The 1,200-year resting place of the kings and queens of France

Priority timed entry past the ticket queue into the Royal Necropolis — the recumbent gisants and royal tombs of the kings and queens of France, the great Renaissance monuments, Abbot Suger's Gothic choir and ambulatory, the medieval crypt, and access to the Fabrique de la flèche workshop rebuilding the basilica's spire.

Good question, and the distinction matters. The nave of the basilica is a living place of worship and is free to enter. Your ticket is for the Royal Necropolis — the choir, the ambulatory, the crypt and the collection of royal tombs and gisants beyond the nave, plus the Fabrique de la flèche. That is the ticketed part of the monument, and it is what we book for you: not entry to the free church, but skip-the-line timed access to the royal tombs.

Yes — the Royal Necropolis admits visitors in timed slots to protect the monument and keep it uncrowded, so your ticket is for a chosen date and entry time. Tell us your preferred date and time when you book and we issue the ticket so you walk straight in at your slot. You can take your time inside once admitted.

It is a great Gothic church just north of Paris that is two remarkable things at once: the birthplace of Gothic architecture, where Abbot Suger built the first coherent Gothic choir, consecrated in 1144, and the royal necropolis of France, the burial place of the kings and queens of the realm for over twelve centuries. The paid visit takes you into the choir and the necropolis with the largest collection of royal recumbent effigies in Europe.

Almost every king and queen of France from the 10th century until the Revolution — around forty kings and dozens of queens, together with princes and great servants of the crown. You will see the medieval gisants, the towering Renaissance tombs of Louis XII and Anne of Brittany, François I and Claude de France, and Henri II and Catherine de' Medici, and in the crypt the remains of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. It is the largest gathering of royal funerary sculpture in Europe.

Around 1140, Abbot Suger rebuilt the east end of the abbey church with a radically new design — ribbed vaults, pointed arches and a ring of radiating chapels whose walls dissolved into stained glass. Consecrated in 1144, this choir was the first place these elements came together into a single luminous whole, and the style spread from here to Chartres, Notre-Dame and the cathedrals of Europe. Standing in the choir, you are standing where Gothic light was invented.

It is the on-site workshop where craftsmen are rebuilding the basilica's north tower and spire — 86 metres tall and dismantled in the 19th century — using medieval building techniques. Included with your visit, it lets you watch a great cathedral rise stone by stone as it would have done 800 years ago. Note the Fabrique de la flèche is closed on Mondays, though the Royal Necropolis remains open.

Allow about 1 to 1.5 hours for the Royal Necropolis — the choir and ambulatory, the royal tombs and gisants, the crypt and the Fabrique de la flèche. Lovers of Gothic architecture or French history often stay longer; it rewards an unhurried visit.

The Royal Necropolis is open daily. From April to September, Monday–Saturday 10:00–17:45 and Sunday 12:00–17:45; from October to March it closes an hour earlier, at 16:45. Last admission is 30 minutes before closing, and access may pause during religious services. It is closed on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December, so it is worth confirming when you book.

Yes. We issue an e-ticket that you present on your phone at the entrance — there is no need to print it. Just have it ready to show at your timed slot, and our concierge team is on call if anything needs sorting on the day.

The easiest way is Métro line 13 to Basilique de Saint-Denis station, which is about 100 metres from the door — roughly a 20 to 25 minute ride from central Paris. The RER D and the tramway T1 also stop nearby. Note that the Métro station itself has no lift.

Under-18s enter free, and residents of the EU or EEA aged 18 to 25 also enter free with valid ID checked on site. We only ever charge for a full-price adult ticket — so if everyone in your group qualifies for free entry, there is nothing to book. Tell us your group when you enquire and we will make sure only the tickets you actually need are issued.

The basilica is at ground level and the choir and necropolis are largely accessible, but the medieval crypt is reached by stairs and the nearest Métro station has no lift. If you have specific mobility or sensory needs, contact us before booking and we will confirm the current accessible route and any assistance the monument offers.

Yes — photography for personal use is permitted in most areas without flash or a tripod. The choir with its stained glass and the ranks of white-marble gisants are the signature shots, and they are at their best in the strong daylight of late morning. Please be discreet if a service is taking place in the nave.

Yes. The visit is a manageable length, and the tombs, effigies and the story of a thousand years of kings and queens tend to capture children's imagination. The Fabrique de la flèche, where a cathedral spire is being rebuilt by hand, is a highlight for younger visitors — bear in mind it is closed on Mondays.

Saint-Denis came first — it is where the Gothic style Notre-Dame and Chartres inherited was born — and it is unique in being the royal necropolis of France, with a choir full of royal tombs you will find nowhere else. It is also far quieter than the great central-Paris churches, so you can take in the architecture and the tombs in calm, a short Métro ride from the city.

Your ticket is for a chosen date and entry time. If you need to move it, reply to your confirmation email as early as you can and our concierge team will do its best to adjust the booking with the monument wherever its calendar allows.

Easily. Saint-Denis pairs naturally with the Panthéon in central Paris — the two great resting places of the nation, one royal, one republican. Because the necropolis visit is compact and its entry is timed, it slots neatly into a Paris day around a visit to the Panthéon or the museums of the centre.