Description
This Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle tour keeps the group to eight people at most as you walk between two of the finest Gothic buildings in Paris. It lasts about two and a half hours and runs with a professional local guide.
You start in Sainte-Chapelle, entering with pre-reserved tickets. King Louis IX had it built in the 13th century to house relics such as the Crown of Thorns, and its 15 tall stained-glass windows tell more than 1,100 Bible stories in coloured light.
Then you move on to Notre-Dame, begun in 1163 and finished more than two centuries later. The guide recalls the trial of Joan of Arc, the coronation of Napoleon and the fame Victor Hugo gave the cathedral, and explains how the 2019 fire damaged parts of the building without bringing it down. You see the façade, the towers and the square in front while restoration goes on.
- Guided visit to Notre-Dame, entry to the cathedral is free
- Pre-reserved Sainte-Chapelle tickets
- The Treasury and the bell towers are not part of the visit
Inside access to Notre-Dame depends on the rules of the day. If guided visits inside are not allowed, the guide explains the cathedral from outside, and if Sainte-Chapelle is closed the tour continues as a guided walk through Paris.