Catholic city guide · France

Paris,
relics, saints, and mercy.

Venerate the Passion relics, follow Mary at Rue du Bac, pray with Geneviève and Vincent de Paul, remember the martyrs, and end before the Eucharist at Montmartre.

Explore 7 places on the map Choose a suggested journey

7 sacred places4 devotional areas1–2 day journeys

Plan your pilgrimage

What to know before you go

Paris works best as a sequence of prayer windows rather than a checklist. Relic veneration, chapel closures, adoration, and crypt access each follow their own calendar.

Practical details reviewed August 30, 2026

Practical guidance

Plan Notre-Dame around worship and relics

Cathedral entry is free and an official time slot is recommended at busy periods. The Crown of Thorns is currently presented every Friday afternoon, with a distinct veneration on the first Friday; verify the same-day program before crossing the city.

Official Crown of Thorns schedule ↗

Practical guidance

Respect Rue du Bac’s daily rhythm

The Miraculous Medal chapel closes around midday on most days and Tuesdays have a distinctive Marian program. Arrive for prayer rather than expecting a museum-style visit, and use the chapel’s current schedule.

Rue du Bac opening and liturgy times ↗

Practical guidance

Know what perpetual adoration means

Sacré-Cœur is open to ordinary visitors from early morning into the evening. Night adoration is a separate commitment tied to confirmed guesthouse registration, not a late-night sightseeing extension.

Sacré-Cœur hours and access ↗

Practical guidance

Enter the Carmes through the right door

Weekday access is normally through 74 rue de Vaugirard and weekend access through 70–72. Saturday afternoon visits interpret the September Martyrs and the crypt, but are not offered in August; confirm before going.

Carmes visitor information ↗

Christ at the center

The Passion and the Eucharist

Notre-Dame’s Passion relics and Sacré-Cœur’s perpetual adoration give the city pilgrimage its Christ-centered frame.

CathedralNotre-Dame CathedralParis, FranceOpen guide →BasilicaBasilica of Sacré-Cœur de MontmartreParis, FranceOpen guide →

Suggested journeys

Choose your pace

Each journey can be saved directly to your account with its day assignments, stop order and pilgrimage notes intact.

1 day

Passion, Mary, and the saints of Paris

A focused pilgrimage from Notre-Dame through Geneviève, Rue du Bac, and Vincent de Paul.

Day 1 · Early morningNotre-Dame CathedralBegin at Notre-Dame; choose Friday when planning specifically around published Passion-relic veneration.
Day 1 · Late morningChurch of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont and Shrine of St. GenevièvePray with St. Geneviève on the hill above the Latin Quarter.
Day 1 · Early afternoonMiraculous Medal Chapel & Tomb of St. Catherine LabouréEnter Rue du Bac for Mary, St. Catherine Labouré, and St. Louise de Marillac.
Day 1 · Late afternoonChapel of St. Vincent de PaulConclude nearby at the body of St. Vincent de Paul.

2 days

Relics, martyrs, and perpetual adoration

A slower guide adding the September Martyrs and a Montmartre evening of Eucharistic prayer.

Day 1 · MorningNotre-Dame CathedralNotre-Dame and the Passion relic tradition.
Day 1 · MiddayChurch of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont and Shrine of St. GenevièveSt. Geneviève at Saint-Étienne-du-Mont.
Day 1 · AfternoonSaint-Joseph-des-Carmes and the September MartyrsVisit the Carmes only during confirmed public access.
Day 2 · MorningMiraculous Medal Chapel & Tomb of St. Catherine LabouréPray at the Miraculous Medal Chapel.
Day 2 · MiddayChapel of St. Vincent de PaulContinue to St. Vincent de Paul.
Day 2 · EveningBasilica of Sacré-Cœur de MontmartreFinish at Sacré-Cœur with Mass, confession, or adoration.

Saints who carried Paris

Mary, Geneviève, Vincent, and Catherine

Rue du Bac and the nearby Vincentian shrines join apparition, relics, conversion, and service of the poor; St. Geneviève widens the story to the city’s patroness.