Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris

While our Louvre visit was a bust, the total opposite can be said for our stop at Notre Dame Cathedral. It was one of the first things I made sure to map out before we even left the States because I knew if I didn't put it on the itinerary, I was going to be bitter the rest of our trip if I missed it.

Paris in July is hot, and after walking the city all morning I was itching to get inside to shade myself from the sun and cool down for a bit. It was a little after noon when we arrived, so there were already quite a few other tourists standing in line to get in.

The line did look long, but it only took about 15 - 20 minutes of waiting in it before we reached the entrance. Notre Dame is a work of art in itself, so we were able to entertain ourselves by studying the sculptures on its exterior and snapping a few pics before going in.

I thought we'd get a little relief from the heat once we entered, but even though the lighting was dim, it was still quite warm and stuffy inside. However, that did not keep us from walking around, soaking in all of its beauty.

I was happy to see that even though there were quite a few tourists inside, everyone was quiet and respectful, taking care not to touch any of the relics or disturb any of the guests who were in prayer.

To state that Notre Dame is stunning is an understatement. The sculptures inside are just as amazing as the outside. My photos certainly don't do it any justice, so I insist that if you are in the market for a trip to Paris, put a visit to the cathedral on your itinerary. You will not regret it!

We stayed for right around 45 minutes, but you can stay for as long as you like. We were hoping to visit the cat walk to catch a glimpse of the famous gargoyles, but couldn't find anyone to direct us to the staircase to lead us up, so we missed out on that portion of the visit. Notre Dame is free to enter, though they do have a fee to climb the towers, which I believe runs around 8 euros.

You can find a ton of pigeons in the courtyard in the front of Notre Dame. There was a lady that was passing out birdseed for those who wanted to feed them. My girls were delighted to partake on the pigeon feeding, so if you have kids, I bet they'd love to feed them also. Just be sure you have a few euros on hand to tip the birdseed lady and some hand sanitizer for afterwards.

If you enjoyed this post, be sure to follow me on Instagram, where I post travel related photography. I'll have the rest of my Notre Dame photos highlighted in my stories there over the next few weeks, so be sure to stop by and check those out!

Is Notre Dame Cathedral a stop you'd be interested in making on your Parisian getaway?