Viking - Highlights of Paris & the Louvre

Does this tour enter Notre Dame? I'm trying to pre-plan a three day itinerary in Paris and would like to arrange a tour of the cathedral.

Thank you in advance!

Dear Porcupine123,

Great question! In most cases, our Highlights of Paris & the Louvre shore excursion will take you inside the Notre Dame Cathedral for a self-guided tour. While unlikely, keep in mind that services and events can occasionally prevent such access.

We appreciate the opportunity to answer your question, Porcupine123, and encourage you to reach out to us directly at TellUs@vikingcruises.com should any additional inquiries arise.

Kind regards,

Viking Cruises

Does this tour enter Notre Dame? I'm trying to pre-plan a three day itinerary in Paris and would like to arrange a tour of the cathedral.

 

Thank you in advance!

You are probably better off visiting Notre Dame on your own. Near by is Sainte Chapelle and I consider that a must see. It has one of the most extensive 13th-century stained glass collections anywhere in the world.

I agree with OneSixtytoOne.....Sainte Chapelle is gorgeous. We arrived a few days prior to our river cruise starting, and invested in the MuseumPass, which included both, as well as tower access to Notre Dame. It definitely was a great investment for us, as we were able to visit many of the "must see" sights, and "go to the front of the line" in the process. (A huge benefit at the Arc and the Louvre)

Robin

If you want to do a "self-guided tour" [either as part of this excursion or DIY], I recommend the Rick Steves Paris guidebook.

Dear Porcupine123,

 

Great question! In most cases, our Highlights of Paris & the Louvre shore excursion will take you inside the Notre Dame Cathedral for a self-guided tour. While unlikely, keep in mind that services and events can occasionally prevent such access.

 

We appreciate the opportunity to answer your question, Porcupine123, and encourage you to reach out to us directly at TellUs@vikingcruises.com should any additional inquiries arise.

 

Kind regards,

Viking Cruises

Thank you!

You are probably better off visiting Notre Dame on your own. Near by is Sainte Chapelle and I consider that a must see. It has one of the most extensive 13th-century stained glass collections anywhere in the world.

Thank you! I will take you up on your advice.

I agree with OneSixtytoOne.....Sainte Chapelle is gorgeous. We arrived a few days prior to our river cruise starting, and invested in the MuseumPass, which included both, as well as tower access to Notre Dame. It definitely was a great investment for us, as we were able to visit many of the "must see" sights, and "go to the front of the line" in the process. (A huge benefit at the Arc and the Louvre)

 

 

Robin

Great advice! Thank you!

If you want to do a "self-guided tour" [either as part of this excursion or DIY], I recommend the Rick Steves Paris guidebook.

I will look it up! Thanks, again Jazzbeau

You are probably better off visiting Notre Dame on your own. Near by is Sainte Chapelle and I consider that a must see. It has one of the most extensive 13th-century stained glass collections anywhere in the world.

Please be aware that there is a spiral stone staircase you have to climb to access the gorgeous stained glass windows in Sainte Chapelle. I have minor mobility issues and was unable to handle those stairs. The brochure we picked up references special tours for the disabled, but we didn't see that until after we left the church. I still enjoyed the visit - my husband got some great photos and I got a cute gargoyle magnet for our refrigerator!

Sorry OP! Not trying to hijack your thread. I'd like to ask acwmom a question if I may. Does the Museumpass include the Eiffel Tower? And, when and where did you buy the pass?

Sorry OP! Not trying to hijack your thread. I'd like to ask acwmom a question if I may. Does the Museumpass include the Eiffel Tower? And, when and where did you buy the pass?

No, it did not include the Eiffel Tower. We had to book that direct, through the Eiffel Tower's website. We were able to get tickets to the top, on a Sunday. I highly recommend it!

We made arrangements for our hotel to purchase the MuseumPasses for us, so they would be ready to use upon our arrival. If you go to their (MuseumPass) website, they have a list of where you can purchase them yourself. (we stayed in a small boutique hotel, and this was something they offered, at no additional charge)

Robin

We did the back to back French cruises a number of years ago and we did our own Paris extension at the end of the Paris to Paris cruise. Viking took us to Notre Dame and we were given time to tour on our own--it was enough time to see everything. We did return on our own to go up the tower, which is include in the Paris Pass. The pass (but must be used on consecutive days) is worth the investment, especially if you do to Versailles and the major museums and do not miss St Chappelle, This church is beautiful and so bright, I found Notre Dame to be very dark. Since we were staying in Paris we did not do any of the optional tours with Viking. Getting reservations for the Eiffel Tower can be a problem. I found a company (very reasonable prices) that took us down into the elevator system for the tower and then up to the 2nd level. If we wanted to go to the very top we would have needed to purchase a ticket once we were in the tower. The line can be very long just to get the ticket and then a long wait for the elevator. We did not go to the top.

A friend took this picture looking thru Arch of Triumph at Louvre and seeing the Arch of Triumph on the Champs Elysees

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

We did the back to back French cruises a number of years ago and we did our own Paris extension at the end of the Paris to Paris cruise. Viking took us to Notre Dame and we were given time to tour on our own--it was enough time to see everything. We did return on our own to go up the tower, which is include in the Paris Pass. The pass (but must be used on consecutive days) is worth the investment, especially if you do to Versailles and the major museums and do not miss St Chappelle, This church is beautiful and so bright, I found Notre Dame to be very dark. Since we were staying in Paris we did not do any of the optional tours with Viking. Getting reservations for the Eiffel Tower can be a problem. I found a company (very reasonable prices) that took us down into the elevator system for the tower and then up to the 2nd level. If we wanted to go to the very top we would have needed to purchase a ticket once we were in the tower. The line can be very long just to get the ticket and then a long wait for the elevator. We did not go to the top.

Just to clarify, there is a ParisPass (very expensive) and a Paris Museum Pass. The main difference is transportation. You can travel independently for much less. I would choose the Paris Museum Pass-that is what we used. Again, the Eiffel Tower and Catacombs are not included. We were able to book the top of the Eiffel tower online, and it was well worth it!

Robin