And if you are in Paris and can't visit Notre-Dame because it is under renovation, maybe go see some other gothic cathedrals that are less than an hour away by train, such as Beauvais' or Chartres'.

For what my opinion is worth, I was awestruck by Beauvais' cathedral personally (even though, or especially because, I visited a fair number of period churches). Its nave is incredibly high, high enough that the aisles vaults by themselves are higher than some entire churches. It's also only halfway done, which is somewhat disappointing from an architectural perspective but fascinating from an archeological perspective: half the Carolingian cathedral is still there, which is a rarity.

Another beautiful cathedral around Paris is Amiens.

It's a more recent cathedral than Notre-Dame, and consequently higher, nearly as high as Beauvais in fact, but this one didn't collapse (even if she needed a very costly iron belt to stay that way).

It's also located near the quite nice Saint Leu neighborhood with tons of restaurants near the main canal. And right next to Saint Leu, you have the Hortillonnages (crisscross of waterways and small gardens) which are also worth a visit (it's possible to rent boats to visit them).

It's only ~1 hour away from Paris (Gare du Nord) by train, and definitely worth spending a day there in my opinion. Just don't be afraid by the sight of the tour Perret when exiting the station at Amiens ^^.

I've had people tell me it's just a church. Course they've never visited. I was there for the first time in 1975. It took my breath away, there's definitely something spiritual you feel to your core. I felt extreme joy, awe and happiness.

The only other time that I've been such moved is when I visited Dachau. But it's a different feeling one of darkness and extreme sadness.

Both are worth visiting to experience the true arc of human experience.

I visited and while I found the scale somewhat awe-ing, it didn't have nearly as much an impact on me as you've described. What did have such an impact, however, was La Sagrada Familia

> I've had people tell me it's just a church. Course they've never visited.

It's kind of the opposite. Every city of significant size in France (and more widely, in Europe) has a cathedral, and many of them are comparable to Notre Dame.

The interior of the "Sainte-Chapelle", which is nearby is even more breathtaking, IMHO. Both deserve a visit.

They hold (held?) small, intimate classical concerts in the chapel infrequently during the summer which gave the audience a glimpse of what it must've been like to live like royalty. The experience was sublime.

La Sainte-Chapelle was far better than the Notre Dame for me. I went to mass at the cathedral but the art and design of the Saint-Chapelle was more beautiful to me. I grew up catholic so maybe huge grand cathedrals don't really inspire much beyond reluctance and memories of suffocating in stuffy cathedrals my whole childhhood.

It is a beautiful piece of history, but that's the extent of it for me. Cheers to those to find the cathedral moving or breathtaking.

I totally get it. As a non-Catholic, I still fell in love with Notre Dame, my wife actually was so moved at our first glance she cried. You never forget a traveling experience like that!

I was in Paris for only a day in 2015 and saw Notre Dame from the outside but did not have the time to wait in line. I fondly remember everything I was able to experience walking up and down the Seine that day, but a small part of me regrets being so close and not going in.

I felt that way when I first saw it, but there are so many other cathedrals, bigger ones even. and the others have fewer people so more peaceful etc.