Wait time for Sainte-Chapelle?

We were there 2 years ago the middle of August. Not sure if it was just a lucky day, but we waited in line about 10 minutes. This was late morning.

Show up when it opens on a sunny day because the light through the stained glass -called lux nova - is absolutely beautiful early in the morningand you will avoid the lines. I believe Sainte-Chapelle opens at 9:30 but they will let you through the security check before then.

We were there in early October last year. No big line. There was quite a crowd upstairs where the chapel and stained glass is located. The stained glass windows is one of the best of its type in the world. For fun, Saint-Chapplle was commissioned by the only French king to become a saint. A major American city is named after him. Have fun.

It's well worth a visit. In a beautiful city that charmed me completely, Sainte-Chapelle stands out as the highlight. We bypassed a very long line with our Paris Museum Passes - I highly recommend purchasing one.

You can't bypass the security line, pass or no pass. I waited about 1/2 hour on a weekday afternoon.

I agree with the advice to get there, not in the late morning as you posted, but in the early morning, before it opens. If there's one site worth getting up early and missing breakfast for, it's Ste. Chapelle. It doesn't take long to see, but is absolutely breathtaking. Rearrange your schedule to see something else after, but go to Ste. Chapelle first. As you can see, I'm quite dictatorial about this. But you'll thank me when you can actually enjoy the chapel, as it's not large and gets very crowded. I actually got a seat! You'll also thank me when you leave, and see the line of people waiting to get in. BTW, my niece said the exact same thing about Versailles (I've never been). She was VERY glad she went first thing, as the line to get in when she left was beyond belief. For very busy attractions, I follow the Lorelei Lee rule (from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes) - "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing well." As posted above, there are two lines to worry about - tickets and security. By going early, you have the shortest possible wait for each. As said above, the Museum Pass only lets you avoid the ticket line. Ste. Chapelle is inside the criminal courts building complex, so EVERYONE has to go through security.

Thanks for the advice everyone. Unfortunately getting there earlier isn't an option (for reasons I won't go into). I'll likely have to brave the line and just suck it up if necessary. I regretted not seeing it last time, but even with a limited schedule this time, I'll bite the bullet and make sure I get in there. :)

If you'll be there mid mid-week, this probably won't affect you, but we're planning on being there on Mon., May 27, and I just found out it's the day after Pentecost, which may mean holiday lines. We were planning to do Notre Dame and tower first, but perhaps should heed warnings from others and switch.

Our experience on April 11, the Wednesday after Easter with plenty of tourists still in town for the holiday, was that we waited in line from 9:20 to 9:45 (opening at 9:30) to go through the security line. Probably would have been even quicker but a school group merged into the line and slowed the progress. Since we had the museum pass, we
could bypass the ticket line right outside the chapel itself. Hope you can can make it work this time, Mike.....it's really impressive. Marian, Kirkland WA

There are numerous concerts held in Sainte-Chapelle. I attended one last July and felt it was the highlight of my trip to Paris.

A few days ago the wait time at about 11:00 am was one half hour. When we exited an hour or so later, there was no line whatsoever. This on a weekday. ALso, there was some restoration under way and a few windows were scaffolded and covered.

Ack! They must have heard I was coming--things always seem to be covered and being restored when I visit. :)

Mike, though there was some scaffolding, it may have covered 2 or 3, so the biggest majority of windows is still visible, and they are amazing. 3 years ago we never got to S-C because lines were huge all the time. We dropped 3.5 each down the EuroTube for the cloisters at St. Trophime in Arles which displayed more scaffold than cloister. It would be nice if these sites let you know, but c'est la vie.