Description
The Notre-Dame early access tour is built around a quiet morning visit. You meet your guide and the small group outside the cathedral and go in while the atmosphere is still calm. Notre-Dame is an active place of worship, so no commentary is allowed inside: you walk through on your own, at your own pace, under the vaulted ceilings, past the stained-glass windows, the nave and the historic chapels.
Afterwards you rejoin the guide outside for a walk around the exterior, and this is where the stories come in:
- building work that started in the 12th century and grew into a landmark of Gothic architecture
- the flying buttresses, the carved portals and the gargoyles and chimeras
- the symbolism in the sculptures
- royal ceremonies, revolutions and Napoleon's coronation
The guide also covers the 2019 fire, the international restoration effort and the reopening. The whole tour lasts 75 minutes. It does not include access to the towers, and it is not a skip-the-line ticket. Modest dress is required: covered shoulders, shorts and skirts at least to the knees, no sleeveless tops. During religious services commentary cannot be given inside, and the tour is not suitable for wheelchair users.