Visit Strasbourg’s Notre-Dame Cathedral

by | Updated on 20/12/2023 | Museum and monuments, Museum and monuments (when it rains), Open on sundays, Strasbourg | 0 comments

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Strasbourg Cathedral is the oldest Gothic cathedral in the world and one of the must-sees when visiting Strasbourg. It is the second most visited cathedral in France, just after Notre Dame de Paris! It is easily recognizable by its pink sandstone façade and its unique tower. It is really beautiful and imposing! It is located in the center of Strasbourg and is open every day of the year except January 1st, May 1st and December 25th.

The history of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Strasbourg

The Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Strasbourg was founded in 1015 on the remains of a Carolingian cathedral, by the Bishop of Strasbourg Werner of Habsburg and Emperor Henry II. Its foundations (unique in the world), to be precisely on the place where the first Christians had prayed, were laid on a water table and required years of work and a specific ancient technique to be stabilized.

The Cathedral was destroyed in a fire in 1176 and the new one was built in 1220, on the old foundations and in a gothic style. It is unique because of its only bell tower, topped by a spire and completed in 1439. Its construction took more than three centuries and assumptions about its unique bell tower are varied.

With the Reformation, the Cathedral was devolved to Protestant worship in the early 16th century. A disputed seat until the concordat of 1801, it is now exclusively dedicated to the Roman Catholic cult. However, its history remains troubled in the 20th century, with two world wars, bombings, a fire and the threat of the tower collapsing due to the water table. In 2015, it still celebrated its millennium serenely.

Height of the cathedral of Strasbourg

With a spire of about 142m high, it was the highest building in the world until the 19th century (in 1874).

Visit of the cathedral of Strasbourg: free or paying entrance?

The entrance to the cathedral of Strasbourg is free, but the presentation of the astronomical clock as well as the ascent to the top of the tower are paying.

What to see during your visit to Strasbourg Cathedral?

Interior and exterior of the cathedral

The cathedral has an infinite number of things to admire, both inside and outside. Before entering the Cathedral, don’t miss to admire its pink façade and its sculptures. You will be able to admire many remarkable works during your visit of the Cathedral of Strasbourg: sculptures, altarpieces, tapestries, a remarkable monumental organ, stained glasses dating from the 12th to the 15th century.

The architecture of Strasbourg Cathedral is also noteworthy and shows finesse and elegance, with its gothic pulpit, the baroque altar of the Saint-Laurent chapel, the portals, the innovative frontispiece for the time and its rose window. Don’t forget to admire the spire, a very daring technical work in the Middle Ages. You can also visit the crypt.

Guided tours of the interior of Strasbourg Cathedral are only available in the company of a qualified guide. You can book your tour here.

Another option is an excellent audio guide: I recommend that you
download the Pop Guide application
app on your smartphone and purchase the cathedral tour module. The application is well done: we access a map of the cathedral and we can then click on the elements that interest us to listen to the explanations. You can stay there for a total of about 3 hours, but of course you don’t have to listen to everything either. You can really do according to the time you have and your desires. The price is 4€ but I advise you to take the Pop Guide pack + boat trip with Batorama (another must for a visit to Strasbourg), the application is then only 2€50. It would be a shame to miss out! 😉

Astronomical clock of the cathedral of Strasbourg

One of the great sights of the cathedral is its astronomical clock, which has a worldwide reputation and is definitely one of the things to see when visiting the cathedral. This masterpiece of the Renaissance is fascinating because of its complexity and precision: it is the result of a collaboration between artists, mathematicians, watchmakers, sculptors, painters and automaton creators. Its current mechanism dates from 1842. It is very impressive when the automatons (representing the four ages of life) come to life!

It can be viewed freely during a visit to the cathedral, but can only be seen in motion once a day during the Parade of the Apostles.

Presentation of the clock and the Parade of the Apostles

The Parade of the Apostles, during which you can watch the complete play of the automatons, takes place every day at 12:30 pm sharp.

Before that, at 12:00, the presentation of the astronomical clock takes place, which consists of the projection of a film about the clock and its history. I strongly advise you to attend this presentation of the clock before attending its animation, because you will be able to understand much better what you will observe.

Please note that this projection does not take place on Sundays or holidays when a mass is celebrated at 11:00 am (but access to the clock is then free after the 11:00 am mass).

Tickets for the astronomical clock

You must purchase a special ticket to attend the presentation of the clock and the Parade of the Apostles. These cannot be purchased in advance but only on the day:

  • Until 11:00 a.m.: at the stalls of the Cathedral Notre-Dame de Strasbourg;
  • From 11:30 a.m.: at the entrance to Place Saint-Michel (access from Place du Château)

Je vous recommande d’entrer un peu en avance car le film démarre à 12h précises et il y a souvent du monde.

Comment monter en haut de la cathédrale de Strasbourg?

332 marches et, en récompense, une vue à 360° sur Strasbourg, les Vosges et la Forêt Noire. La montée à la plate-forme de la cathédrale de Strasbourg est une visite incontournable, à faire et refaire ! Elle débute dans la loge des gardiens, dont l’accès se trouve au niveau de la cathédrale, côté place du Château.  Il y a trois autres plate-formes, mais elles ne sont pas accessibles au public.

Attention, l’accès à la plateforme peut être fermé temporairement du fait de conditions météos défavorables ou d’une forte affluence par exemple (100 personnes maximum).

