While its interior is closed off to visitors following the devastating fire of April 2019, this masterpiece of French Gothic architecture remains the city’s geographic and spiritual heart. Its grand exterior, with its two enduring towers and flying buttresses, is rightly still an alluring attraction to countless visitors.
Getty Images
Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris
Top choice in Paris
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
2.52 MILES
There are different ways to experience the Eiffel Tower, from a daytime trip or an evening ascent amid twinkling lights, to a meal in one of its…
0.54 MILES
Home to Europe's largest collection of modern and contemporary art, Centre Pompidou has amazed and delighted visitors ever since it opened in 1977, not…
0.22 MILES
Visit Sainte-Chapelle on a sunny day when Paris’ oldest, finest stained glass (1242–48) is at its dazzling best. The chapel is famous for its stained…
0.73 MILES
It isn’t until you’re standing in the vast courtyard of the Louvre, with its glass pyramid and ornate façade, that you can truly say you’ve been to Paris.
1.55 MILES
It’s gruesome, ghoulish and downright spooky, but it never fails to captivate visitors. In 1785, the subterranean tunnels of an abandoned quarry were…
1.52 MILES
Even if you're not an art lover, it is worth visiting this high-profile art museum to lose yourself in its romantic gardens.
0.66 MILES
This famous inner-city oasis of formal terraces, chestnut groves and lush lawns has a special place in Parisians' hearts.
0.5 MILES
Elegant and regal in equal measure, the massive neoclassical dome of the Left Bank's iconic Panthéon is an icon of the Parisian skyline. Louis XV…
Nearby Paris attractions
1. Point Zéro des Routes de France
0.03 MILES
Distances from Paris to every part of metropolitan France are measured from this bronze star embedded in the paving stones of the vast square in front of…
0.09 MILES
Beneath the large square in front of the Notre Dame cathedral slumbers an archaeological crypt. The 117m-long and 28m-wide area displays the remains of…
0.09 MILES
Opened in 1928 on the site of the former graveyard of adjoining church Église St-Julien le Pauvre, this picturesque little park is home to the oldest tree…
0.16 MILES
This postcard-perfect bridge connects Île de la Cité and Île St-Louis. Dating from 1969, it is the seventh bridge built on this spot to link the two…
5. Mémorial des Martyrs de la Déportation
0.18 MILES
The Memorial to the Victims of the Deportation, erected in 1962, remembers the 200,000 French residents (including 76,000 Jews, of whom 11,000 were…
0.18 MILES
Extensively renovated in the 15th century, this Gothic church contains one of the oldest bells in Paris, cast in 1412. Also of note are the seven modern…
0.22 MILES
Visit Sainte-Chapelle on a sunny day when Paris’ oldest, finest stained glass (1242–48) is at its dazzling best. The chapel is famous for its stained…
0.26 MILES
A royal palace in the 14th century, the Conciergerie later became a prison. During the Reign of Terror (1793–94) alleged enemies of the Revolution were…