Sacré-Cœur Basilica

What makes it special

The thing to find inside is the mosaic over the choir: Christ in Glory, arms spread wide, with a heart of gold at its centre that catches the eye of everyone who walks in. It covers 475 square metres in enamelled and gilded ceramic.

From outside, it is the white dome you see, 83 metres high. A climb inside it ends in a 360-degree view over Paris and its monuments. The bell tower beside it holds La Savoyarde, the largest bell in France at nearly 19 tonnes.

The crypt breaks the usual rule by sitting above ground rather than under the church. It holds the tombs of two cardinals, statues of saints, relics and the Pietà chapel, with its large figure of the Virgin.

Visiting

A security check comes first, and at busy times the queue for it means ten to fifteen minutes of waiting. Inside, use your phone to start the audio tour. Then walk the nave and the side chapels, where the smaller mosaics are.

The dome has its own entrance outside the church. After security, take the steps down on your left to the dome ticket office, and pay by card or in cash, since no tickets are sold online. The dome opens daily from 10.15am to 5.30pm, with last entry at five, and closes at midday for a break, so climb in the morning or the afternoon.

Ask at the dome ticket office whether the crypt is open that day. Leave time on the way out for the terrace and the steps below the main facade, where the crowd is thickest.

Tips

Pickpockets work the crowds on the steps and the forecourt, so carry little and keep it zipped away. The dome stair is narrow, and the basilica does not recommend it for anyone with mobility issues. No reservation is needed, even for groups.