Notre Dame Cathedral tickets and tours for 2026 include guided interior and exterior visits. Compare tour format, access areas, price and traveller feedback before booking.
A guided choice for visitors who want context for the cathedral inside and out. Check the booking details for the tour format and access.
Paris Cathedral Tickets is an independent guide, not the official website of Notre-Dame Cathedral or any tour operator. Some links are affiliate links, and we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We help you compare tour type and access.
Compare guided formats, stated access areas, tower inclusion, visit length and traveller feedback. These three options appear in descending review order, so check booking details before choosing the tour that fits your plans.
1
Most reviewed
★★★★★ 4.4918256 · 5,235 reviews
This has the most reviews among these three options and the lowest supplied starting price. Choose it if traveller feedback and a lower-cost guided option matter most; check the selected booking option for access details.
2
Interior & exterior
★★★★★ 4.660979 · 1,753 reviews
Its title specifically covers the cathedral interior and exterior, unlike the broader wording of the first option. It has the highest rating shown here, while its starting price sits above the most-reviewed tour.
3
Small-group tour
★★★★★ 4.492238 · 791 reviews
This is the only small-group option among these three tours. Its higher supplied starting price may suit travellers who prefer that format; the title does not detail all access areas, so review the booking information.
Compare starting price, traveller feedback and tour format. The main differences are stated interior and exterior coverage, small-group format and the level of booking detail available.
| Option | From | Rating | Reviews | Format | Includes | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris: Notre-Dame The Restored Masterpiece Guided TourLowest supplied starting price and the largest traveller review count. | €5 | 4.4918256 | 5,235 | Guided tour | Guided restored cathedral tour | Travellers prioritising lower cost and extensive traveller feedback. |
| Paris: Notre-Dame Cathedral Interior and Exterior Guided TourIts title specifically covers both the cathedral interior and exterior. | €21 | 4.660979 | 1,753 | Interior + exterior | Interior and exterior guided tour | Visitors who want stated coverage inside and outside the cathedral. |
| Paris: Notre-Dame Small-Group TourThe only listed option presented as a small-group guided tour. | €68 | 4.492238 | 791 | Small-group tour | Small-group guided visit | Travellers who prefer a small-group format and can spend more. |
These three tours differ in stated coverage, group format, starting price and traveller feedback. Answer four quick questions to narrow the choice to the option that best fits your plans.
Your closest match will appear after you choose your visit focus, planning preference, tour format and priority.
A lower starting price may suit your plans, but stated coverage and group format can matter more.
A paid tour can add context, but it does not replace checking how the cathedral works. Confirm access, worship times and entry rules before you pay or travel, so the option matches what you want to see.
A paid tour is not cathedral admission
Cathedral entry is free, with an optional free timed reservation. A paid guided visit pays for the tour format and may have its own instructions, so do not buy one if you only want to enter independently.
Fix: Decide first if you want a self-guided cathedral visit or guided explanation. For a tour, check the listed access areas, meeting instructions and what happens if cathedral access changes on your chosen date.
Tower access is separate from the cathedral visit
The towers need separate paid online tickets and are not part of free cathedral entry. The route has 424 steps and no elevator, so a tower plan may not suit everyone in your group.
Fix: Check that your booking explicitly includes tower admission if the climb matters to you. Confirm the tower date and time separately, then consider the stairs, narrow passages and lack of facilities on the route.
Worship can change access during your visit
Notre-Dame remains a Roman Catholic church. Services and celebrations can change access or close sections, especially on Sundays, so a standard visitor plan may not run as expected.
Fix: Check the cathedral calendar and opening hours for your date before choosing a tour time. If you want time to explore quietly, avoid booking close to a service or special celebration.
Clothing can prevent entry to your guided visit
The cathedral requires modest clothing for a place of worship. Guided visitors may be refused access for unsuitable attire, which can mean missing an activity you have already paid for.
Fix: Before leaving, cover your shoulders, torso, stomach and thighs. Avoid transparent or tight-fitting clothing. Men should remove hats, caps and bonnets indoors. Bring an extra layer if your outfit may not meet the rule.
