Paris Notre Dame Cathedral and Sainte Chapelle Semi Private Tour
Description
Explore the iconic Gothic architecture of Notre-Dame Cathedral and Sainte-Chapelle on a semi-private guided tour. Enjoy a personalized experience as your expert guide shares captivating tales of Parisian history. This 2-hour tour offers a relaxed pace and exclusive insights into two of Paris's most treasured landmarks. - Semi-private tour limited to 8 participants for a personal touch. - Guided visits to both Notre-Dame Cathedral and Sainte-Chapelle. - Pre-reserved tickets ensuring a smooth entry to Sainte-Chapelle. - Engaging stories and expert insights from a local guide.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Discover Notre Dame and Sainte-Chapelle on a semi-private tour of no more than 5 guests. Step inside Notre Dame Cathedral with your guide and use pre-reserved tickets to enter Sainte-Chapelle stress-free.
Begin at Sainte-Chapelle, built in the 13th century by King Louis IX to house sacred relics, including the Crown of Thorns. Step inside to admire 15 magnificent stained-glass windows, each soaring to 15 meters and telling more than 1,100 biblical stories. Experience one of the most breathtaking sights of the Middle Ages, as colorful light fills the royal chapel. Learn how Sainte-Chapelle symbolized both faith and royal power, becoming one of Europe’s most admired Gothic treasures.
Take a short walk to Notre Dame Cathedral, begun in 1163 and completed over 200 years later. Admire its flying buttresses, sculpted portals, and towers that made it the heart of medieval Paris. Recall iconic moments in French history: Joan of Arc’s trial, Napoleon’s coronation, and the worldwide fame of Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Visit the interior with your guide to uncover Gothic design, sacred art, and hidden symbolism. Learn about the 2019 fire, which damaged parts of the cathedral yet left it standing as a symbol of resilience. Restoration is ongoing, but visitors can still admire its façade, towers, and lively square.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Entry to Notre Dame Cathedral is free. Services offered are independent of entry to the building.
- Large bags and backpacks are not allowed in the monument.
- Prohibited items (such as sharp objects, glass bottles, and aerosols) confiscated at the entrance of the monument will not be returned to visitors.
- Respectful clothing is required to enter the cathedral. Shoulders and belly must be covered, thighs at least half-covered, and transparent clothing is not permitted. Entry may be denied if these rules are not respected.
- Strikes at the Sainte-Chapelle may occur, and the monument may decide to close without prior notice. If this happens, you can take a guided walking tour of Paris instead.
- Please remember to bring valid identification documents with you, considering monument entrances and security checks within the city.
- Please note that fast-track entry is not available for the cathedral. All visitors, including guided groups, must pass through mandatory security checks, which may result in a wait at the entrance.
- Clients must arrive at the meeting point 15 minutes before the start of the tour.
- Please be advised that it is not possible to join the tour after it has commenced.
- Tips/gratuities (for your guide) are always appreciated.
- Please note that the Notre-Dame Cathedral recently restricted guided tours inside the cathedral every day. A guided visit inside may not be guaranteed. In such a case, your guide will provide explanations from outside the Cathedral.
- The Cathedral may occasionally have unforeseen access restrictions for groups due to liturgical celebrations.
Reviews(61)
The tour was awesome. Very informative and enjoyed our guide. We learned so much about Notre Dame and the Cathedral of St. Chappelle. Highly recommend. Our guide also helped us to get on the correct Metro line back to our hotel.
Sainte Chappelle was wonderful, but the Notre Dame tour was changed at the last minute to exclude the inside of the cathedral. I understand the reason being that the clergy no longer accepted tour guides inside the cathedral. That being the case, they should have either given us timed entries (as we could have done online) or refunded a portion of our fee. Instead, they left us in front of the church, told us we were free to get into the queue on our own, and cut the tour short by 30 minutes without any options. The tour ended at the busiest time of the day with an extremely long queue for people that did not book a timed entry. To tell us to "go get in line and go in on your own" was unacceptable for the price we paid.
We completely understand your frustration. Unfortunately, the cathedral has full discretion over how it manages visitor access, and as an active place of worship, it may prioritize religious services over tourism at any time. There was nothing more we could have done as the tour operator. Our guides provide all the necessary information and accompany guests to the entrance before leaving them to join the queue, which under normal circumstances takes around 10 minutes. While the wait was not as severe as it may have seemed, we agree that the situation was unexpected and that the cathedral could have managed visitor access more effectively that day.
That the guides can no longer enter and guide in the Cathedral of Notre Dame! We were informed ahead of time but on short notice. Our guide was very knowledgeable and provided information outside. Considering this it was a bit expensive. I hope they will change this and allow guides to enter again!
Marie was delightful and did her best to explain Notre Dame even though tour guides aren’t allowed inside right now
I bought this particular package because it included St. Chappell. The booking price was $185 which was to include a guide tour of both churches and entry fee to St. Chappell . Notre Dame is a free monument. Because of the extreme heat the St Chappell part of tour was cancelled because that structure is mostly glass which I understood. I was assured a refund for that part the tour. I was refunded only $18.95 for that St Chappell tickets. I could not believe it… when you book these third party tours there is a markup on tickets to paid monuments and we did not get that part of the tour. I really felt that I should have gotten back more money. Half or 2/3 atleast. So I paid a $165 dollars for a tour of Notra Dame which is a free monument. The tour guide was great and I gave him a generous tip but I would not have paid that much for a tour of Notra Dame. I also noticed they had the same package available for purchase while the church was closed the rest of the week. It makes me think they kept charging people for the full tour knowing St. Chappell was closed then refunding only a small part. What a scam. I emailed them about refunding more money and they really thought the amount refunded was fair. They said that the extreme heat was beyond their control and in terms of there policy they technically didn't have to refund me anything. Be weary of this particular tour company. The other tours I booked through Viator were great.
Unfortunately, Sainte-Chapelle may close without notice for operational or safety reasons. On the day of your visit, the monument was closed due to the extreme heat. This is outside of our control, and our confirmation email clearly explains our refund policy in the event of unexpected monument closures. We are pleased to hear that you appreciated the expertise of our guide. The guide's services, the organization of the tour, and the overall experience were delivered as planned, regardless of whether a monument is free to enter or temporarily closed. As outlined in our policy, you were refunded the admission cost for the monument that could not be visited.
This was wonderful and Gwen made it so interesting. She was very knowledgeable and so kind to explain everything and answer our questions.
Bottom line: Mavine (apologies if I gipot the name wrong) hits fives on all aspects. The sites are tremendous. Her commentary was insightful and answered questions before they arose. Her enthusiasm was contagious. And she took care of a pair of older travellers quite well. This one is a winner!
Our tour guides, Miriam and Barbara, were very knowledgeable. Unfortunately due to the record heat we did not get the full tour. Sainte Chapelle was closed because of the heat. As an alternative we walked the island. It was informative however it did not make up for the absence of Saint Chapelle.
Be sure of your meeting point and be very early. Phone assistance was very poor. Meeting point directions could be clearer
The meeting point is provided in multiple places, including your booking confirmation, reminder emails, maps, and a detailed written description. Our customer service team made every effort to assist you through all available channels. We ask all guests to arrive 10–15 minutes before the tour starts, and ultimately it is each traveler's responsibility to allow sufficient time and ensure they arrive at the correct meeting location.
Worthwhile. It was helpful and informative. Knowledgeable guide. It was useful for using the time effectively.
