Notre Dame Tour: Inside the Cathedral & Small Group Île de la Cité Walk

Take in the City of Light where it all began with a Notre-Dame tour.

Go back to where it all started with this leisurely tour of the geographic and historic center of Paris; the Ile de la Cité. Your day starts with a visit to Notre Dame. After an introduction to the cathedral, you'll go inside for a guided visit, seeing the incredible restoration efforts after the 2019 fire up close. 

Once you step inside, you'll be transported hundreds of years back in time to when the mighty cathedral at Notre-Dame (the distance from which all points in France are measured) was first built, and Paris looked very different to how it looks today. Since the Middle Ages, Paris has been a city of pilgrims drawn by Notre-Dame, the gothic jewel of the city. Struck by its immensity, seemingly impossible design, and bathed in light, early visitors were convinced it was conceived by the divine, and its ability to inspire endures more than 850 years later. 

After about 1.5 hours to explore Notre-Dame, begin a walking tour around the island with your local Paris guide. For the next 45 minutes, you'll walk down meandering cobbled streets past recognized sites like Sainte-Chapelle and La Conciergerie. Hear the stories and learn about the characters - kings, queens, and everyday people - that transformed Paris into the "City of Light." 

Fact, fiction, history, rumor, and lore all come together on this engrossing Notre Dame tour that covers both the cathedral and the island's most popular attractions. With a small group of no more than 5 people, you will have excellent access to your guide, whose stories about Paris will bring the city to life around you.

 Sites Visited: • Notre Dame Cathedral • Île de la Cité • River Seine • Sainte-Chapelle (exterior), Conciergerie (exterior), Hotel Dieu (exterior)