Use this guide for opening hours, worship, bags, facilities, access and transport. Notre-Dame is an active cathedral, so services and visitor access share the same space.
The cathedral opens daily, with last entry 30 minutes before closing.
Opening hours are 7:50 AM–7:00 PM on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Thursday stays open until 10:00 PM.
Weekend hours are 8:15 AM–7:30 PM on Saturday and Sunday. Arrive before 6:30 PM on standard weekdays, 9:30 PM on Thursday, and 7:00 PM at weekends.
Special celebrations and events can change access or hours. Thursday is useful if you want a later visit.
Most independent visitors allow about 45–90 minutes, including security and any entry queue.
This is a planning estimate, not a fixed visit limit. Allow more time if you want to pause at the nave, chapels and stained-glass windows.
A late arrival can feel rushed because entry ends 30 minutes before closing. Security screening also takes place before every visit.
If you plan to add the Treasury or towers, treat them as separate parts of your day. The tower circuit itself takes about 50 minutes.
Enter from the forecourt through the central Portal of the Last Judgment.
The main visitor entrance faces the forecourt at 6 Parvis Notre-Dame – Place Jean-Paul II. All visitors pass through security screening there.
The Treasury has its own route inside the cathedral. Its entrance is in the south ambulatory, near the sacristy areas.
The cathedral’s central entrance is wheelchair accessible. Visitors with disabilities can use marked priority access when they present proof of eligibility.
Yes, but services can restrict visitor areas, and visitors should keep quiet around people praying.
Notre-Dame is a Roman Catholic cathedral used for worship as well as visits. Weekday Masses take place at 8:00 AM, noon and 6:00 PM.
Saturday Masses are at 8:30 AM, noon and 6:00 PM. Sunday Masses are at 8:30 AM, 10:00 AM, 11:30 AM and 6:00 PM.
Mass attendance is free and uses a dedicated queue. During services, follow staff directions and expect some spaces to be reserved or less accessible to visitors.
Backpacks are allowed up to 20 litres, but luggage and large bags are refused.
Do not bring suitcases or bulky luggage to the cathedral. Visitors are also asked not to bring scooters or other large items.
Weapons, knives, scissors, aerosols, alcohol, glass water bottles and metal water bottles are prohibited. Eating, drinking and smoking are also not allowed inside.
The tower route has no lockers. It also has no toilets or water point, so carry only what you can manage during the climb.
There are no public toilets inside, and food and drink are not permitted in the cathedral.
Free public toilets are available on Rue d’Arcole. Paid toilets are on the forecourt, but they are not wheelchair accessible.
Use the toilets before joining the entry queue, especially if you are visiting with children. The cathedral does not publish indoor drinking-water, charging or Wi-Fi facilities.
Keep snacks and drinks for outside the building. This helps protect the worship space and avoids problems at security.
The cathedral has step-free main entry, ramps and priority access, but the towers are not accessible.
The central Portal of the Last Judgment is wheelchair accessible. No reservation is needed for priority access for visitors with disabilities and one accompanying person.
Inside, ramps and a lifting platform in the north transept help visitors reach the ambulatory and chapels around the choir. Bring your own wheelchair, as none are provided.
The towers have 424 steps, no elevator, narrow passages around 45 cm wide and low sections. They are unsuitable for anyone unable to complete that climb safely.
Non-flash photography is allowed, except in some marked areas; photography poles are not permitted.
Keep flash off and watch for restrictions inside particular spaces. Do not use photography poles inside the cathedral.
People come here to pray and attend services. Avoid blocking aisles, interrupting worship or photographing people in private prayer.
The best approach is simple: take your photo, then step aside. Staff directions always take priority during services and special celebrations.
A free Notre-Dame mobile app offers visitor routes, and rental audioguides are available at reception.
The free app works on Android and iPhone. It includes routes for individual visitors, families and pilgrims.
Bring your own earphones or headphones for the app. Rental audioguides are available in French, English, Spanish, German, Portuguese and Italian.
