Notre-Dame de Paris
After five years of painstaking restoration following the 2019 fire, Notre-Dame reopened in December 2024 more luminous than ever. Standing on the Île de la Cité, it remains the emotional and geographical heart of France.
A Cathedral Built Over Centuries
Construction began in 1163 under Bishop Maurice de Sully, and the cathedral took nearly 200 years to complete — meaning every Gothic arch and gargoyle is the product of generations of anonymous craftsmen.
The restored interior now gleams with cleaned stone and new oak choir stalls, while the nave's soaring 33-metre vaults feel almost impossibly light for a 12th-century structure.
What to See Up Close
Don't rush past the three sculpted portals on the west façade — the central Portal of the Last Judgement is a medieval graphic novel in stone, packed with angels, demons and resurrected souls.
Inside, pause at the north rose window (c. 1250), a 13-metre kaleidoscope of cobalt and crimson glass that has survived revolutions, wars and the 2019 blaze almost entirely intact.
Making the Most of Your Visit
Arrive at opening time (currently 08:00) to experience the nave in near-silence before tour groups arrive. Free entry to the cathedral interior; tower climbs require a separate timed ticket booked online.
Cross Pont Saint-Louis afterwards to reach Île Saint-Louis for a scoop of Berthillon ice cream — the perfect reward for the queue.
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