How much does the royal necropolis cost
What you pay, exactly
The basilica is two buildings in one. On one side, an active cathedral, that of the diocese of Saint-Denis since 1966: you enter as you would a church, sit down, leave, and no one asks anything. On the other, a national monument managed by the Centre des monuments nationaux, and this is the part you pay for: Suger’s choir, the ambulatory, the transept where the recumbent figures are gathered, and the crypt. The ticket grants access to this part, plus La Fabrique de la Flèche, the reconstruction site set up on the square.
The confusion comes from the word “free”, which visitors read somewhere and apply to the entire monument. I’ve seen families walk through the door, take three steps into the nave, photograph the stained glass, and leave thinking they’ve visited Saint-Denis. They never saw a single tomb. What the nave reveals is beautiful, but the reason people come from far away is behind the choir screen. The page what is free here details the boundary, metre by metre.
Who does not pay
The list is long, longer than in most Parisian monuments, and it is set by the Centre des monuments nationaux. The following enter free of charge: under 18s; 18-25-year-olds who are nationals of the European Union or legally residing in France; people with disabilities and their companion; jobseekers residing in the European Union or the European Economic Area; staff of the French National Education system with the Pass éducation; students and teachers at the École du Louvre. In other words, a family with two teenagers and a 20-year-old student pays for only one admission. Bring the ID or card to prove it: free entry must be justified at the ticket desk, not verbally.
What makes the cost vary
Three levers, and none requires complicated calculations. The first: the guided tour in French is included in the ticket, at a fixed time, and lasts approximately 1 h 30. Paying for an additional commentary only makes sense if you cannot wait for the group’s departure. I detail the schedules on the free admission page and the choice of options on guide, audio guide or nothing.
The second: if you visit several monuments during the same Parisian stay, the Basilique de Saint-Denis is included in the Paris Museum Pass, which completely changes the travel budget arithmetic. I explain how to collect it and count the days on the pass page. The third: the ticket with an audio commentary on your smartphone, which you can listen to at your own pace, described on the audio ticket page.
What does not change, however: the time, the season, or the day of the week. A Tuesday in February and a Saturday in July offer the same ticket. What changes is the crowd around you, and I describe that on the best time to visit.
Included
- Suger’s choir, the ambulatory and its radiating chapels
- The transept and its recumbent figures, over seventy tombs
- The crypt and the ossuary, beneath the choir
- The guided tour in French, at a fixed time, approximately 1 h 30
- La Fabrique de la Flèche, Tuesday to Sunday
Not included
- The nave, which is freely accessible in any case
- Services, during which the monument closes
- The cloakroom: there isn’t one, large bags are an issue
If you are visiting with family, first check who is exempt from a ticket before looking at anything else. With two teenagers and a European student, the question of pricing almost entirely disappears. The details are on what is free.
The cheapest ticket among the major Gothic monuments in Île-de-France
I say it without numbers and I stand by it: relative to what you see — over seventy recumbent statues and tombs, the largest collection of funerary sculpture from the 12th to the 16th century in the world, in the building where Gothic was invented on 11 June 1144 — Saint-Denis is the most undervalued entry in the region. People who compare it to the Sainte-Chapelle, described on the Gothic combined ticket page, expect the price of a famous monument. It isn’t one, because Saint-Denis isn’t in Paris and visitor numbers follow geography more than merit.
Book your ticket
The availability of the royal necropolis entry ticket is shown below, day by day. The full comparison of the six options is on the booking page, and what this ticket grants access to exactly is on the necropolis ticket page.
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
Do you have to pay to enter the Basilique de Saint-Denis ?
No for the nave, which is an open church. Yes for the royal necropolis, the choir, the gisants, and the crypt. The exact boundary is on what is free.
Who enters the royal necropolis without paying ?
Those under 18, 18–25-year-olds from the European Union or regular residents in France, people with disabilities and their companion, job seekers from the EU or EEA, the Pass éducation, and students from the École du Louvre. See free admissions.
Is the guided tour charged extra?
No. The guided tour in French is included in the admission ticket, at a fixed time, approximately 1 hour 30 minutes. It’s the monument’s best offer and almost no one knows about it: see guided tours.
Is Saint-Denis included in the Paris Museum Pass?
Yes, the royal necropolis is included. How to collect the pass and count the days is explained on the pass page.
Does the ticket also grant access to the spire construction site?
Yes, La Fabrique de la Flèche can be visited with the ticket, from Tuesday to Sunday; it is closed on Mondays while the necropolis remains accessible. See opening hours.