External guided groups use a separate cathedral-approved headset system. That is different from the audioguide used for a self-guided visit.
Cité on Metro Line 4 is the closest station, with RER links at Saint-Michel–Notre-Dame.
For the Metro, use Line 4 to Cité or Saint-Michel. Hôtel de Ville on Lines 1 and 11 is another useful option.
Saint-Michel–Notre-Dame is served by RER Lines B and C. Châtelet connects with Metro Lines 7, 11 and 14.
Bus Line 47 stops near Cité or Saint-Michel. Lines 72 and 87 stop near Hôtel de Ville, while Line 75 serves Maubert-Mutualité.
No. Cathedral entry is free, while the Treasury is a separate paid visit inside the cathedral.
The Treasury entrance is in the south ambulatory. Standard admission is €12, with a reduced price of €6 for eligible visitors.
It opens 9:00 AM–6:00 PM Monday to Friday, with Thursday open until 8:30 PM. Saturday hours are 9:30 AM–6:00 PM, and Sunday hours are 1:00 PM–6:30 PM.
Last Treasury admission is 30 minutes before closing. Tickets are purchased at the Treasury reception rather than through cathedral entry reservations.
Many visitors see Notre-Dame as a single Gothic monument. It makes more sense as a working church shaped over centuries by worship, Parisian life, disaster and repair. Its architecture directs the eye upward, while its setting on the Seine explains why it became part of Paris’s shared image.
Notre-Dame is both a sacred interior and a public landmark shaped by the river around it.
Construction began in 1163 under Bishop Maurice de Sully and continued for about two hundred years. The long building campaign explains why the cathedral feels unified from afar but contains changing medieval solutions in its structure and decoration.
Inside, start by noticing the movement from the darker entrance toward the choir. Pointed arches, ribbed vaults and tall columns pull attention upward, while the nave’s length creates a slow processional route rather than a room made for one fixed viewpoint.
The three great rose windows are not simply coloured decoration. Their circular designs, stone tracery and religious imagery turn light into part of the cathedral’s teaching and devotional setting.
Outside, the west façade offers a second kind of reading. Its three portals present sculpted Christian subjects: the Virgin on the left, the Last Judgment at the centre, and Saint Anne on the right. The central Portal of the Last Judgment places religious judgment directly at the building’s main threshold.
The western façade is formal and symmetrical, but the sides and east reveal how Gothic construction works. Flying buttresses carry forces from the high vaults outward to exterior supports, allowing taller walls and larger windows than earlier building methods.
The Seine-side views also place Notre-Dame within the Paris, Banks of the Seine World Heritage property. From the riverbanks and bridges, the cathedral is part of a larger composition of water, islands, quays and historic buildings, not an isolated monument.
The fire of April 15, 2019 destroyed the medieval framework and spire. Restoration enabled worship and visitors to return on December 8, 2024, but it did not freeze the cathedral in one imagined past. Notice the meeting of medieval stone, preserved stained glass and repaired elements. That contrast makes Notre-Dame easier to understand as a living building, not a finished relic.
No. Notre-Dame Cathedral is free to enter, and you do not need to purchase an admission ticket.
You can visit independently or make a free reservation through the cathedral’s official website. The towers, Treasury and separately operated guided tours have different admission arrangements.
Yes. Visitors without reservations can join the regular entrance queue during opening hours.
A free timed reservation may reduce your waiting time, but it does not guarantee immediate entry. Everyone must still pass through security screening.
Free reservation slots are generally released shortly before the visit, rather than several weeks ahead.
Check the official reservation website during the days leading up to your visit. If no slots are available, you can still enter through the regular visitor queue.
The cathedral normally opens from 7:50 AM to 7:00 PM on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Thursday has extended opening until 10:00 PM.
On Saturday and Sunday, the usual hours are 8:15 AM to 7:30 PM. Last admission is generally 30 minutes before closing.
Religious celebrations and special events can change the schedule, so check the official calendar before travelling.
