On the Petit-Pont-Cardinal-Lustiger, perpendicular to the Notre-Dame square, the view is perfect: you can take a photo of the cathedral without seeing the security barriers or the construction site buildings in the background. Leaning on the railing, tourists of all nationalities strike a pose. “Notre-Dame is one of the monuments I most wanted to see in Paris. It's familiar to me, because I saw the musical Notre-Dame of Parison tour in Italy last year [en 2023]. And then, we don't have a lot of Gothic architecture in Italy.”explains Luana, a 32-year-old Sicilian, on vacation in the capital. “I got to know Notre-Dame through the Disney cartoon. I feel very lucky to see her in real life”says Mandy, a thirty-something American who lives in San Francisco, California.
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As the cathedral prepares to reopen on Sunday December 8, after five years of closure, Paris will once again be one of the most popular places for tourists in the capital. Notre-Dame can boast a record: that of having been, before the fire, the most visited monument in France – primarily because its visit is free.
In 2018, 12 million visitors passed through its doors. This is barely more than the Sacré-Coeur, also free, and its 11 million visitors that same year. Just behind, the Louvre attracted 10.2 million visitors; Versailles, 8.2 million; and the Eiffel Tower, 6 million.
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“For many foreigners, this cathedral embodies Paris, and even France. It is one of the wonders of the world, like the pyramids or the Colosseum. And then, it is a monument that immediately connects you with the past and, somewhere, with all of humanity. In the United States, we don't have anything that old, and that allows us to connect with our ancestors.”, evokes the American Michael Davis, professor at Mount Holyoke University, in Massachusetts. “What fascinates visitors is also the scale and complexity of this cathedral, built without any modern technology. For me, it has something extraterrestrial, like a huge spaceship coming down from the sky.”continues this researcher specializing in Gothic art.
Since 2019, the surroundings of Notre-Dame have nevertheless remained a must for tourists visiting the capital – in 2023, there would be 26 million visitors. Hundreds of guides organized tours around the square, despite the scaffolding and construction equipment. “What interests visitors most is the story of the fire. It fascinates people! »says Nikhil, a 29-year-old Indian student, who has been walking small groups since 2022 with the company GetYourGuide.
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