Notre Dame Cathedral: After the Fire, the Rebuild, and the Reopening

Notre Dame reopened in December 2024, five years after the April 2019 fire that destroyed the spire and most of the roof. The restoration involved roughly 250,000 craftspeople, conservators, and volunteers, and the rebuilt interior is notably brighter than it was before the fire. The stained glass has been cleaned for the first time in generations. If you visited before 2019 and found the interior gloomy, the reopened version is a genuinely different experience.

The new spire was rebuilt from Viollet-le-Duc’s 19th-century design using oak salvaged from French forests specifically for the purpose. The exterior flying buttresses and the west facade’s twin towers are largely unchanged from before. What you’re seeing is an 860-year-old building that has survived revolution, two world wars, and now a major structural fire, each time requiring substantial repair.

Visiting in 2025-2026

Timed-entry tickets are required. Book through the official Notre-Dame de Paris website before arriving in the city, not at the door. Demand is extremely high in 2025 and 2026. Book at least two weeks ahead for summer visits.

The cathedral is a working church; if a service is in progress, tourist access may be restricted to the back third of the nave. Photography without flash is permitted. The Treasury holds the Crown of Thorns and other relics, accessible for a small separate fee.

The Île de la Cité

The island on which the cathedral sits is one of the original settlements of Paris, and the medieval street pattern survives around it. Sainte-Chapelle, five minutes west inside the Palais de Justice complex, has arguably the finest Gothic stained glass in existence: 15 windows covering nearly 600 square metres, built in 1248 for relics brought back from the Crusades. It receives far fewer visitors than Notre Dame and is genuinely breathtaking. Combined tickets with Notre Dame are available through the official websites.

The Conciergerie, in the same complex, was the prison where Marie Antoinette and hundreds of others were held before execution during the Revolution. The cells are preserved and the exhibitions are good.

Getting There

Metro Lines 4 (Cité station) or RER Line C (Saint-Michel Notre-Dame) puts you three minutes from the cathedral. Line 4 is faster from the Marais or Saint-Germain. Walking from the Louvre takes about 20 minutes along the Seine.

Where to Eat

The restaurants on the island itself cater almost exclusively to tourists. Cross to the Left Bank to Saint-Germain: Le Comptoir du Relais on Carrefour de l’Odéon is a proper brasserie with good steak frites. Breizh Café on Rue de l’Odéon does Breton buckwheat galettes with good ingredients at around €15 per main. Cafes on the side streets off Rue Saint-Jacques are considerably cheaper than anything facing the cathedral.

Practical Notes

Late September through November is better for Notre Dame than the July-August peak: cooler, fewer tourist buses, and the interior light is good. Pickpocketing is active around the Cité Metro station and the riverside approach; keep bags closed.