On top of Notre-Dame de Paris

tanjabrittonwriter 53 Comments

Following my first visit at Notre-Dame de Paris in late September of 2025, I learned that it was, once again, possible to climb the towers of the cathedral, something I had never done before. When planning my return trip to Germany by train, I allotted enough time between my arrival in Paris on October 1 and the departure of my TGV (train à grande vitesse) to Mannheim in Germany to gift myself a second trip to the cathedral.

This time, I hoped to study not only the inside but also enjoy the panorama from above. I had unsuccessfully tried to make an online reservation for a time slot for the towers, as only a limited number of visitors at a time are allowed on the narrow 424 stairs to the South Tower (there are no elevators). All the spots were reserved, for hours in advance. Not surprising, as the towers had reopened to the public as recently as September 24! I explained my limited time dilemma to the guard at the entrance gate who told me that I was welcome to wait for a possible opening slot, no guarantees. So I did, and got lucky.

Before an hour had elapsed, I was allowed to pay my 16 Euros for a ticket (credit card only, unlike the interior of the cathedral, the towers are not accessible for free, but it’s money well spent). I passed a metal turnstile, advanced to the check-in station where I had to show the contents of my backpack to another guard, then started climbing the well-trodden stone steps (the same ones some of the 400 firefighters had raced up in heavy gear to fight the fire).

There were several landings where one could catch one’s breath and learn more about the history of the cathedral. Between the first landing and the second, we ascended a gorgeous double spiral staircase built from oak.

To enlarge a photo in a gallery, click on it. To read its caption, hover cursor over it. 

10 steps done, 414 to go!
Model of Notre-Dame on the first landing.
Wooden spiral staircase leading from one landing to the next.

And after some more heavy breathing we reached the top, to be greeted by the building’s famous chimeras. Not gargoyles, mind you, at least not at first. Who knew there were differences? Both are grotesques, fanciful or fantastic creatures that arose in their creators’ minds, but the first are purely decorative, whereas the latter act as waterspouts.

On top of the South Tower, where chimeras welcomed us.

Pelican chimera.
Chimeras: Elephant on the left, leopard on the right.
Chimeras: Devouring beast on the left, cat-panther on the right.

Looking up, it becomes obvious that gargoyles function as waterspouts.

Once on top, we were allowed to wander and explore on our own, taking as much time as we wanted, looking near and far. Apart from marveling at the fact that firefighters had prevented the two towers from collapsing, enabling me to be standing here now, I also admired the completely new spire which had crashed into the nave in an enormous burst of embers and flames. It was topped by a new weathervane, a golden rooster—the successor to the molten and marred metal structure I had photographed inside the cathedral. The new lead roof was also in evidence, alongside ongoing restorations.

Ongoing work on the lead roof.
The rebuilt spire with a new golden rooster as weather vane.
A new golden rooster tops the spire.

The “forest,” a wooden roof structure that was consumed by the fire had been reconstructed and equipped with “modern fire prevention technologies.”

The “Charpente.” Known as “the forest,” this roof structure is 10 meters tall and 100 meters long. It burned completely and was replaced with 1,200 oak trees from France.

Also available for viewing were Notre-Dame’s famous church bells. Between the South and North Towers, the church houses 10 different bells and the consensus is that they would have caused the towers and possibly some or all of the stone walls to collapse had they plummeted from their belfries (the wooden structures that hold them in place). Some of these bells were removed, cleaned, and restored after the fire. The one named “Bourdon Emanuel” is Notre-Dame’s largest and oldest, weighing 13 metric tons (13.271 kg) and dating to 1686. It is the second-largest bell in all of France, the largest being the Savoyarde at Sacré-Coeur de Paris (it weighs 19 metric tons, or 18.835 kg).

Bourdon Emmanuel, cast in 1686. Second largest bell in France.

One of the main reasons I wanted to stand on top of the towers was my desire to gain a bird’s eye view of one of my favorite cities. Even at an altitude of “only” 69 meters (226 feet), compared to the Eiffel Tower’s 301 meters (984 feet), one gets a sense of being above the busyness and fray of the French capital. Seeing one branch of the Seine River on each side of the church elucidates the location of Notre-Dame on the Île de la Cité, one of two natural islands at the heart of Paris (the other is Île Saint-Louis). And without enough time to travel to other iconic Paris landmarks, I was consoled by being able to behold and appreciate them from this elevated point of view, if only at a distance.

