Visiting the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris

What the Sainte-Chapelle holds

King Louis IX, later Saint Louis, commissioned the Sainte-Chapelle as a private chapel in the heart of his apartments in the Palais de la Cité, the first residence of the kings of France in Paris, according to the monument's own article. A second article from the monument places his palace on the island of the city, the Île de la Cité. Louis IX acquired the Holy Crown of Thorns in 1239 and required a case worthy of the relic, which became the chapel.

The upper chapel has 15 tall bays of stained glass, two thirds of which date from the Middle Ages. The monument's article counts 1113 scenes in the windows, from Genesis on the north side to the rose of the Apocalypse in the west. That west rose is 9 meters wide and was rebuilt around 1485 under Charles VIII, and only 9 of its 87 panels were restored in the nineteenth century. You reach the upper chapel by 33 steps, with a lift only for visitors with mobility problems.

Security checks, bags and the wait at the Sainte-Chapelle

The Sainte-Chapelle is part of the Palais de Justice de Paris, so its security checks follow the courthouse's rules, and checks including identity checks by police officers may be carried out around the Palais. The monument's FAQ gives that as the reason for long waits: the checks are very strict and take time. The ticketing page adds a second security check before you enter the monument.

Arrive at the time stated on your booking and do not arrive earlier. Your entry is guaranteed within 30 minutes of the selected time. The monument has no cloakroom or left-luggage office, and it does not return items confiscated at the entrance. These are prohibited for safety:

• Motorbike helmets, aerosols, scissors, glass bottles and knives, forks and sharp objects.
• Bulky luggage and bags, scooters, skateboards and rollerblades.
• Pushchairs that are not small and foldable enough for the X-ray machines, and any pushchair in the upper chapel.
• Animals, even in a bag, except assistance animals and guide dogs.

Accessibility, strollers and children at the Sainte-Chapelle

The Sainte-Chapelle says the tour is accessible to people with reduced mobility, with the limits in the table: the upper chapel is up 33 steps, a lift serves only visitors with mobility problems, who should ask the staff to accompany them, and pushchairs stay outside the upper chapel. Children under 18 enter free outside groups, but they still need a booked ticket. The Conciergerie's page says it is not equipped with PRM access, which matters when you plan to add it.

The Conciergerie next to the Sainte-Chapelle

The Conciergerie is a separate monument at 2, boulevard du Palais, whose official website is also the CMN's, and it keeps its own hours. It opens at 9:30 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m. every day it is open, and the date board above shows its closed days. Its page gives last access at 5:30 p.m., while the Sainte-Chapelle's FAQ gives 5:15 p.m. If you visit it after the chapel, our suggestion is to plan for 5:15 p.m. The FAQ puts a visit at between 1 hour and 1 hour 30 minutes.

The Conciergerie runs its own French-only guided tour every day at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., about an hour, with registration on arrival. The combined ticket, set against two separate tickets, is worked out on the Sainte-Chapelle tickets page.