Medieval Paris: Notre Dame, Sainte Chapelle and Conciergerie
Description
This is where Paris all began, at its historic heart: Île de la Cité. Your expert guide will lead you through a journey starting with the grandeur of the royal Sainte Chapelle, followed by the fascinating Conciergerie, and concluding with the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral, the birthplace of Gothic art. In 2026, the Conciergerie will go through major renovation works. We'll visit the recently reopened Middle Ages Museum, Cluny. This experience is a must for anyone eager to discover the true cradle of Paris.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Often called the cradle of Paris, the Île de la Cité was adopted as home by the Parisii tribe over 2,000 years ago and is thought of as the historical centre of Paris. Your tour begins on the island in front of Notre Dame Cathedral, where you’ll be deciphering the intricate details of the stone façade of this gothic masterpiece and learning the difference between a gargoyle and a grotesque. Despite the recent 2019 fire that partially destroyed its roof and spire, your guide will present Our Lady of Paris from the outside and its rich sculpted facade.
Finally the dazzling Sainte Chapelle, a masterpiece of medieval engineering with walls made entirely of stained glass. You’ll learn about the king behind this ambitious and costly project, and the high-profile relic for which the chapel was built.
Conciergerie, a former royal palace and infamous prison that struck fear into the hearts of its detainees. You’ll see the sprawling vaulted ceilings of the Salle des Gens d’Armes, the world’s largest gothic hall and discover old prison cells, offering different levels of comfort according to the social status of the prisoner. The French Revolution also comes to life as you retrace Marie Antoinette’s fateful trip to the guillotine.
Enjoy the view as your expert guide explains all about the gargoyles and the fascinating blend of ancient and modern architectural techniques. Then, step inside the newly renovated Notre Dame Cathedral to marvel at its breathtaking restoration and timeless beauty!
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- The entrance to Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris is free and open to all. The services offered are independent of access to the interior of the building.
- To access the cathedral, you have the option to book a free time slot on the cathedral’s official website. You may also walk in without a booking; however, please be aware that queues can be long during peak times and seasons.
Reviews(24)
Had a great time visiting Notre dame, concierge, and St Chapelle. Lovely guide who was informative and patient. Would do it again.
Bonjour! Thank you for the review! We're glad you enjoyed your Toorers experience along Louise! Hope to see you on another Toorers destination!
Elise was our guide and we couldn’t have been more pleased. She was personable, knowledgeable and made the tour very rewarding.
Bonjour! Thank you for this review! We're more than glad that you enjoyed your Toorers Medieval tour along Elise. See you soon, the Toorers team.
Our guide was very knowledgeable about our tour and personable as well! The Conciergie tour was very interesting as we had not toured there before.
Bonjour! Thank you for this lovely review! We're very glad you enjoyed the Medieval Paris tour with Toorers! We hope to see you back soon in another Toorers destination :)
We had a great tour with Pat, she was very understanding that we struggled to find the meeting place and actually came to find us. Throughout our tour she had interesting facts and a great depth of knowledge and passion about Saint Chapelle, Notre Dame and the city of Paris. Summary for Pat was super friendly, super fun and super knowledgeable. We were a family of 5 with adults, 20yr olds and a teenager. She kept us all engaged.
Bonjour! Thank you for sharing your experience with us! Pat is an amazing guide and we're glad you got the full experience, even traveling with kids! Enjoy your Parisian xmas stay, Toorers
Very interesting tour, with a very knowledgeable guide (Rafaela); all sites are close to each other, so it’s easy to walk
Bonjour José! We're very glad you enjoyed our Toorers experience in Ile de la Cité with our guide Raphaälle. And hope to see you back soon in another Toorers adventure! Saludos !
My neices, a friend and I took this tour with Camille from Toorers. She was very personable and a wonderful guide. We enjoyed her and the 3 amazing sites that she showed us.
Lovely! we're really glad you enjoyed your Toorers experiences alongside Camille! Hope to see you next in another Toorers tour! Cheers,
My family and I took this tour with Isabelle from Toorers. She was a wonderful guide and was incredibly knowledgeable. We learned a lot and we really enjoyed it.
Bonjour! Fabulous! Isabelle and us are glad you enjoyed your Toorers experience! We hope to see you back soon! Cheers, the Toorers team!
Wonderful experience, private tour guide for the four of us. Easy to meet our guide, Elise Girard, and she was most comfortable getting started. Her English was better than perfect. We spent one hour at Saint-Chapelle with her describing what we were seeing, one hour at the Conciergerie was next, again great insights and explanations. Notre Dame was next, spent time outside describing what we would see inside. She turned us loose to go inside--such a delightful experience. I would use Elise Girard again without hesitation, I do use Viator frequently when traveling.
Bonjour Bill! Thank you so much for this wonderful review! We've gladly shared with our guide Elise! We hope you enjoyed the rest of your trip and hope to see you soon back in another Toorers experience! The Toorers team
Our tour guy was polite, prompt & had a welcoming personality. She provided unique ways to introduce information to us that allowed us insight we wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. We were so into our 3 tours we went overtime, but she was pleasant and more than accommodating. I wish I had asked to spell her name for us because the accent makes me question what I think her name is - Maleita ? Please make sure our guide knows we loved her.
It's Malaïka! And indeed she's the best :) We're very glad you enjoyed your Medieval Paris private tour with us and we've already shared your review with your guide. See you soon back in another Toorers experience! Toorers
Excellent tour with Elise. Very knowledgeable and friendly. After a bump in finding each other we had a fabulous tour. Elise really made the tour with her great knowledge and enthusiasm. Highly recommend her!
Fabulous! Thank you for your review on our Medieval tour with Elise! I hope you enjoyed your Paris experiences and see you soon back in another Europe destination! Toorers
