please share anything else you think I should know. I have been wanting to do this for a very long time and the fire took place between the date I booked my travel and the time I traveled a few years ago, which was heartbreaking.

Posted by
9102 posts

First, this is an excellent resource to find out a lot about Notre Dame: https://www.reddit.com/r/ParisTravelGuide/comments/1fpk7bp/the_ultimate_guide_to_the_reopening_of_notre_dame/?rdt=39990

Second, the doors open at 9 am, so you can get there early but your earliest booking will be at 9. I was there about 3 weeks ago and did not have reserved tickets, but by getting in the line for those with no reserved tickets (around 8:40 am on Monday), we were able to get inside probably around 9:20 am. The line moved very quickly that morning, and of course, even quicker for the those who booked ahead.

Posted by
50 posts

Hi JoAnne!

  1. You are correct, no guided tours/tour groups are allowed inside until June 9th. The reservation system for tour guides/tour groups will open on May 15th.
    • There's a free mobile app that you can download from the Apple Store, Google Play store, etc.
    • There's also an audio-guide that you can purchase for €6 at the visitor services desk (it's on the left side, as you enter Notre Dame). This audio-guide is a more spiritual/faith-based guide that was created in partnership with the Diocèse. There's nothing wrong with this! I'm simply stating that it's less focused on the topics relating to the architecture, the restoration techniques, etc.
    • If you'd prefer a more historical/architectural audio-guide, I highly suggest "Notre Dame Whispers". You can download it for free on the Apple Store or Google Play store. This app/audio-guide was developed by the "Acoustics team", one of the nine scientific research teams working with the National Centre for Scientific Research, who are working on the restoration. This app/audio-guide is of the exterior, but I think it offers some unique perspectives that are not offered in other audio-guides of Notre Dame. I know this team personally, and I also genuinely really enjoy this audio-guide!
  2. Notre Dame opens at 7:50am on weekdays and at 8:15am on weekends. The first visitor time slot of the day that's offered is 9:00am, due to Morning Mass beforehand (8:00am on weekdays/8:30am on weekends). Visitors are still allowed to enter before 9:00am by waiting in the "Access without reservations" queue (blue signage), that's on the left side (if you're facing/looking at Notre Dame). Priority entrance is first given to those who are attending Morning Mass, then visitors are allowed to enter.
    • For the lowest crowds, I recommend visiting on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday before 10:30am. If you're available later in the day on Thursday, Notre Dame is open late on Thursday nights, and this is generally a more peaceful time to visit! Notre Dame is open until 10:00pm on Thursday, but the ambulatory/the back chapels close at 9:30pm and everyone has to be out before 10:00pm, so I recommend visiting between 7:00pm and 9:00pm (the "sweet spot" is 8:00pm/8:30pm).
  3. The entrance to the Treasury is inside Notre Dame, on the south side. There is an entrance fee of €12 per person, since the Treasury is considered a museum. There are no online time slots/reservations, tickets are available on-site at the Treasury. The Treasury is open from Monday to Saturday from 9:30am until 6:00pm (until 9:00pm on Thursdays when Notre Dame is open late) and on Sunday from 1:00pm until 5:30pm. FYI, they start closing 30 minutes before actually noted closing time.

As for "Anything else you think I should know"...Well, that's a loaded question! I joke, but it's true, that "I cannot physically shut up about Notre Dame", haha. (I'm also the author of the Reddit post that Mardee linked in her comment above). But if you have any other specific questions, I'd be happy to help!

Add Reply

Please do not reply to violations of our Community Guidelines.