Last time we visited Paris we were able to explore the inside of this wonderful building. On our last trip, we walked around the building and we were amazed at the beauty and craftsmanship of the exterior as well.

It’s written that the current building of what is now known as Notre-Dame began construction in 1163 under Pope Alexander III. The style of the building is Gothic style or also referred to as “the French style”.

Gothic architecture is most often characterized by the use of the pointed arch you can see in some of the pictures above and in buildings throughout Europe. Other common features are the flying buttresses, large windows, towers, spires, and an ornate or decorated exterior. Flying buttresses you can also see in one of the photos above. They are masonry arches on the outside of a building that transfers the thrust of the roof outwards and down to a pier.

As much as you want to hurry to see the interior of the Cathedral, take some time to stroll around the perimeter and imagine what it would be like to build such an amazing piece of architecture beginning in the 12th century. The tools, knowledge, and conditions they had to deal with for centuries, it’s hard to comprehend.

We took the time to climb the 200+ narrow stone steps of the tower to see the city from another perspective. You also have the opportunity to see some of the details, statues, and the carved stone gargoyles are seen in so many movies. One piece of advice, get there early as you’ll probably have to stand in line. They only allow a set number of people to climb the tower at a time. We also bought a museum pass ahead of time and you could use the pass for access to the tower as well. It’s a great way to save a little time and money if you’re planning to visit other museums in Paris.

As always we did some research before going and took a guidebook to explain some of the interesting details that you may not normally see or experience.

Enjoy!