View of Montmartre and Basilique du Sacré-Coeur de Paris.

View of La Seine, La Tour Eiffel, and La Défense in the hazy distance.

Au revoir, Paris!

53 thoughts on “On top of Notre-Dame de Paris”

  5. Given your enthusiasm for Paris, the city should make you an honorary citizen.

    “Looking up, it becomes obvious that gargoyles function as waterspouts.” In fact gargoyle and gargle are essentially the same word, both deriving from the throat, garg-, which in the case of a gargoyle is the part of the figure that a waterspout passes through.

    “…one gets a sense of being above the busyness and fray of the French capital.” In fact business originally expressed the notion of busy-ness. The shift in pronunciation to biz-ness has obscured the connection, even as the retained spelling business still points to it.

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  12. Wowzer–what a day! Kudos to the guard who suggested you wait and your patience was rewarded! Great photos and like you, I wouldn’t know the difference between a chimera and gargoyle!

    All your photos are great, but that last one was spectacular! Will need to put this ‘hike’ (huff/puff, huff/puff) on my to-do list the next time I visit Paris.

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  13. Atemberaubend.
    Danke, dass du mich mitgenommen hast liebe Tanja.
    Ich werde ganz sicher nicht noch mal nach Paris kommen und so bin ich hochbeglückt über deinen wunderbaren Bericht und die ebenso wunderbaren Aufnahmen.
    Dankeschön!
    Liebe Grüße Brigitte

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  15. Hi, there –

    What a wonderful post! I really enjoyed reading about your experience at the top of the Notre-Dame tower!

    I am sure that it was well worth waiting for. I am so glad that you were able to get one of the extra tickets to trek up the numerous stairs.

    Being someone who does not like heights, I must say that I felt my stomach get slightly unsettled when viewing some of your pictures from this high location! Haha! That being said, the view looking out over the city was quite stunning!

    Again, thank you so much for sharing this post. It was a gift for me to experience this wonder without having to hike up all of these stairs! Haha!

    Blessings,

    Gavin B.

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    • Thank you, Gavin. I’m glad you enjoyed climbing the towers of the cathedral vicariously.

      It’s always a high point (literally and figuratively) for me to get a view from above, I find it helpful in gaining a better understanding of the lay of the land. And to see some of the major landmarks of this great city.

      Kind regards,

      Tanja

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  17. Ahhhhh Tanjaaaaaaaa!!!! I didn’t know we could go on the roof of Notre-Dame!!! And you made it today!!!!! You saw la forêt des chênes ; chanceuse!!!! Unbelievable, you gave us a tour with ALL your great talent of being a tour guide! It make me dream we could do tours to the tourist you and me at Notre-Dame de Paris, that would be such a honor, plus we could cover English, French and German language…I am so happy for you that you are there….Good for you girl, you nailed it 2 times in less than a year!!!! Profite bien de tout à ParisXXX

    IsabelleXXX

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  19. This was a real treat Tanja. I think I prefer this view you have shared with us, from the top of Notre Dame compared to the view I had from the Eiffel Tower, when I visited Paris because it’s more intimate. It’s not so high up that you lose the personality of the city, I think.

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  20. Wow! How lucky that you were able to get in and climb the tower. I had no idea that was even possible. It looks well worth the 400+ stairs, though. What a great view of the city!

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  22. Truly, this is just so wonderful! I felt like I was right there with you, and learning things I didn’t know (like about gargoyles). Being an elementary teacher for so long, I could so easily see this as a picture book for children with such great explanations. Just sayin’, 😉

    Julie

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  23. As much as I admire Notre Dame for its artistic and religious importance, your post made me want to book a flight RIGHT NOW to climb those stairs to the top. Quite apart from the view, seeing the bells, and the ‘forest,’ and all of the internal architectural details would be wonderful. I was especially impressed that you were allowed to spend as much time as you wished at the top. The propensity of museums and such to try to keep people moving along, rather than spending time with an especially compelling painting does annoy me occasionally. An hour or so overlooking Paris must have been wonderful.

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  24. You’ve just added a new line item on my life list of activities. Jan and I have climbed St. Paul’s and the Millennium domes in London. I didn’t even now this was an option. Agreed that it’s money well spent if it helps maintain the building for generations to come.

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