This remarkable 12th-century cathedral stands majestically on the Ile de la Cite. It has the features you'd expect from a great Gothic church: towers, flying buttresses, even gargoyles to repel evil and keep rain in its proper place. The inside glows with stained glass, especially the 30-ft/9-m Rose Windows. The bell in the south tower is heard only on the most solemn occasions. The 11th-century organ, which has 8,000 pipes, is played in concerts every Sunday except during Lent.
Excavations around Notre-Dame in preparation for a parking garage revealed Gallo-Roman, late Roman and medieval ruins, which are now preserved in an underground museum known as the Crypte Archeologique. The cathedral is open daily 7:45 am-6:45 pm; the Crypte Archeologique is open daily except Monday 10 am-6 pm. The tower (387 steps to climb) is open daily April-September 10 am-6:30 pm (until 11 pm on Saturday and Sunday June-August), and October through March 10 am-5:30 pm. The cathedral is free to visitors; admission to the crypt is 3.30 euros adults, to the tower 7.50 euros adults. Ile de la Cite (4th; Metro Cite), Paris. Phone 01-4234-5610 for organ concert dates, 01-4329-8351 for the crypt museum. http://www.cathedraledeparis.com or http://notre-dame-de-paris.monuments-nationaux.fr.
