no alt text

Travel bucket list idea:

Last updated: 28 May, 2023
Expert travel writer: Anna Brooke

Paris is home to hundreds of exquisite churches and cathedrals, their ornate spires and domes punctuating every neighbourhood. As a whole, they represent a magnificent ensemble of Romanesque and Gothic architecture, many of them packed with priceless art and relics – testimony to a Christian heritage that dominated the city until the French Revolution.

Recommendations

6

Basilica of the Sacre-Coeur de Montmartre

Paris, Ile-de-France, France

View of the Sacre-Coeur from the bottom of the balcony on a sunny cloudy day

The sugary-white domed church of Sacre-Coeur crowns Montmartre. Built in 1914, the interior is a feast of glittering neo-Byzantine mosaics.

Min age 2

Best for ages 18+

Website >
More details >

Church of the Madeleine

Paris, Ile-de-France, France

A view of inside the church from a distance where there are endless rows of chairs facing the centre of the angelic statues

A commanding Neoclassical Roman Catholic church, inspired by the Roman temple of Maison Carree at Nimes.

Best for ages 18+

Website >
More details >

Church of Saint-Etienne-du-Mont

Paris, Ile-de-France, France

Birds eye view of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont with the city of Paris in the background

One of the city’s loveliest churches, with an unusual mix of Renaissance and Gothic styles, magnificent rood screen and imposing sculpted wood pulpit.

Best for ages 18+

Website >
More details >

Church of Saint-Severin

Paris, Ile-de-France, France

Inside the church Saint-Severin where there are heightened ceilings with large arched ceilings and rows of chairs

This beautiful 15th-century Gothic church is famed for its complex ribbed vaulting that culminates in a twisted ‘palm tree’ column.

Best for ages 18+

Website >
More details >

Notre-Dame Cathedral

Paris, Ile-de-France, France

|
Bucket List Experience
A side view of the cathedral at night with street lights and lights on the cathedral itself, illuminating the dark

Paris’s iconic Gothic cathedral, previously its most visited site, is closed to the public following the devastating fire in April 2019. It’s set to reopen in December 2024 with its unique blend of heavenly views, hunchback legends and gargoyles galore.

Best for ages 13+

Sainte-Chapelle

Paris, Ile-de-France, France

internal view showing extraordinary stained glass windows

Paris’ most exquisite Gothic monument was built by Louis IX in 1248 to house his collection of Passion relics, including Christ’s Crown of Thorns (now at Notre-Dame Cathedral). It has one of the most extensive 13th-century stained-glass collections anywhere in the world.

Min age 2

Best for ages 18+

Website >
More details >

Logistics

Price: Free
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 18+
When: All year around

Destination guides

1

Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Paris

Ile-de-France, France

Aerial view of Paris with the Eiffel Tower in frame against a beautiful golden sunset

Crammed with iconic buildings, world-class art and a culinary scene steeped in history, Paris is one of the world’s great capitals, overflowing with style, romance, and art de vivre.