I have heard that the entry lines can be very long. Has anyone been successful with purchasing skip the line tickets or done a small to semi-private tour that allows one a quicker entry to the interior. I understand that private guides cannot give you a tour of the interior but can they get you inside? Has anyone used a guide that they would recommend for the exterior?
Posted by
Long Beach, Ca, usa
3506 posts
There are no skip the line tickets as such. You can reserve free tickets about a day before if you wish, but everything I have read says that the lines move quite quickly. They are shorter in the early hours, but are not onerous. Do not let anyone try to charge you for going inside the cathedral. It is free, and forbidden for anyone to collect any money to go inside the church. Repeat, no paid tours are allowed inside this house of worship. The only tours allowed are the free ones from CASA volunteers that meet outside the church. It is my understanding that their focus is on the historical and religious aspects, not the restoration/rebuilding of Notre Dame. I may be wrong about their focus. You might want to prepare for your visit, if interested in the restoration post-fire, by watching the PBS shows about it. They are available on the PBS streaming platform Passport. There are other shows out there also, I believe. Maybe on You Tube?
No paid small, private or semi-private tours inside the cathedral are legitimate. (IMO they are showing disrespect to the fact that this is a place of worship by charging money to go inside. It is free to all.)
Posted by
Germany
12 posts
We visited Notre-Dame on July 29 and I reserved free online tickets for 9 o’clock in the morning. Tickets are available on the official website https://resa.notredamedeparis.fr/en/reservationindividuelle/tickets.
When we arrived, there was hardly any waiting line at all, so it wouldn't have been necessary to reserve a ticket.
Posted by
592 posts
The day I visited (May '24, weekday morning), there were two lines. There were more people with tickets than without. I got in quicker than the ones with tickets.
Posted by
77 posts
My wife and I visited Norte Dame two weeks ago when we were in Paris. The tickets are free and only available about a day before the visit. Our hotel desk clerk easily made reservations for us for later the next day. The area outside was congested, but the actual entry line was short and the security check was quick. Hope this helps.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
17419 posts
I’ve gone twice in the last year. Once in October 2025 and the 2nd time in April of this year.
For October I did not have reservations. I got there a few minutes before 10Am the line moved quickly and I was in in under 10 minutes. It was very crowded inside.
For April I did the free tour offered by a CASA volunteer which is affiliated with Notre Dame. The security guard at the entrance made our guide take the group to the end of the line. She used that time to talk about the exterior. There are no reservations necessary for this tour.
https://www.notredamedeparis.fr/en/visit/visitor-reception/
If someone tries to SELL you an entrance ticket of any kind to enter Notre Dame it’s a scam.
There are legitimate tour guides who have tours of the area but as you noted they are not to guide inside.