Paris has no trouble providing travelers with an endless display of beautiful and memorable places to visit. Whether you’ve only got 36 hours in Paris or a full week, there’s no way you’ll run out of things to do, so it’s important to prioritize special attractions like the breathtaking chapel of Sainte-Chapelle.
Visiting the Sainte-Chapelle with its mesmerizing stained glass windows is sure to be a highlight of your trip, so it’s important that you spend some time properly planning. A big part of this planning is organizing tickets to the Sainte-Chapelle, as sorting them out in advance allows you to decide exactly when and how you visit. To help you with that, we’ve created this guide on how to buy tickets to the Sainte-Chapelle with all the information you could possibly need.
Quick Answer – How to Buy Tickets to the Sainte-Chapelle: Unless you like spending your vacation waiting in long lines, we highly recommended you purchase your admission ticket to the Sainte-Chapelle in advance here.
Best Ways to Get Tickets to the Sainte-Chapelle
The Sainte-Chapelle is such a beautiful and monumental attraction in Paris that it naturally attracts lots of visitors. Because of its popularity, there are several options for getting tickets to suit the different kinds of experiences people might be looking for. Below we’ll take you through where to buy tickets for the Sainte-Chapelle for each of the options so that you can organize the best approach for you.
1. Line Up in Person (Not Recommended)
Regardless of which famous tourist attraction you’re talking about, waiting until you arrive to organize your tickets is rarely a good idea. By buying tickets to the Sainte-Chapelle at the last minute, you’re wasting your precious time in Paris waiting in a line, something that you could easily avoid. Worse still, you may find that tickets are sold out for the next entry times and you’ll have to wait until later in the day just to get in. If you do decide to go this route, you’ll find the ticket office on Place du Châtelet.
2. Book Online (Recommended)
To save yourself time and hassle, we recommend booking tickets to the Sainte-Chapelle online before you go. Not only will you avoid waiting in line when you arrive, you’ll also be able to plan your other sightseeing around your reserved entry time.
Skip-the-line tickets for the Sainte-Chapelle can be booked through the official website of the chapel. However, these tickets are nonchangeable and nonrefundable. Instead, we suggest you book your Sainte-Chapelle tickets through this link, as you can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours in advance and receive a full refund.
3. Book a Ticket Bundle
The Sainte-Chapelle isn’t the only interesting attraction on Île de la Cité. In fact, many tourists also visit the Conciergerie, a beautiful Gothic palace, while they’re on the island. What makes this combination of attractions so appealing is that you can get a ticket bundle that includes entry to both attractions for a discounted price. While this bundle can be bought on the official website, we again recommend booking through this link for its free cancellation up to 24 hours before the booking.
4. Book a Guided Tour
Although it is not well publicized, it is possible to tour the Sainte-Chapelle with a tour guide. Your best option is to go to the official website to book a guided tour of the Sainte-Chapelle, which actually is a joint tour of the chapel and the nearby Conciergerie. Unfortunately, tours only take place a few times during the week, so you’ll have to be lucky for the timing to work.
5. Purchase a City Pass
Tourists looking to do as much sightseeing as possible while they’re visiting Paris should consider getting one of the city passes available. With a city pass, you get free entry to a huge selection of attractions around the city at a much lower price than if you paid for each individually.
Paris actually has two passes, each with their advantages. The Paris Museum Pass is the cheaper of the options and comes with access to many of the city’s best attractions and museums on top of the Sainte-Chapelle, including the Louvre Museum and the Orsay Museum. Then there’s the Paris Pass, which includes the Paris Museum Pass as well as a hop-on hop-off bus tour ticket and tickets to other attractions and tours such as the Eiffel Tower and the Bateaux Parisiens river cruise.
Useful Information for Visiting the Sainte-Chapelle
What’s the Best Time to Visit the Sainte-Chapelle?
Because the Sainte-Chapelle is one of the more popular attractions in Paris, and rightly so, it can get quite busy at certain times. This means that if you’re looking to avoid the crowds for your visit, you’ll want to give some consideration to when you go.
The Sainte-Chapelle tends to get busiest during the summer and around public holidays, basically whenever it’s a peak time for tourists in Paris. If you plan on visiting at any of these times, be sure to book tickets well in advance.
When it comes to the actual timing of your visit, going early in the week is your best bet. Visitor numbers are highest from Thursday through the weekend, so you may want to steer clear in this period. Going first thing in the morning is a great idea if you want to see the chapel at its quietest, although the light through the stained glass is best in the late afternoon; however, it does get busy at this time.
Sainte-Chapelle Hours of Operation
The Sainte-Chapelle is open every day of the week and is only closed on the public holidays of January 1, May 1, and December 25.
Opening hours for the chapel are set differently for high season and the rest of the year. From April 1 to September 30, the chapel is open from 9:00 to 19:00, while from October 1 to March 31, it is open from 9:00 to 17:00. Last entry to the chapel is always 40 minutes before closing time, and access to the wider Palais de Justice de Paris complex closes 45 minutes before closing time.
How to Get to the Sainte-Chapelle
Making your way to the Sainte-Chapelle when in Paris isn’t too tricky thanks to its central location and lots of public transport options. However, you may find that walking there is your best bet if you’re in the 1st arrondissement or the Latin Quarter. The best route to reach the Sainte-Chapelle via public transportation depends on where you’re coming from, but we’ll highlight the main options below.
