Restoration
Notre-Dame after the fire: the towers' long road back
From the April 2019 fire to the towers reopening in September 2025, told factually.
Check the walking tour on Viator ↗April 2019
A fire broke out in the cathedral's roof space on 15 April 2019 and destroyed the spire and most of the wooden roof. The stone vaults largely held, and the two western towers, the façade and the great rose windows survived, helped by firefighters who fought the fire from inside the north tower that night.
Nearly six years of restoration
What followed was one of the largest heritage restoration projects of recent times: rebuilding the roof and spire to their historic form, repairing the stonework, and cleaning and restoring the interior, all while the towers themselves stayed closed to the public.
The cathedral reopens, December 2024
The cathedral held its formal reopening on 7 and 8 December 2024, with the building once again open to worshippers and visitors at ground level.
The towers follow, September 2025
The towers took longer, reopening on 20 September 2025, almost six and a half years after the fire, with a new oak staircase and a redesigned visitor route through the south tower's belfry.