Five years after the 2019 fire, the cathedral reopened in December 2024 with pale stone, clean glass and a new spire. It is free to enter, and the towers are open again.
The fire of April 2019 brought down the spire and much of the roof. The restoration kept the medieval design, rebuilt the oak roof frame by hand and cleaned centuries of grime off the stone.
Inside, the nave is brighter than anyone alive had seen it. The three great rose windows survived the fire, and the north rose is at its best on a sunny afternoon. The new spire follows Viollet-le-Duc's 19th-century design.
Entry is free. Book a timed slot in the official app or on the website; slots are released two to three days ahead and go fast in summer. Without one, join the walk-up queue, which moves but can be long.
The towers reopened in September 2025: about 420 steps up a narrow spiral to the gargoyles and the bells, for €16 with a timed ticket.
An unhurried loop of the cathedral and its island.
Stand back on the square to read the three carved portals and the Gallery of Kings.
Walk the nave slowly towards the new altar and look up at the cleaned vaults.
The north and south roses face each other across the crossing; sit a moment under each.
Climb past the bells to the gallery of chimeras and the view over the Seine.
Finish in the garden behind for the flying buttresses and the new spire.
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Reserve a free slot in the official Notre-Dame app or on its website; the towers are booked separately through the national monuments site.
Métro Cité (line 4) or Saint-Michel (RER B and C), a few minutes' walk.
Be there for the 8am opening, or come for an evening service when the organ plays.
Paris practical notes →Photographs from Wikimedia Commons and Pexels under their licences.
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