Notre Dame

The Cathedral That Reopened Better Than It Closed

Notre-Dame de Paris reopened on 7 December 2024, five years and eight months after the fire that destroyed the 19th-century spire, burned through the oak-framed roof, and sent a lead-and-stone shower down onto the vaults below. The restoration cost over 700 million euros, involved 250 specialist companies and 2,000 craftspeople at peak, and produced an interior that is, by most accounts, cleaner and better lit than the cathedral had been in living memory. The stone has been cleaned to its original pale limestone colour, which is a revelation to anyone who knew Notre-Dame only in its pre-fire state of accumulated grime. The new spire is a faithful replica of Viollet-le-Duc’s 1859 version. The new sacristy furnishings and floor are contemporary in design, a deliberate decision that generated debate in France but places the building clearly in the tradition of European cathedrals that have always been modified by the era rebuilding them.

By 2026, the cathedral is in full operation, with ongoing work limited to the apse and sacristy (completing in 2025) and the installation of new stained glass windows (scheduled for 2026 and expected to generate significant argument given France’s strong opinions on what cathedral glass should look like). Entry to the nave is free and requires no ticket. A timed-entry slot booked via the official notredamedeparis.fr website is strongly recommended from April through October, when queues for walk-ins can exceed an hour. The cathedral is open Monday to Friday 07:50 to 19:00, and Saturday to Sunday 08:15 to 19:30, with extended Thursday evening hours to 22:00.

The bell towers reopened to the public in September 2025 and require a separately booked ticket (16 euros). Climbing the towers provides the same exterior perspective on the Gallery of Chimeras that was always one of the more worthwhile things to do at Notre-Dame: the famous horned, winged, lizard-like creatures on the north tower balustrade are 19th-century additions by Viollet-le-Duc, not medieval originals. The medieval builders used functional gargoyles (which are properly called gargoyles only when they serve as waterspouts, channelling rainwater away from the walls through carved stone throats) while the Chimeras are purely decorative. Most guides conflate the two, which they are not.

History Worth Knowing

Construction on the current building began in 1163 under Bishop Maurice de Sully and continued for over 180 years. The cathedral was built on a site that had held a Gallo-Roman temple, then several earlier churches, all dating back at least to the 4th century. The flying buttresses, which are the structural innovation most visible from the exterior, were added to the original design as it progressed, when the builders realised the high walls were moving outward under the load of the vaulted ceiling. Notre-Dame was one of the first buildings in history to use these external stone arches at such scale; they are not decorative but load-bearing, and without them the walls would have spread and the building would have collapsed centuries ago.

During the French Revolution, the cathedral was stripped of its religious objects, renamed the Temple of Reason, and badly damaged. Viollet-le-Duc’s 19th-century restoration rebuilt not just the spire but hundreds of sculpted figures, new stained glass, and significant sections of the portals. The building most people think of as medieval Notre-Dame is substantially a 19th-century interpretation of what a Gothic cathedral should look like, filtered through Viollet-le-Duc’s romantic historicism. He was, depending on the architectural historian you ask, either the man who saved Notre-Dame or the man who distorted it. Both assessments have some truth.

The Ile de la Cite and Surroundings

Notre-Dame stands on the Ile de la Cite, the island in the Seine that was the original core of Paris. The Sainte-Chapelle, a few minutes’ walk west within the Palais de Justice complex, is arguably more impressive than Notre-Dame for its stained glass: the upper chapel’s walls are almost entirely glass panels from the 13th century, depicting 1,113 biblical scenes in the original medieval colouring. Entry costs 13 euros; book in advance. The Conciergerie, next door, was the prison where Marie Antoinette and thousands of others were held before execution during the Terror; the Gothic halls are intact and admission is around 12 euros. Both sites are frequently overshadowed by Notre-Dame despite being exceptional on their own terms.

The Ile Saint-Louis, connected to the Ile de la Cite by a small bridge, is a residential island with a single main street (Rue Saint-Louis en l’Ile) of independent shops, restaurants, and the famous Berthillon ice cream parlour, which has operated since 1954. A sorbet or ice cream from Berthillon on the bridge between the islands, looking back at Notre-Dame, is one of the more straightforward pleasures Paris offers.

Eating Near Notre-Dame

The immediate area around Notre-Dame has many tourist-trap restaurants. Avoiding them requires walking two streets in any direction. La Tour d’Argent at 15 Quai de la Tournelle in the 5th arrondissement has one Michelin star and a dining room with direct views across the Seine to the flying buttresses; it is expensive (main courses 60-80 euros) and has been serving pressed duck in essentially the same room since the 16th century. Baieta on Rue de Pontoise, in the Latin Quarter, is a more contemporary option: a chef whose cooking references her Nice background, with tasting menus that are challenging and seasonal. Ze Kitchen Galerie on Rue des Grands Augustins is Michelin-starred and consistently described as one of the few serious restaurants in a neighbourhood otherwise dominated by tourist menus.

For something less formal, the Latin Quarter crêperies on Rue du Montparnasse (a short metro ride away) and Rue Mouffetard offer galettes at 10-14 euros that are the correct lunch for this part of Paris. Au Bougnat on the Ile de la Cite itself is a traditional bistro with main courses around 22 euros and the kind of unremarkable competence that is actually quite hard to find near a major tourist site.

Where to Stay

The 4th, 5th, and 6th arrondissements put you within walking distance of Notre-Dame and the best of the Left Bank. Mid-range hotels in the Saint-Germain-des-Pres area (6th arrondissement) run 150-250 euros per night and are better value than equivalent quality in the 1st or 7th. Budget options exist in the 5th (Latin Quarter), where the hotel density is high and prices lower. The Ile de la Cite itself has almost no hotels; staying on the island is not really an option.

Notre-Dame is best seen at dawn before the crowds arrive, and again in the evening when the cleaning lights across the stone make the restored west facade look unlike anything you have seen in photographs. Both windows are worth the early start or the late walk.