Notre-Dame de Paris: will there be an entrance fee when it reopens and do you need to book ?

NOTRE DAME. Nearly half of French people plan to visit Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris after it reopens. Will there be an entrance fee? nbsp;? Should I book ?

Notre-Dame de Paris is finally rising from its ashes and will open its doors to the public on Sunday, December 8, 2024, 5 years after the devastating fire of April 2019. On December 7, the President of the Republic will give a speech and a major concert will be organized on the forecourt broadcast on France Télévisions. On the day the cathedral reopens, visitors will have the opportunity to enter from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. The first week of opening, the cathedral will be open from 3:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Friday, then from 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, December 14 and Sunday, December 15. “On December 16, ordinary life will resume,” however, specified the rector of the cathedral, Mgr Olivier Ribadeau-Dumas, during a press conference in Paris,” with an opening from 7:45 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Among the new features on the program, the public will be able to discover the refurbished forecourt of the cathedral as well as a tour highlighting the restored works. Admission will remain free: “We maintain unchanged our position which is that, and several times recalled, of the church (…) in France on the necessary free access to churches and cathedrals. And recalled that this principle does not contradict the concern to safeguard religious heritage,” announced Mgr Ulrich. Only access to the Treasury – liturgical and historical objects – will require a paid ticket.

How to reserve your place to go to Notre-Dame de Paris ?

A time slot booking application has been set up, called “Visit Companion”, the device can only accommodate a maximum of 3,000 visitors simultaneously. The application will soon be available for free download on the Android and Apple stores. Reservations will only be open the day before, the day before or the same day. Individual reservations will be possible at reopening, but for groups it will be for Pentecost 2025. 5 tour routes adapted to different visitors will be offered, including a route for pilgrims and one for families. They will be available in three languages: French, English and Spanish.

Is Notre-Dame Cathedral rebuilt identically ?

For a time, the reconstruction of Notre-Dame, and in particular its spire, was a subject of debate between those who advocated modernization and those who wanted it to be rebuilt identically. Almost a millennium after construction of the famous cathedral began, the general principle was to rebuild it identically, while giving it a “new lease of life” the building.

After considering a more contemporary version, this is indeed the decision that President Macron took in the summer of 2020, after consultation with the National Commission for Heritage and Architecture (CNPA), bringing together elected officials, experts and architects from the site. Among the sustainable materials used were lead for the roof and oak for the frame. “We have chosen continuity. We want to give back to the French, to the whole world, the cathedral they love,” justified Jean-Louis Georgelin, appointed head of the establishment responsible for of the reconstruction.

What date is set for the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris ?

The reopening of Notre-Dame is scheduled for Sunday, December 8, 2024. “In 2024, you will see in the sky of Paris shining the spire which will no longer be the spire of Viollet-Le-Duc but of Philippe Villeneuve [the architect in charge of the reconstruction – Editor's note]!" had declared General Jean-Louis Georgelin at the start of the work. But the reopening of the cathedral does not mean the end of the work. The restoration work on the cathedral will continue for another 4-5 years.