5 Cathedrals to Visit in Paris

You still can’t visit Notre Dame but you get what I mean

Notre Dame is still social distancing from the public (Photo by William Sidnam)

When it comes to traveling around Europe, it pays to visit cathedrals.

Even if you’re not Catholic, you can learn a lot about a city’s cultural heritage by visiting the cathedrals that were once central to the lives of its citizens.

Not only are they historic buildings with unique atmospheres; they contain a wealth of artwork that rival small museums.

If you’re visiting Paris sometime, I recommend the following cathedrals.

Notre Dame de Paris

Notre Dame in March 2020, before all the tourists disappeared (Photo by William Sidnam)

It goes without saying that Notre Dame de Paris is the beating heart of Paris, if not of France as a whole. With its construction beginning in 1163, the medieval cathedral is not only in the dead centre of Paris, which expanded outwards in a spiral-like manner, but it’s where so much of Paris derives its history.

Made famous by Victor Hugo in his novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame, it is arguably the most well-known example of gothic architecture in Europe, with gigantic stained glass, a famous organ and an instantly-recognisable…