The cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris is situated in the heart of Paris in the 4th arrondissement at the center of the Ile de la Cité, The first stone was laid by Bishop Maurice de Sully but it took nearly 200 years to erect the cathedral. It was built to commemorate the great moments in the history of France.

The cathedral is a masterpiece of gothic architecture. The interiors are richly decorated with stained glass and sculptures. It boasts of one of the biggest organs in the world. Outside the cathedral, there are 387 narrow spiral steps which leads the visitor to the north tower for a panoramic view of Paris. On the pavement, just in front of the entrance, there is a spot known as "0 km" . All the main road distances in France are calculated from this "0 km".

Notre-Dame has a lot of historical importance too. It is this cathedral where Napoleon was crowned emperor in 1804. General de Gaulle also chose Notre-Dame to celebrate the liberation of Paris in 1944. The cathedral was made famous by the novelist and poet Victor Hugo, through his well-known novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Address
6, Place du Parvis de Notre-Dame
75004 Paris
Tél. : 01.44.32.16.72 Métro
SAINT-MICHEL, CITE

Opening hours
Daily from 8 am to 6 pm.