By Nerea González
Paris (EFE).- One year after reopening following a massive restoration effort sparked by the 2019 fire that shocked Paris and the world, Notre Dame Cathedral has become the most visited monument in the French capital, drawing 11 million visitors, more than the Louvre Museum and the Eiffel Tower.
Since Archbishop Laurent Ulrich proclaimed, “Notre Dame, open your doors!”
On the night of Dec. 7, 2024, in a ceremony attended by world leaders, curiosity about the cathedral’s rebirth has brought more than 30,000 visitors a day from all continents, whether for religious or touristic reasons.
The figure represents a sharp rise from the estimated nine million annual visitors before the fire of Apr. 15, 2019, which destroyed significant parts of the structure and triggered years of restoration, still visible today through scaffolding and cranes surrounding the building.
“It’s an icon of Paris… It’s beautiful. It’s simple. It reminded me of León Cathedral from the outside,” said María del Mar, a tourist from La Rioja in northern Spain, who said she was especially surprised not to see any visible trace of the fire inside.
“Inside, it’s gorgeous, as if nothing had happened. On the contrary, it looks spectacular,” added Ana, another visitor from Murcia in southeastern Spain, travelling with a group of friends.
One of the most striking aspects of the restoration, which included a deep stone cleaning to remove carcinogenic soot residue, is the brightness of the interior walls, enhanced by a new lighting system.
Smooth access, massive crowds
To manage the influx of tourists, Notre Dame offers two types of entry: booking a specific time slot online or queuing directly at the plaza.
While early months saw slow-moving lines, they now advance quickly, making visits easier.
Inside, crowds gather in large numbers, but the experience is not “unpleasant,” and signage is clear, according to Virginia, another visitor from Murcia.
The fact that admission remains free also contributes to the high turnout, she noted, something increasingly rare in major cathedrals in countries like Spain.
The French Catholic Church has resisted pressure to introduce an entry fee, including calls from Culture Minister Rachida Dati, insisting on keeping the cathedral a universally accessible space despite the high restoration cost, estimated by the state at 700 million euros.
This policy partly explains the record visitor number, placing Notre Dame ahead of Paris’s other major tourist attractions: the Eiffel Tower (7 million), the Palace of Versailles (8.4 million), and the Louvre Museum (almost 9 million).
Notre Dame now stands on par with St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, which also attracts around 11 million visitors annually, though still far behind the world’s most visited monument, Beijing’s Forbidden City, with 17 million.
Religious life fully restored
Beyond tourism, Notre Dame also celebrated the full revival of its religious mission during this first anniversary year.
According to figures from the Paris Archdiocese, the cathedral hosted more than 1,600 religious ceremonies and 650 pilgrimages, including landmark events such as the first Christmas Eve Mass since the fire, and rites marking the deaths of Pope Francis and the election of Pope Leon XIV. EFE
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