The three rose windows
13th-century circular windows nearly 13 metres across that survived the fire — the greatest stained glass the Middle Ages left us.
P e z i — CC BY-SA 3.0 · DXR — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Dietmar Rabich — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Benh LIEU SONG — CC BY-SA 4.0
The interior has been complete and almost fully open since December 2024; limited exterior work may continue on façades and surroundings for years — it doesn't affect a visit.
The tower climb is a separate ticketed, reserved experience (reopened after the restoration) — some 400 steps to the gargoyles and a Paris panorama. Check availability on the official site.
The first hour of the morning or the last two of the evening, weekdays over weekends. With the free app reservation, the queue mostly stops mattering.
Sainte-Chapelle and its legendary glass five minutes away (book ahead), the Conciergerie, the flower market and Pont Neuf — the island makes a perfect half-day.
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When Notre-Dame's roof burned before the world's eyes in April 2019, Paris seemed to lose its heart. Five years and the most meticulous restoration of modern times later, the cathedral reopened in December 2024 — cleaner and brighter than it has been in centuries, its pale stone washed of eight hundred years of soot, its new spire rising again over the Île de la Cité. This is the most famous cathedral on earth: a Gothic masterwork begun in 1163, witness to Napoleon's coronation, and the subject of the Victor Hugo novel that saved it from 19th-century neglect. Inside, the three great rose windows that miraculously survived the fire greet you, above columns climbing to vaults whose timbers were re-hewn with traditional axes, just as the first builders worked. Entry is free, as it always was — but post-reopening crowds are extraordinary. Reserve a free timed slot through the cathedral's app to skip the standing queue, or come before 8:30 am.
13th-century circular windows nearly 13 metres across that survived the fire — the greatest stained glass the Middle Ages left us.
The interior was washed of centuries of soot, returning the stone to its original honey tone — ours is the first generation since the Middle Ages to see Notre-Dame this clearly.
Three sculpted portals, the gallery of 28 kings, the twin towers — a complete lesson in Gothic architecture before you take a single step inside.
From Quai de Montebello and the little park opposite Shakespeare and Company you get the finest picture of the cathedral, flying buttresses over the river.
Île de la Cité, 75004 Paris