place du Parvis-Notre-Dame, 4e. Even seeing Notre-Dame for the first time there is a sense of déjà-vu. The great twin towers and spectacular rose window were emblems of Paris long before the Eiffel Tower. Since the disastrous fire of 2019 the cathedral is being restored in stages – a long process. 

Founded in 1160 on a temple site dating back to Roman times, the Gothic facade still retains traces of the earlier Romanesque style. Much of the decoration was destroyed in the Revolution, but Viollet-Ie-Duc’s 19thC restoration work faithfully repaired the damage down to the 28 figures of the King’s Gallery. The gloom of the massive vaulted nave focuses attention on the choir, spotlit by two vivid rose windows in the arms of the transepts. These compensate for the main window which is partially concealed by the organ loft. Carvings and paintings decorate the ambulatory chapels and a side door leads to the treasury. Follow in the footsteps of Victor Hugo’s Hunchback of Notre-Dame up the north tower and step out amongst the gargoyles for a magnificent view across the city. The bell is in the south tower.

Below the cathedral forecourt, the Crypte Archéologique reveals the remains of the medieval city and Gallo-Roman walls, together with scale models of urban development through the centuries.