How much time to allow here

The actual timing

I give the time I see people spending, not an ideal time. Suger’s choir and the ambulatory take about fifteen minutes if you do the full tour of the radiating chapels, which many cut short by going through the middle. The transept, with its more than seventy recumbent figures, takes forty minutes at minimum, and longer if you bend down to see the transis — which I recommend on the recumbent figures page. The crypt and its plaque require a quarter of an hour, and you must include them: without them, the visit stops halfway through the story. Total: one hour walking at a normal pace.

The guided tour, and what it changes

Around 1 h 30, included in the ticket, in French, from Monday to Saturday at 11 am and 3 pm, on Sunday at 12:30 pm and 3 pm. It’s not just half an hour more: it’s a different visit, where someone tells you in what order to look and why. Armande, a Belgian visitor, writes simply: « Absolutely worth seeing. Thank you to the guide (free, check the times). » Do check them, in fact, at the reception on the day itself: they change according to services. Details on the guided tours page.

La Fabrique de la Flèche, the extra half-hour

The spire reassembly site, on the square, adds half an hour: you watch stonemasons at work, which is slower than you might think because you stay longer. It is closed on Mondays. If you come on a Monday, subtract this half-hour from your calculation and note that the necropolis itself is open. See the construction site page and the opening times.

The time you lose, and the time you gain

You waste time in two ways. The first: arriving during a service, when the monument
closes, and waiting outside. The second: arriving with a large bag, because there
is no cloakroom and you then visit while carrying it. You save time by coming early, before the
school groups on Thursday mornings, or in the late afternoon out of season. The best time slot is
discussed on the best time page.

Three ways to visit

The short visit: one hour, self-guided, on a Tuesday at 10 am. You see the whole route, you only
linger at three or four tombs, and you leave at 11 am. This is what most visitors do, and it is perfectly reasonable.

The full visit : you enter at 10 a.m., explore the choir and ambulatory on your own, join the guided tour at 11 a.m., then go down to the crypt to read the plaque at your leisure. Two hours with La Fabrique de la Flèche, and this is the version I recommend to someone who is visiting just once.

The extended visit : add the market, just a few minutes’ walk away, and the behind-the-scenes tour of the stadium in the afternoon. At this point, it’s no longer just a visit but a full day, and the journey on line 13 no longer feels like a constraint. The itineraries are available on the access page.

A full half-day in Saint-Denis

Two hours in the basilica, lunch at the market, then the behind-the-scenes tour of the Stade de France, just one tram stop away: the stadium is described on its page. This is the day I recommend to visitors coming from afar, as it makes the trip worthwhile. The options and their durations are compared on the booking page.

Book your time slot

Reminder: what you’re booking above is entry to the royal necropolis. The nave, however, remains open without a ticket, as in any church in the diocese.

Frequently asked questions