Your reservation is intended for a specific entry window. The cathedral does not guarantee admission through the reserved queue after that time.
If you miss your slot, ask the entrance staff whether you can still use it. Otherwise, you may need to join the regular queue.
Arrive a little early and allow time to find the correct entrance.
No. Notre-Dame Towers tickets are available online only, and advance reservation is mandatory, including for visitors eligible for free admission.
The standard adult ticket costs €16. The tower visit is separate from free cathedral entry and takes approximately 50 minutes.
Book your tower time before travelling, especially if the climb is an important part of your plans.
The tower circuit includes 424 steps, narrow passages and low ceilings. There is no elevator or alternative step-free route.
The climb is physically demanding and is not recommended for visitors with heart problems, those prone to dizziness, pregnant visitors or people accompanying young children.
Wear comfortable shoes and consider your ability to climb steep stairs before booking.
No. The Notre-Dame Treasury is a separate paid attraction located inside the cathedral complex.
It displays religious treasures, historic liturgical objects, sacred vessels and other items connected with the cathedral’s history.
Treasury tickets are purchased at its reception. A free cathedral reservation does not include Treasury admission.
Yes. Notre-Dame remains an active Catholic cathedral, and visitors may attend Mass and other public religious services without purchasing a ticket.
Worshippers use a dedicated entrance queue. Sightseeing access to certain areas may be restricted during services.
If you want to attend Mass, check the cathedral’s religious calendar and arrive before the service begins.
Yes. Non-flash photography is generally allowed, except in areas where signs indicate restrictions.
Flash photography, selfie sticks and photography poles are prohibited. Visitors must also avoid disturbing people praying or attending religious services.
For exterior photographs, the cathedral forecourt and Quai de Montebello offer different views of its Gothic architecture.
Small backpacks of up to 20 litres are permitted, but large bags and suitcases are prohibited. There is no luggage storage service inside the cathedral.
Glass and metal water bottles are prohibited, and visitors cannot eat or drink inside.
All visitors must pass security screening. Travel light and leave large luggage at your accommodation or a suitable storage facility.
Yes. The main cathedral has a wheelchair-accessible entrance through the central Portal of the Last Judgment.
Visitors with disabilities can use priority access without a reservation. Ramps and a lifting platform help visitors reach several interior areas.
The cathedral does not lend wheelchairs, so bring your own mobility equipment if required. The separate tower climb is not wheelchair accessible.
There are no public toilets, luggage lockers or restaurants inside the cathedral.
Nearby toilet options include public facilities on Rue d’Arcole and paid facilities around the cathedral forecourt.
For food, cafés and restaurants can be found across the Seine in the Latin Quarter and around Île Saint-Louis.
Cité station on Metro Line 4 is one of the closest stations to Notre-Dame Cathedral.
Saint-Michel station on Line 4 and Saint-Michel–Notre-Dame station on RER Lines B and C are also convenient.
The cathedral is located at 6 Parvis Notre-Dame – Place Jean-Paul II on Île de la Cité. Its main visitor entrance faces the cathedral forecourt.
Several famous Paris attractions are within walking distance, including Sainte-Chapelle, the Conciergerie, the Latin Quarter and Île Saint-Louis.
Sainte-Chapelle is especially worth considering for its medieval stained-glass windows, while the Conciergerie offers insights into French royal and Revolutionary history.
You can also walk along the Seine, photograph Notre-Dame from Square René Viviani or choose a Seine River cruise for views of central Paris.
Allow half a day if you want to combine the cathedral with nearby attractions. Remember that Sainte-Chapelle, the Conciergerie and cruises have separate booking arrangements.
Each attraction has its own visitor guide, covering opening hours, ticket options and practical route advice. The marker set into the square outside is kilometre zero, the point every road distance in France is measured from — which makes this island the most central starting point in the city. Most of the list below is a walk or a single Métro change away.
Each guide is maintained by our Independent guides, with factual details checked against official sources where available. We do not sell tickets directly. Bookings are handled by third-party booking partners, and we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
