On 8 December, 2024, Paris's Notre-Dame Cathedral reopened its doors after five years of restoration work, following a devastating fire in April 2019. Since then, visitor numbers have reached a record high – making Notre-Dame the most visited monument in France in 2025.
A tear rolls down Jessica's cheek as she leaves Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.
Inside, she and her brother had lit a small candle in tribute to their father, who passed away earlier in 2025.
"These are happy tears, because it was a joyful experience. This building is magnificent. The way it was built, the artwork inside, the stained glass windows, the statues, the paintings... everything is incredible. It was one of my dreams, so I'm glad I came," explains this tourist from California. "It fills me with joy."
2025 was a record-breaking year for visitors to the cathedral, with more than 11 million worshippers and tourists welcomed – crowning Notre-Dame France's most visited monument.
Notre-Dame's dual role
In the queue for entry, every language of the world can be heard. Foreign tourists account for a third of visitors.
Their number has been bolstered by the resumption of guided tours last June. "The slots fill up so quickly that we are forced to turn people away," said Théo Abramowicz, president of the National Federation of Interpreters and Tour Guides.
He mostly organises tours for foreigners, but says he's noticed renewed interest among French visitors.
"I'm seeing more and more people coming from other regions of France and setting aside a whole day just to visit Notre-Dame, which is something new."
Pompidou Centre in Paris closes until 2030 for extensive renovations
Mass at the cathedral attracts up to a thousand worshippers and, according to the diocese, there have never been so many pilgrimages, with more than 600 in 2025.
However, Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, rector-archpriest of Notre-Dame de Paris, seeks to temper this enthusiasm.
"The cathedral is not seeking to attract large numbers," he says, explaining that high visitor numbers pose a major challenge in terms of managing the flow of people. "The aim is to allow worship to take place amid the flow."
In order to reconcile the different roles of Notre-Dame – place of worship versus tourist attraction – a few adjustments have had to be made.
"We limit entry during services to 30 people per minute in the cathedral, compared to 50 outside of services," explains Ribadeau Dumas.
Does Paris's most picturesque neighbourhood need protecting from overtourism?
A new attraction
Welcoming fewer people in order to provide a better experience was also the choice made for visits to Notre-Dame's two towers, which almost collapsed in the fire.
The summit of the south tower is at the top of 420 steps, where those who make the climb are rewarded with a 360-degree view of Paris.
The annual visitor limit has been lowered to 400,000, compared to 450,000 before the disaster. The tour has also been completely redesigned to improve the visual and audio experience, explains Julie Schafir, project manager at the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, which is responsible for managing the two towers.
"We offer visitors a more comfortable experience, a chance to marvel even more and the impression of having the monument all to themselves."
Microsoft to create digital twin of Notre-Dame 'to help support maintenance'
The revised tour also offers a new experience: a meeting with Emmanuel, Notre-Dame's largest bell. The second largest in France, he weighs 13 tonnes.
"Previously, you could only see the bells from a distance, but now we've decided to take visitors underneath them," explains Schafir. "Don't worry, they're securely fastened," she smiles.
This article was adapted from the original version in French by Baptiste Coulon.
