Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris: My Visit Since the Reopening (Skip the Line)
I'm Carol Cram, novelist, podcaster, and travel writer, and founder of Art In Fiction, a curated database of 2600+ novels inspired by the arts. Artsy Traveler contains affiliate links for products and services I personally use and recommend. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read the Disclosure for more information.
Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris has, literally, risen from the ashes and is again open to the public.
If you’re visiting Paris, carve out an hour or so to visit the recently reopened Notre-Dame de Paris and admire what surely must be the most incredible restoration job in modern history. You won’t regret it.
In this post, I describe my recent visit to Notre-Dame Cathedral.
This post is part of my guide to artsy & independent travel in France, where I share my best tips for exploring France’s creative cities, historic sites, landscapes, and cultural experiences.
Table of Contents
Notre-Dame Cathedral Tickets: Make a Reservation
But before you charge off to the historic center of Paris, the 1st arrondissement on the Île de la Cité, make a reservation. Entrance to the cathedral is free, but with a reservation, you’ll skip the long lineup of people who did not.
I couldn’t figure out why anyone would visit without making a reservation because doing so was so simple. A few hours before visiting the cathedral, I went to the official website and was given the choice of a 4 pm entry.
Check Your Reservation Time
The reservation is valid for just twenty minutes past the allotted time. I arrived at 4:10 and walked straight through the main entrance with zero waiting.
To my left was a very, very long line snaking around several loops filled with people who hadn’t made a reservation. Maybe I was just lucky to have gotten a same-day one. The website noted that it releases reservations throughout the day. As a result, you may need to check back frequently.
Inside Notre-Dame Cathedral
Once inside the cathedral, prepare to be amazed. Seriously amazed. I’ve visited Notre-Dame Cathedral many times since my first trip to Paris in 1970, and I’ve always enjoyed it.
But on this visit, I was jaw-droppingly blown away.
To think that only a few years earlier in April 2019, the nave was a smoking ruin with portions of the ceiling caved in and the spire collapsed.
And now? The restored stone is so blindingly white that it looks brand new—which, of course, it kinda is!
A Brand New Cathedral
Gone is the gravitas imparted by stone columns that have soared to the vaulted ceiling for a thousand years. The new Notre-Dame Cathedral no longer feels ancient.
But, surprisingly, that didn’t matter as much as I thought it would. I was so impressed by the skill employed to rebuild the cathedral in less than five years that I didn’t mind the newness.
Finding Your Way Around the Cathedral
The first challenge upon entering the cathedral is jockeying for position at the start of the nave to snap a picture without heads in the way. Everyone is holding a phone aloft to take the same picture, and, of course, I do too.
Once the first pictures are taken, it’s time to begin the slow shuffle up the left aisle to the front of the cathedral and back down the other side. It’s slow going with plenty of bottlenecks, but whatever. That just allows more time for snapping photos of the columns and arches from every angle.
In the side chapels on the left aisle are hung several modern works, most notably one by Matisse. Another highlight is the beautiful stained-glass windows. I can’t even begin to imagine how they were salvaged and restored.
At the transept are the two giant rose windows. Both glow with restored vigor, their colors dancing off the white pillars.
What’s That Smell?
As I make the slow progress around the perimeter of the cathedral, I become aware of a lingering scent of burning. Usually, cathedrals smell of old stone.
The “new” Notre-Dame Cathedral smells of fire, a fitting reminder of its trauma.
Restoration Project Displays
After touring the cathedral, take a stroll along the street immediately to the left of the cathedral as you face it. Giant billboards document the restoration work with pictures and enough startling stats to keep you in awe. It’s heartening to witness the result of hundreds of skilled workers coming together with a common purpose.
The “new” Notre-Dame Cathedral restored my faith in humanity’s ability to accomplish great things with astonishing skill and dedication.
Tours of Notre-Dame Cathedral
If you aren’t as lucky as I was and can’t get last-minute tickets to enter Notre-Dame, consider one of these GetYourGuide guided tours. You’ll learn all about the history of this iconic cathedral along with information about the terrible fire and the remarkable restoration.
Recommended Novels to Read Before You Go
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett follows Philip, prior of Kingsbridge, as he drives the construction of a great Gothic cathedral through decades of turmoil in 12th-century England, working alongside Tom, the mason whose vision and ambition shape the project as much as Philip’s faith does. Power struggles between church and crown play out as much in stone and scaffolding as in politics. A sweeping look at the era and the craft that produced Gothic cathedrals like Notre-Dame itself.
Paris: The Novel by Edward Rutherfurd traces thousands of years of Parisian history through generations of fictional and historical figures, including the love story of Abelard and Héloïse unfolding against the construction of Notre-Dame in the 12th century. The novel sweeps onward through the French Revolution, the Belle Époque, and the Nazi occupation, with the cathedral itself a constant presence across the centuries. A vast companion for anyone wanting the full arc of Paris’s history before standing in front of the building that’s witnessed so much of it.
Staying in Paris
My latest go-to place to stay in Paris is the Citadines Saint-Germain-des-Prés Paris. You can’t beat the location right on the Seine and steps from Boulevard Saint-Michel.
The rooms are almost spacious (by Parisian standards) and include a tiny kitchen and a work area. Free coffee is available 24/7 in the lobby which is staffed with helpful people.
Love cathedrals? Check out my post on the Best Cathedrals in Europe to Delight the Artsy Traveler.
Would you like to save this post?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Carol M. Cram is the author of five award-winning novels inspired by art and the women who shaped it, the creator of Artsy Traveler, an arts-focused travel blog, the founder of Art In Fiction, a curated database of 2,600+ novels inspired by the arts, and the host of The Art In Fiction Podcast. She lives with her husband, artist Gregg Simpson, on beautiful Bowen Island near Vancouver, BC.