The Pope Léon XIV is due in Paris on Friday, September 25 and Saturday, September 26, 2026, with a series of engagements across the capital: a papamobile parade from Montparnasse to Saint-Michel, vespers at Notre-Dame, official visits, and a grand Mass on the Place de la Concorde and along the Champs-Élysées. The programme will trigger a major security operation and some collateral disruption for those simply planning to visit Paris.
Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle, the Conciergerie, the Tuileries… several sites will close completely or become noticeably harder to access during these two days. Here's what you need to know before booking a time slot or wandering across Paris only to find the doors shut.
The first area to watch: Île de la Cité. Notre-Dame will host Pope Leo XIV for vespers on Friday, September 25.
The cathedral will be fully closed to the public on Thursday, September 24 and Friday, September 25. On Saturday, September 26, there will be no morning opening either: Notre-Dame will reopen only from 5:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m..
Notre-Dame closed this weekend for the Pope's visit: what you need to know
Notre-Dame is closed to the public this weekend. Here are the closures and restrictions in place around Île de la Cité. [Read more]
Just a few meters away, two other major landmarks will also close on Friday, September 25:
The Towers of Notre-Dame, for their part, will remain closed from September 24 to 28 inclusive.
Even when a site remains theoretically accessible, you still have to be able to reach the neighborhood. On Friday, September 25, a wide security perimeter will be established around Île de la Cité and its surroundings. Road traffic there will be heavily restricted, several metro or RER stations will be closed, and pedestrian access will be controlled. For an impromptu tourist visit in the area, this will clearly not be the best day.
Around the Champs-Élysées, road closures are set to be unusually heavy on Saturday, September 26. The pope, Leo XIV, will hold a mass expected to draw several hundred thousand people from the Place de la Concorde, along the Champs-Élysées, to the Place de l’Étoile and the Avenue de la Grande-Armée.
The Grand Palais will close exceptionally starting Friday, September 25 at 9 p.m., and will remain entirely closed on Saturday, September 26, at the request of the Police Prefecture. The Petit Palais will also be closed for the entire day Saturday, September 26.
A similar scene at the other end of the avenue: the Arc de Triomphe will be closed to the public for the entire day on Saturday, September 26, in an exceptional measure. Access to the Étoile sector will also be heavily restricted by the security perimeter for the Mass.
A change of scenery on Saturday, September 26. While hundreds of thousands are expected for the Grand Mass of Leo XIV on the Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Élysées, the Tuileries Garden will be completely closed.
The Orangerie Museum will also be closed this Saturday, September 26. Its official schedule specifies that the collections and exhibitions will not be accessible that day. Le Jeu de Paume is also affected by the papal visit. The art center, located at the far end of the Tuileries Garden on the Concorde side, has moved up to Thursday, September 24, the closing of its exhibitions, originally scheduled for September 27, due to the pope’s visit to Paris.
The Louvre Museum, however, remains open. Nevertheless, you should plan your route in advance, as several nearby stations will be blocked off and the Concorde area will be heavily secured.
The same caution applies at the Musée d’Orsay. The institution remains open, but the area is directly affected by the planned traffic restrictions and bus disruptions in the 7th arrondissement.
In short, it's best not to plan a full day of sightseeing in these areas:
Paris isn’t shutting down, but several of its most popular sites will be operating at reduced capacity. Access conditions around security perimeters may still change, so it’s wise to check the official information for the place you plan to visit before you head out.
Dates and Opening Time
From September 25, 2026 to September 26, 2026
Notre-Dame closed this weekend for the Pope's visit: what you need to know