To arrive using the metro, you can either travel to the Cité station on the 4 line, or go to the Châtelet station a short walk away with any of the 1, 7, 11, and 14 lines. You can also travel to the chapel by train by taking the RER B or C lines to the Saint-Michel–Notre-Dame station on the opposite river bank. One final option is to go by bus, with the 27, 38, 47, 75, and 96 bus lines all stopping at various bus stops around the small island and other bus lines stopping close by as well.
How Do Sainte-Chapelle Tickets Work?
Tourists will be pleased to hear that the system for tickets to the Sainte-Chapelle is quite simple and easy to understand. Unlike some attractions with lots of ticket types and options, there are really only two types of Sainte-Chapelle tickets to choose from. Visitors can either get a general admission ticket to the chapel or a bundle ticket that includes entry to the nearby Conciergerie as well.
When booking your tickets, you’ll need to choose a scheduled time slot for your visit from the times that are not sold out. Entry times are every half hour. Tickets booked online can either be presented on your smartphone or printed out.
How Much Do Tickets for the Sainte-Chapelle Cost?
Prices for tickets to the Sainte-Chapelle are also very straightforward. Here we’ll take you through those prices as shown on the official website for the chapel. Sainte-Chapelle tickets cost €11.50 for general admission to the chapel and €18.50 for combined admission to the Sainte-Chapelle and the Conciergerie.
Free entrance to the Sainte-Chapelle is available to several different groups of people, so it’s worth checking whether you qualify. Youths under the age of 18, people from the EU or EEA aged between 18 and 25, and people with disabilities and their aides are all eligible for free entry. Reservations for free entry are still required and can be arranged online.
All visitors are able to get free entry to the Sainte-Chapelle on the first Sunday of the month in January, February, March, November, and December, as well as on European Heritage Days in September.
Best Hotels for the Sainte-Chapelle
When looking for good parts of Paris to stay in, you could do a lot worse than the area around the Sainte-Chapelle. The Île de la Cité, where you’ll find the chapel, enjoys a central location in the city that’s close to lots of great Paris attractions. While there is plenty of accommodation to choose from, here are a few of our recommendations to get your search started.
You’re bound to be eager for your time in Paris if you decide to stay at the luxurious Hôtel D’Aubusson. Set inside a 17th-century private mansion, this gorgeous five-star hotel is less than a 10-minute walk from the Sainte-Chapelle and boasts a jazz bar, spa, and indoor swimming pool. For other great hotels in the city, check out our guide to Paris hotels.
For a nice balance between comfort and cost, we suggest looking at the Hotel Cluny Square. With this three-star Latin Quarter hotel, you get cozy and inviting rooms at a reasonable price, and you may even score a room with a view of the Eiffel Tower. Another option for midrange and up accommodation is Airbnb, as you’ll see in our guide to the best Airbnbs in Paris.
Budget accommodation is in short supply in this part of the city. The People – Paris Belleville IEx Les PiaulesI, a hostel located three kilometers (1.9 miles) from the Sainte-Chapelle, is one of your best options. There you’ll find clean dorms and rooms, friendly staff, a library, a bar, and a rooftop terrace. More hostel recommendations can be found in our Paris hostel guide.
Security Process at the Sainte-Chapelle
Because of its great historical and cultural significance, security is taken very seriously at the Sainte-Chapelle. To ensure you have a smooth start to your visit, it helps to know the rules in place for visitors.
Besides having security at the entrance to the chapel, there is also a security perimeter in place for the entire Île de la Cité. Only visitors with a ticket and scheduled visit will be permitted past this first checkpoint. At the second security check outside the chapel, visitors will be checked for prohibited items, including but not limited to knives, scissors, glass bottles, and aerosols.
Suitcases, luggage, and large bags are not allowed inside the Sainte-Chapelle, and there are no cloakroom facilities on-site, so be sure to stow any such belongings before arriving. Only small, foldable strollers are allowed to be brought in.
While personal photography is allowed inside the chapel, the use of tripods and selfie-sticks is not.
Visiting the Sainte-Chapelle With a Disability
Support and information for visitors to the chapel with disabilities are limited, but there are a few accessibility features available on-site to help with your visit. The chapel is a wheelchair-accessible attraction that features an elevator. Guide and assistance dogs are allowed at the chapel for visually impaired visitors, and audio guides are available.
FAQ – Facts About the Sainte-Chapelle
What Is the Sainte-Chapelle?
The Sainte-Chapelle is a Catholic chapel inside the former French royal residence of the Palais de la Cité.
When Was the Sainte-Chapelle Built?
Construction on the Sainte-Chapelle began in 1242 and was completed in 1248.
How Old Is the Sainte-Chapelle?
As of 2022, the Sainte-Chapelle is 774 years old.
Who Built the Sainte-Chapelle?
King Louis IX of France ordered the chapel constructed during his reign.
Why Was the Sainte-Chapelle Built?
King Louis IX wanted the chapel built to store his collection of religious relics, including the crown of thorns worn by Christ, which now resides in the Notre-Dame Cathedral.
Where Is the Sainte-Chapelle Located?
The Sainte-Chapelle is located within the Palais de la Cité on the Île de la Cité on the River Seine in the center of Paris.
With all this information in hand, you should understand why getting skip-the-line Sainte-Chapelle tickets is such a smart choice. Hopefully you see how useful a little preparation can be for getting the most out of your visit to this spectacular place in Paris.
Wilfredo Santiago
Hi, How can I get tickets for the first Sunday of the month?