Reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris: how to book your tickets online this Tuesday?

Decidedly, 2024 is a rich and busy year for the capital. After the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the City of Light will be back in the spotlight in three months' time. Indeed, it's at the beginning of December 2024 that the Notre-Dame de Paris edifice is due to reopen its doors, more than five and a half years after the devastating fire of 2019.

In detail, an official inauguration is scheduled for December 7 and 8, with the handover of Notre-Dame by the State to the new owner, followed by the awakening of the organ and a liturgical celebration including a blessing, not forgetting an event concert. The festivities kick off with a speech by Emmanuel Macron, followed by a grand concert on the forecourt. The monument will be open to visitors from December 8, 2024, the symbolic date marking the feast of the Immaculate Conception, with the first opening hours starting at 5.30pm. During the first week, the building will be open exceptionally until 10 p.m., before returning to normal opening hours on December 16.

After the official ceremonies marking the cathedral's reopening, the general public from all over the world will finally be able to enter the nave of this masterpiece of Gothic art. However, for the first few days, and even weeks, free access is likely to be in great demand due to exceptional demand. To manage the flow of visitors, Notre-Dame, in partnership with the Diocese of Paris, will be launching a mobile app this Tuesday (at a time yet to be specified), enabling visitors to reserve a time slot. Available on iOS and Android systems, this application could even be accessible as early as the end of the day on Monday.

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How do I book a ticket to visit Notre-Dame de Paris?

To make this reopening as smooth as possible, the Diocese of Paris is setting up a free reservation system, accessible online via a dedicated mobile app and the official website. Reservations will open this Tuesday, December 3, with 30-minute slots, adjusted in real time according to occupancy rates. Up to 3,000 people can be accommodated simultaneously under the vaulted ceilings of the renovated cathedral, which will feature Viollet-le-Duc's spire and restored roof timbers. It is also possible to register online from this Tuesday directly via the official Notre-Dame website, which provides a dedicated booking platform. Once your reservation has been finalized, you will receive a digital ticket by e-mail.

The mobile application, named "Notre-Dame de Paris", which will be available for free download on iOS and Android, possibly as early as late this Monday, was designed by Mazedia, a digital agency based near Nantes (Loire-Atlantique). Designed to be intuitive, accessible to the general public and ergonomic, this application is not limited to simple reservations. It also offers enriched content on Notre-Dame, acting as a veritable companion to the visit. Users can discover architectural or spiritual itineraries, practical information on concerts by the Notre-Dame choir, and thecalendar of services.

• To be read
• Reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris: follow the procession of the statue of the Virgin Mary, the date
• Making stones speak, the exhibition on Notre-Dame's medieval sculptures at the Musée de Cluny
• Gardiens du geste: the exhibition to mark the reopening of Notre-Dame at the Musée de la Légion d'Honneur

For those wishing to pray or attend mass, a dedicated queue will be organized. However, in busy periods, a waiting period may be required. Even without a reservation, access will still be possible via an open queue. Although reservation is not compulsory, it is strongly recommended to avoid long queues on the forecourt. It also guarantees short waiting times, particularly useful in the face of record crowds. Indeed, the average length of visits, which was 15 to 20 minutes before the fire, is now estimated at 40 to 45 minutes, according to Sybille Bellamy-Brown, head of visitors at Notre-Dame. "We won't be kicking people out - there's no hourglass," she says. At full capacity, the building can accommodate between 2,500 and 2,600 visitors simultaneously in its aisles.

A notable new feature: visitors will be able to choose from five immersive itineraries. Available in French, English and Spanish, these itineraries include a general tour, a pilgrim's tour, a family-friendly version, an easy-to-read and understand tour, and an audio-description option. A reservation-free queue will also be available for spontaneous visitors, although online registration is strongly recommended to avoid waiting.

Entrance to Notre-Dame de Paris will remain free of charge, in keeping with the tradition of the Church in France, but access to the Treasury will require a paying ticket. From February 2025, group visits will be authorized for pilgrims, followed by cultural groups from March.

With the launch of themobile application scheduled for late Monday, and the launch of bookings on Tuesday, the ticket office for the reopening is likely to be packed, so stay tuned. In any case, it will be an opportunity to (re)discover a heritage steeped in history, restored as never before. So be on the lookout, and plan your visit now to experience a timeless moment at the heart of this symbol of the capital.