Reopened in December 2024, the cathedral is free to visit until 7 pm (10 pm on Thursdays). But it's afterwards, when the forecourt empties, that the cleaned façade takes all the light, with the Seine flowing on both sides.
The right time
10 pm: the forecourt almost empty, the river boats sweeping the façade.
Lights
Façade and towers lit until 1 am; the apse by square Jean-XXIII is the best lit.
The photo spot
Quai de Montebello on the Left Bank, by Shakespeare & Company: apse, flying buttresses and reflections in the Seine.
The tip
The Marais is just across pont d'Arcole — a 6-minute walk to rue des Archives.