A fire ripped through Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris on April 15, 2019, and reconstruction efforts on the 12th-century monument were painstaking. But Notre-Dame finally reopened on December 7, 2024.
In March 2023, General Jean-Louis Georgelin, the army general leading the restoration project, told the Associated Press, “My job is to be ready to open this cathedral in 2024. And we will do it. We are fighting every day...and we are on a good path.” Georgelin died at age 78 in August 2023, but his goal was met; Notre-Dame opened on schedule on December 7—although renovations will continue through 2026.
How is the restoration work on Notre-Dame progressing?
More than 1,200 people have worked on Notre-Dame’s restoration in Paris and throughout France. In order to rebuild with similar materials and techniques used when the rest of Notre-Dame was built in the 12th century, skilled artisans including quarry workers, carpenters, mortar makers, and master stonecutters were hired.
The cathedral won’t be 100 percent restored until 2026. The apse and sacristy will be finished sometime in 2025, and 2026 will see the installation of new stained glass windows. The existing windows, which date to the 19th century, will be moved to a museum, and the new windows will be designed by a contemporary French artist; more than 100 artists submitted their designs and, as of this writing, there are eight finalists, among them Daniel Buren, known for his black and white striped columns in the inner courtyard of the Palais Royal.
How to visit Notre-Dame now
Free tickets can be reserved through Notre-Dame’s app (iOS, Free | Android, Free). Reservations are not required, but having them will cut down on wait times. Notre-Dame is always packed, but to avoid even larger crowds, the best time to visit is outside of Mass hours. A one-hour Mass is held Monday through Saturday at 8 a.m., 12 p.m., and 6 p.m., and Sundays at 8:30 a.m., 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 6 p.m.
The cathedral is currently open to individual visitors only; large group visits will start from June 9, 2025, with reservations open from March 2025. Tickets to Notre-Dame are always free, so beware of any sites trying to sell them. If you want to visit the Treasury, you can buy a €10 ($10.50) ticket, but entry to the cathedral itself is completely free.
A look inside the restoration of Notre-Dame Cathedral
To get an idea of the work that needed to be done on Notre-Dame before it could re-open, take a look at the cathedral before and immediately after the 2019 fire, as well as a few reconstruction updates from the past few years.
Before the fire (September 2018)
This photo, dated September 7, 2018, shows Notre-Dame’s roof and spire before they burned.
Photo by Katsiuba Volha / Shutterstock
After the fire (April 2019)
The cathedral lost its roof and spire in the April 2019 fire.
Photo by AP Photo/Christophe Ena
Before the fire (October 2017)
The interior of Notre-Dame in November 2017
Photo by Ninara/Flickr
After the fire (April 2019)
The interior of Notre-Dame immediately after the fire in April 2019
Photo by AP Photo/Christophe Petit Tesson
How much will it cost to restore Notre-Dame?
Immediately after the fire, around $900 million in donations poured in from individual contributors, as well as the wealthy French families behind LVMH and Kering. LVMH owns several major French fashion houses, including Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior, while Kering owns other luxury brands, such as Saint Laurent and Gucci.
Reconstruction in progress on June 16, 2021
Photo by Thomas Samson, Pool FILE via AP
A behind-the-scenes look at the restoration process
Even if you can’t get a ticket to Notre-Dame in 2024, the free exhibit Notre-Dame de Paris: At the Heart of the Construction Site offers an inside look at this massive construction project.
Located in a cultural venue underneath the cathedral in a former parking garage, this installation will be on display through January 5 2025, providing an overview of the restoration project and the trades involved, alongside damaged artifacts pulled from the fire.
The same location also hosts a VR show, Eternal Notre-Dame, a 45-minute immersive experience that lets visitors dive into 850 years of the cathedral’s history.
This article was originally published in 2019 and most recently updated on December 9, 2024 with current information. Sophie Friedman and Mary Winston Nicklin contributed reporting to this story.