Ascension de la tour de la cathédrale

Je vous conseille vraiment de prendre votre temps pour la montée. L’ascension se fait par un escalier en colimaçon, au sein d’une tourelle pourvue d’ouvertures régulières sur l’extérieur. Cela offre des vues splendides sur les contreforts, les toits et les sculptures de la cathédrale. Vous ne pourrez pas admirer ces détails d’aussi près en haut de la plateforme.

J’ai déjà réalisé l’ascension de la plateforme de la cathédrale de Strasbourg avec des personnes sujettes à un léger vertige. Cela s’est bien passé car les escaliers comme la plateforme sont bien sécurisés. Par contre, si votre vertige est plus important, ce n’est peut-être pas une bonne idée… Il vaut mieux aussi être en bonne condition physique.

Une fois les 332 marches gravies, on arrive dans la maison des gardiens. Ce petit bâtiment a été construit en 1782 pour surveiller la ville et intervenir rapidement en cas d’incendie. Désormais, une exposition permet de découvrir l’histoire de la cathédrale de Strasbourg et de la ville.

On peut aussi observer la “roue à écureuil”, un treuil datant du XVème siècle destiné à monter les matériaux nécessaires à la construction de la cathédrale. Et le mécanisme d’une horloge conçue par Jean-Baptiste Schwilgué, auteur de la troisième horloge astronomique, située au coeur de la cathédrale.

Une vue magnifique sur Strasbourg

Sortez ensuite sur la plateforme pour profiter de la vue époustouflante sur les toits de Strasbourg, que l’on surplombe à 66 mètres de hauteur. 12 oeilletons pointent sur les quartiers et bâtiments remarquables de Strasbourg, comme la Petite France, le Parlement européen, l’église orthodoxe russe ou l’église Saint-Thomas. Par beau temps, il est même possible de voir bien au-delà de la ville avec un beau panorama sur les Vosges et la Forêt Noire. Une vue imprenable!

N’oubliez pas de lever la tête pour admirer au plus près la flèche de la cathédrale culminant à 142 mètres ainsi que la tour de la croisée du transept et la toiture en cuivre de la cathédrale. Avec un peu de chance et d’attention, vous apercevrez aussi faucons pèlerin ou crécerelle, mésanges, éperviers, martinets ou passereaux. La cathédrale abrite ou sert de terrain de chasse à de nombreux oiseaux ! Par contre, pas de cigognes à proximité : elles nichent au parc de l’Orangerie 🙂

Et si on faisait un voyage dans le temps? Il existe une application gratuite, VR Strasbourg Cathédrale, pour découvrir des vues reconstituées de Strasbourg en 1730 (côté est) et en 1490 (côté ouest) et suivre l’évolution de la ville au fil des siècles grâce à des reconstitutions 3D. Enfin, la table d’observation indique au public la direction de plusieurs grandes villes mondiales.

La descente se fait elle aussi via les escaliers à colimaçon d’une autre tourelle, côté nord de la cathédrale cette fois. Là encore, ça vaut le coup de s’arrêter régulièrement pour admirer la ville, les bâtiments et la cathédrale sous un autre jour.

Billets pour la plateforme de la cathédrale de Strasbourg

Vous devez acheter un billet spécial pour monter sur la plateforme de la cathédrale. L’achat se fait directement au pied de la tour avant d’y monter, au sud par la place du Château.

The entrance fee is donated to the Fondation Oeuvre Notre-Dame. This structure ensures the preservation and restoration of the cathedral of Strasbourg for more than 800 years. It has about thirty people specialized in stone cutting, sculpture, masonry, locksmithing, restoration or historical studies. This work is always done by hand, thus preserving a traditional know-how. The Fondation Oeuvre Notre-Dame is a unique case in France! Only a few cathedrals in Switzerland, Norway, Germany and Austria have dedicated workshops. I recommend that you visit the Foundation’s museum, a few steps from the cathedral.

Sound and light show in summer

Every summer from July to August, the cathedral of Strasbourg is adorned withilluminations at dusk. A sound and light show takes place every night, for the pleasure of tourists but also of locals! The show is different every year, hard to get tired of it…It’s really superb!

I liked

  • Admire the cathedral: impressive outside and inside!
  • The panoramic view of Strasbourg from the tower of the cathedral
  • Observe the amazing astronomical clock
  • Let the Pop Guide audioguide guide me
  • Contribute to the preservation and restoration of the cathedral

I liked a little less

  • Potentially long line in season: go in the morning!

My photos of the visit of the cathedral of Strasbourg

Practical information

Schedules and rates

Here are the timetables of the cathedral of Strasbourg. Admission to Strasbourg Cathedral is free. You can admire the cathedral itself as well as the astronomical clock, except during the presentation of the astronomical clock.

On the other hand, there is a charge for this service:

Guided tour app

To download the Pop Guide application, click here .

Access

Tramway line A and D, stop Langstross Grand’Rue
Bus 10 (Corbeau stop), bus 30 (Saint-Guillaume stop) or bus 14 and 24 (Ancienne Douane stop)

Laurène

Laurène

Laurène est la créatrice du blog Mon week-end en Alsace. Bretonne installée en Alsace depuis 2014, elle est tombée amoureuse de sa région d'adoption au point de lui dédier un blog et d'acheter avec son mari une maison alsacienne dans un village du Kochersberg, près de Strasbourg. A pied, à vélo, sur ses chevaux ou au volant de sa voiture, elle aime partir explorer les moindres recoins de l'Alsace pour dénicher de bonnes adresses à partager sur le blog.

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