🇫🇷 Paris

Sainte-Chapelle

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Address: 10 Boulevard du Palais, 75001 Paris, France
Hours: 09:00–19:00 Apr–Sep (last entry 18:30); Wed until 21:30 mid-May–mid-Sep; closed Jan 1, May 1, Dec 25
Price: ~€16 EEA / ~€22 non-EEA; under-18s free
Website: https://www.sainte-chapelle.fr/en
Map: Open in Google Maps ↗

Built in seven years by Louis IX to house what he believed was Christ's Crown of Thorns. About two-thirds of the 13th-century glass is still original.

Tucked inside the Palais de la Cité on the Île de la Cité, Sainte-Chapelle is a small Gothic jewel-box built by Louis IX to house Christ's crown of thorns. Climb the stairs from the lower chapel and the upper level explodes into colour — 15 stained-glass windows tell more than a thousand Bible scenes. Aim for a sunny late morning when the south windows are at full glow, and book a timed ticket online to skip the security queue at the Palais de Justice.

Audio tour: Sainte-Chapelle is a stop on Rick Steves' Historic Paris Walk, a free self-guided audio tour in the library.