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Pandemic Travel Update: France largely is open for tourism by fully vaccinated travelers. Conditions apply, including mask wearing and use of a "Health Pass" app to show proof of vaccination to enter Sainte-Chapelle. If you are not in Paris already, be sure to read the official FAQ for up-to-the minute details. Double check to make sure that specific attractions of interest are open for the dates of your visit, too.

Notre-Dame Cathedral experienced a devastating fire on 15 April 2019. The French government has promised to rebuild. People tend to forget that as recently as the 1800s, Notre-Dame lay half in ruins and as recently as the 1990s, it was damaged badly by pollution, so reconstruction is not as impossible as it may seem. Although each renovation never will be exactly like the last, Notre-Dame has been restored before. It can be restored again.

Notre-Dame is closed until further notice. The immediately surrounding streets once also were closed, but these have reopened and the square in front (Parvis Notre Dame) has reopened, as well. The church itself and the garden in back (Square Jean-XXIII) remain closed. travelgasm.com has updated this article with a walk to the nearby Sainte-Chapelle and a stroll past Notre-Dame into the Latin Quarter.

Notre Dame Background

First built in 1163 near the center of the Île de la Cité — and revised and expanded over the subsequent centuries — the Notre-Dame Cathedral likely is the best known landmark in Paris after the Eiffel Tower and one of the most famous churches in the world.

Notre-Dame's fame is at least partially due to Victor Hugo's 1831 novel, Notre-Dame de Paris, which was translated into English as The Hunchback of Notre Dame. No doubt, the subsequent Disney interpretations of the novel have attracted even more tourists to the church.

Stroll Near Notre Dame & See Sainte-Chapelle

Because of the fire (and lead containimation from the melted roof), Notre-Dame is closed. For now, it is not possible to go to the top of Notre-Dame for a view over the city. The square in front of the cathedral (Parvis Notre Dame - Place Jean Paul II) has reopened but the once lovely park in the back of the cathedral (Square Jean XXIII), is closed until further notice.

You can walk along Quai de Montebello street and go through the Parvis Notre Dame - Place Jean Paul II to see Notre-Dame under restoration, but you might also like to visit the nearby Sainte-Chapelle. Opened in 1248, and well known for its stained glass windows, Sainte-Chapelle also is a beautiful gothic chapel.

Ordinarily, Sainte-Chapelle is underappreciated, but with Notre-Dame closed, the lines can be far longer than usual, particularly in the afternoons (it opens at 9 AM). If you are lucky enough to be under the age 26 and an EU resident or citizen, entry is free, but for everyone else it is €11.50 for Sainte-Chapelle or €18.50 to enter Sainte-Chapelle and the adjacent Conciergerie prison that once held Marie Antoinette. Because lines can be significant, it would be wise to buy a "skip-the-line" ticket to Sainte-Chapelle or Sainte-Chapelle and Conciergerie in advance. A skip-the-line ticket costs the same amount as tickets purchased standing in line, so there is no reason not to plan ahead.

Alternately, you might want to consider buying the Paris Museum Pass. The Paris Museum Pass will allow you to skip the line at Sainte-Chapelle and Conciergerie as well as at the Louvre, Centre Pompidou, and the Panthéon, along with many other attractions. Two, four, and six-day options are available.

When we last visited the Île de la Cité, we witnessed young female pickpockets — posing as charity workers collecting signatures — brazen enough to target those standing in line to enter attractions in this area. Be particularly mindful of pickpockets in this part of the city.

Where to Eat Near Notre Dame

If you don't have time to make it to a neighborhood with fewer tourists, the Latin Quarter to the south — what Parisians refer to as the Rive Gauche or Left Bank — has a number of cheap takeaways selling pizza, kebabs, falafel and the like as well as often charming restaurants targeted toward tourists with dishes like beef bourguignon and escargot that tourists want to try but locals likely don't eat often if at all. As long as you stick to the plat du jour (plate of the day) — which typically is fresher and more affordable — and have modest expectations for a tourist-heavy location, you can do well enough in this neighborhood with a €10-€20 lunch. If you want better food — and have the budget for it — the Michelin starred Le Relais Louis XIII and Ze Kitchen Galerie are in the neighborhood and are excellent choices, no doubt.

We've mapped out a current walk through Île de la Cité and the Latin Quarter below. It starts at Cité station — which has one of the most attractive platforms in Paris — and stitches together some of the best walking streets — most notably the people-only Rue de Lutèce near Notre-Dame and Rue Saint-Séverin in the Latin Quarter — in a logical path that provides quick access to Sainte-Chapelle and a nice view of the famous Pont Neuf — the oldest bridge in Paris — as well.

How to Get Here: There are many metro stations near Notre-Dame. Cité station on Metro Line 4 is the closest and the only station on Île de la Cité proper. However, depending on where you are coming from, other stations may be more logical as it almost will certainly be quicker to walk above ground than to take a closely located transfer station to Line 4. Other options within a reasonable walk of Notre-Dame include Metro Line 1 or 11 to Hôtel de Ville station; Metro Line 1, 4, 7, 11, or 14 to Châtelet station; Metro Line 10 to Cluny - La Sorbonne station; or Metro Line 4, RER Line B, or RER Line C to Saint-Michel - Notre-Dame station. Hôtel de Ville and Châtelet stations are on the Right Bank (Rive Droite) to the north and Cluny - La Sorbonne and Saint-Michel - Notre-Dame stations are on the Left Bank (Rive Gauche) to the south.

Cities > Paris > Paris Best 7 > Next: (3) Stroll I.M. Pei to d'Orsay... >>

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