what time of the day to visit notre dame

UPDATE: We were heartbroken when Notre Dame Cathedral was devastated by fire in Apr 2019, and expect forward to the restoration of this magnificent twelfth Century cathedral.

Visit Notre Dame's official website at http://www.notredamedeparis.fr/en/ for up-to-date visitor information.

Keep reading to see photos of what Notre Dame looked similar before the fire.

Click the push button below to read about other Paris destinations for families on my France page.

Hello!

Planning at trip to Paris?

Notre Dame Cathedral is a favorite destination for many visitors. This gorgeous gothic church building on the banks of the Seine has welcomed visitors since the Middle Ages. Its iconic bell towers offer panoramic views of the urban center.

My family visited Notre Dame Cathedral on a Sunday morning in June. Nosotros arrived during Gregorian Mass – a little later 10 AM. We plant a long line into the cathedral and a long wait for belfry access, but these inconveniences turned out to be fairly minor and we had a proficient experience.

Here's what we learned during our visit to Notre Matriarch Cathedral.

Touring the Cathedral

It costs nothing to walk inside Notre Matriarch Cathedral and tour the nave on your own. The long line moved steadily and we stepped inside inside 10 minutes. I loved the ornate carvings, the stained glass windows, the small chapels and nooks, and the rich history of Notre Dame. It was heady to run into this famous building in person.

Tourists are welcome during worship services. The line of sightseers looped around the edges of the nave, while Mass continued in the center. Visitors are welcome to participate in worship services. We considered attending Gregorian Mass, simply limited ourselves to a walkthrough of the cathedral this time.

Notre Dame Cathedral does not have a posted dress code. Casual attire is adequate every day. Look a security screening every bit you enter Notre Dame. Large bags volition not be allowed inside. Flash photography and tripods are not allowed.

Programme to walk all the way around the outside of the cathedral. You'll want to see information technology from every bending. In that location is a small park next to Notre Matriarch, which has a playground for preschool-age children.

Dig Deeper

My family was satisfied with a simple walk around the within of the ornate cathedral. Information technology was free, and we finished in under xxx minutes, which was about right for my kids (ages 11 and xiv). Notwithstanding, I felt that I was missing some interesting information and stories about Notre Dame.

In that location are several ways to learn more than well-nigh the history and compages of Notre Dame Cathedral during your visit.

• Sound Bout – Pick up a 35-minute audio tour in eight languages as you enter the cathedral.
• Gratuitous Guided Tour – Young volunteers atomic number 82 tours in nine languages every calendar week. Larn more at www.notredamedeparis.fr/visites-two/visites-offertes-par-la-cathedrale
• Other Tours – Several reputable companies offer skip-the-line individual and group tours of Notre Dame with professional person guides. These may include tower and catacomb admission, and may be combined with other height Paris attractions. Click the ruddy button to run into Notre Matriarch tour options from Viator.

Climbing the Belfry

If you take the time and energy to climb to the summit of Notre Dame Cathedral, definitely practise it. I'm overweight, then I was worried about climbing 400+ steps to the tiptop. It was tough, but I'1000 glad I did it. My hubby and kids climbed with no trouble. Some other family with children – probably ages 5-8 – climbed it at the same time and seemed to do fine.

Tower tours are managed by the National Monuments Center. It currently costs 10 Euros per adult to climb the tower. At that place is no charge for anyone under 18 years onetime. Additional discounts may use. Learn more at www.tours-notre-dame-de-paris.fr.

Infinite is limited on the tower, then yous must reserve a tour time on the day of your visit. Tours begin at 10 AM. Tours may fill completely past early on afternoon during peak season. There are two ways to save your place in the virtual line.

• Download the complimentary JeFile/Duck the Line mobile app. This volition let you to reserve your fourth dimension starting at 7 AM on the day of your visit.
• Reserve your time at a kiosk near the entry point for the belfry.

