By Harry Nara · Last updated
- Good Friday: the Crown of Thorns at Notre-DameFriday 26 March 2027
- Easter SundaySunday 28 March 2027
- Easter Monday, a public holidayMonday 29 March 2027
- Where
- Notre-Dame de Paris and across the city
- Tickets
- Free
- Time of year
- March or April
- Dates
- Set by the moon and the spring equinox, so they move by weeks each year
Easter Sunday falls on 28 March 2027 and Easter Monday, a public holiday in France, on 29 March. Good Friday, 26 March, is a working day except in Alsace and Moselle. The clocks go forward an hour on Easter Sunday, so the night before is short.
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Easter in Paris is a long weekend with two halves. The religious one is at its most striking at Notre-Dame, reopened after the fire: on Good Friday the Crown of Thorns, the cathedral’s most precious relic, is brought out for veneration for most of the day, and the Easter Vigil and morning Mass draw huge crowds. The secular one is chocolate, from the eggs, bells and fish in every chocolatier’s window. Easter Monday is a public holiday; Good Friday is not. Services are free and cannot be booked, so arrive early.
What Easter in Paris actually is
Holy Week builds from Palm Sunday to Easter. On Good Friday the Eucharist is not celebrated; instead parishes walk the Stations of the Cross, some of them through the streets of their neighbourhood, and at Notre-Dame the Crown of Thorns, kept in its reliquary since Saint Louis brought it to Paris in the thirteenth century, is offered to the faithful for veneration through the day.
French children are told that the church bells, silent from Holy Thursday, fly to Rome and come back on Easter morning scattering chocolate, which is why the chocolatiers fill their windows with bells, hens and little chocolate fish, the friture, alongside the eggs. The great bells of Notre-Dame ring out again at the Easter Vigil.
Then comes the long weekend. Easter Monday is a public holiday across France, and many Parisians leave town, while visitors arrive for the first mild days of spring.
Where to be
- Notre-Dame on Good Friday. In recent years the Crown of Thorns has been offered for veneration from mid-morning to late afternoon, then shown in its reliquary into the evening. The queue moves steadily but is long; on other Fridays the relic is displayed in the afternoon only.
- Notre-Dame and the parish churches at Easter. The Vigil on Saturday night and the Sunday masses fill Notre-Dame to the doors. Saint-Sulpice, Saint-Eustache and the Madeleine have their own great music and smaller crowds.
- The chocolatiers. The Easter windows on the Left Bank and in the Marais are the city’s own display; buying is optional, looking is free.
Tickets and what it costs
Services are free and there is no booking for Holy Week celebrations: come early, expect bag checks at Notre-Dame, and dress for a long wait outdoors in March or April weather.
On Easter Monday most sights open, though each museum keeps its usual weekly closing day, and many small restaurants and independent shops close for the holiday. Book a restaurant for Sunday lunch, the traditional family meal of lamb.
Official information and booking: dioceseparis.fr/veneration-et-ostension-de-la.html
Getting there
For Notre-Dame, take the RER B or C to Saint-Michel Notre-Dame, or Metro line 4 to Cité, and walk to the square in front of the west front.
Holiday timetables apply on Easter Monday, and the long weekend fills the trains out of Paris; check SNCF before you plan a day trip.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Arriving at Notre-Dame at Mass time
The cathedral fills well before the service begins. Join the queue early, and expect security checks.
Planning a shopping day for Easter Monday
It is a public holiday, and many smaller shops close. Department stores and the big sights are the safer bet.
Assuming Good Friday is a holiday
Outside Alsace and Moselle it is a normal working day, so offices and shops keep their usual hours.
Forgetting the clock change
When summer time begins on Easter weekend, an early Sunday train or flight leaves an hour sooner than it feels.
Other Paris events
Frequently asked questions
When is Easter in Paris?
Easter moves each year between late March and late April; the dates card above shows this year’s and next year’s, with the Easter Monday holiday.
Can visitors see the Crown of Thorns at Notre-Dame?
Yes. It is offered for veneration on Good Friday and on the first Friday of each month, and shown in its reliquary on other Fridays in the afternoon. Entry is free.
Is Easter Monday a holiday in France?
Yes, nationwide. Good Friday is a holiday only in Alsace and Moselle.
Do you need tickets for Easter Mass at Notre-Dame?
No. Services are free and cannot be booked; arrive early, because the cathedral fills long before the start.
Are Paris museums open over Easter?
The big museums open across the weekend, but on Easter Monday each keeps its usual weekly closing day, so the Musée d’Orsay, which shuts on Mondays, stays closed. Check before you go.
Sources
- Diocese of Paris, the Crown of Thorns at Notre-Dame (French)
- Diocese of Paris, the Holy Week calendar (French)
- Service-public.fr, France’s public holidays (French)
Dates on this page are checked against the organiser’s own listing and confirmed through 2028. Written and maintained by Harry Nara.