Notre-Dame's Towers Reopen to Visitors as Restoration Reaches New Milestones

Notre-Dame de Paris, the medieval cathedral devastated by fire in April 2019, continued its remarkable recovery in 2025 as its iconic towers reopened to the public. After the cathedral itself reopened for worship in December 2024, the tower tour circuit, managed by the Centre des monuments nationaux, welcomed visitors again in September 2025, allowing the public to climb once more and take in sweeping views over the French capital.

The year brought a series of restoration milestones. The spire, which collapsed in the blaze, was fully completed with its lead roofing and ornamental elements such as griffins, capitals, and railings, restoring the cathedral's familiar gray silhouette against the Paris skyline. On 26 July 2025, all sixteen copper statues returned to their positions at the base of the spire, including representations of the twelve apostles and the four evangelists.

“After the cathedral itself reopened for worship in December 2024, the tower tour circuit, managed by the Centre des monuments nationaux, welcomed visitors again in September 2025, allowing the public to climb once more and take in sweeping views over the French capital.”

Among the most striking new features is a 178-step oak staircase in the South Tower, described by the restoration teams as the largest wooden double-helix staircase in the world. Standing roughly 69 feet high and weighing some 20 tons, it was crafted to support visitor access while honoring traditional carpentry. The bells Emmanuel and Marie rang again on 17 July 2025 after their oak yokes were refurbished in Alsace, marking another emotional step in the cathedral's return to full life.

The reconstruction of Notre-Dame has mobilized hundreds of master craftspeople, including stonemasons, carpenters, and metalworkers, drawing on both centuries-old techniques and modern engineering. The project deliberately revived traditional skills, with carpenters hewing oak beams using methods close to those of the medieval builders, ensuring that the cathedral was restored in keeping with its historic character rather than simply rebuilt with contemporary shortcuts.

The towers themselves are among the cathedral's most famous features, immortalized in literature and beloved by the millions of visitors who have climbed them over the centuries. Their reopening in 2025 allows that tradition to resume, letting people once again ascend to view the rooftops of Paris and the restored spire up close. Restoration work continues on areas such as the apse and exterior, but the reopening of the towers stands as a powerful symbol that one of the world's most beloved monuments has been brought back from near-ruin, a testament to global solidarity and craftsmanship that will endure for generations to come.