We used the kiosks after we walked effectually Notre Matriarch – around eleven AM. The adjacent available reservations were nearly 2 hours abroad. We picked a time in the afternoon, left for awhile, and returned just in time for our bout.

If you lot find yourself with extra time before your tower climb, in that location are lots of interesting things to do nearby. Heart Pompidou and Sainte Chappelle are both a couple of blocks away. You can get gelato at Amorino or Berthillion. You might enjoy walking along the Seine or riding the Batobus. There are many shops, cafes and creperies in the neighborhood.

You'll climb the belfry in three stages, so you don't have to take on all 400 steps at once. There are a couple of additional places with space to stop, only not many. They are enclosed circular staircases, which is mentally challenging too every bit physically. One time y'all achieve the pinnacle, y'all'll get a proficient look at the gargoyles and enjoy panoramic views of Paris. Information technology was absolutely worth it – specially on our first mean solar day in Paris.

Touring the Catacomb

The catacomb nether Notre Matriarch Cathedral preserves more 2,000 years of archeological history under the streets of Paris. It is managed past the City of Paris. Family and youth tours are available. Tickets are currently viii Euros for adults and free for children under age eighteen.

My family did not bout the crypt, but information technology looks like a fascinating experience. Learn more about touring the crypt under Notre Dame Cathedral at world wide web.crypte.paris.fr.

Ways to Relieve

Since touring the nave is gratuitous, and kids tin tour the belfry for free, Notre Dame Cathedral is pretty affordable. Yet, there are still ways that you tin save on your tower tour.

• Free Beginning Sundays – In that location is no charge to visit the towers of Notre Dame (and many other museums) on the first Sundays in the off-season, November-March. Await crowds.
• Paris Museum Pass – The Notre Dame towers are included in the Paris Museum Pass. Skip-the-line access is not included, so y'all will even so demand to reserve a tour time. If y'all plan on visiting other museums during your stay in Paris, the Paris Museum Pass may save y'all coin on admissions. Learn more than at www.parismuseumpass.com.
• Paris Pass – The Notre Matriarch towers are included in the Paris Pass, which includes a few more attractions than the Paris Museum Laissez passer. Skip-the-line access is not included, then yous must still reserve a tour time. If yous are interested in a Big Bus Tour and other top Paris attractions, the Paris Pass tin can salvage yous money. Learn more than at www.parispass.com.

My family enjoyed our visit to Notre Dame Cathedral. The Cathedral was cute and the climb to the bell towers was truly memorable in (more often than not) adept ways. We recommend this family-friendly destination. Happy travels!

Good to Know

Where: 6 Parvis Notre-Dame – Pl. Jean-Paul Ii, Paris. Notre Dame is easily attainable by Metro, motorcoach and taxi.

When: Notre Dame Cathedral is open every day of the year. The tower and crypt are airtight on select holidays. Get details on hours and closures at www.notredamedeparis.fr/en/visites-two.

How Much: It costs nothing to enter Notre Dame Cathedral. Tower and crypt tours will cost 8-x Euros per adult. In that location is no charge for children nether age xviii.

How Long: Our visit was virtually 2 hours. Yours may vary depending on how much time you spend inside the cathedral, and whether yous bout the tower and crypt.

Amenities: A few souvenirs are sold near the cathedral's exit. There is a gift store in the tower, in the same place you purchase your ticket. No food is sold, but there is enough of dining nearby. In that location are no public bathrooms at Notre Dame Cathedral, but there were several free public restrooms nearby. Nosotros found that expect times for these tin be long.

Website: http://www.notredamedeparis.fr/en/

How else tin can I help?

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Hi at that place! I am the founder of Tips for Family Trips. I am a married mom of two children, ages xiv and 17, living near Common salt Lake City, Utah. Nosotros took our first child on a 2-week road trip when she was 4 weeks onetime and nosotros have been traveling as a family ever since. Nosotros love to become out of the house to see and do fun things, both far away and in our ain neighborhood.

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