Make sure to walk over to the Ile-St. Louis which is connected to the island where Notre Dame is by a footbridge. Less tourists, better place to grab a bite or ice cream (see Berthillon) and a cool neighborhood.
While it may be an iconic place of worship, Notre Dame was actually once used as a wine store. At 850 years old it's survived just about everything including wars and even its own bells (the giant bells that once rang here rang so strongly they actually damaged the building and had to be taken out). When you go, see if you can spot architectural While it may be an iconic place of worship, Notre Dame was actually once used as a wine store. At 850 years old it's survived just about everything including wars and even its own bells (the giant bells that once rang here rang so strongly they actually damaged the building and had to be taken out). When you go, see if you can spot architectural details that remind you of bats; the architect responsible for the cathedral's restoration in the 1800s, Viollet-le-Duc, used bats as his signature and incorporated them into some of the design elements.…see moresee less