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Paris’ most beautiful churches

  • Paris, Ile-de-France, France

A landscape view of Sacre coeur (Basilica of Sacred heart), Montmartre and Sainte-Trinite at night
Last updated: 10 March, 2024

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

Experience

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

Good for age: 18+

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

Experience

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

Good for age: 18+

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

Experience

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

Good for age: 18+

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

Experience

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

Good for age: 18+

Notre-Dame Cathedral

  • Paris, Ile-de-France, France

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

Bucket List Experience

Notre-Dame Cathedral

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.

Good for age: 13+

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Sainte-Chapelle

  • Paris, Ile-de-France, France

internal view showing extraordinary stained glass windows

Experience

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.

Good for age: 13+

Logistics

Price: Free
Minimum age: 0
Age suitable: 18+
When: All year around

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