Booking choice: The Montmartre highlights walk, from $27 per person. Check dates Compare the options below
Plenty of tours and ticket pages talk about “Sacré-Cœur entry” as if it were something you had to buy. It is not. The official site of the basilica says it plainly: admission is free for everyone. The basilica opens from 6:30 to 22:30 every day of the year.
The part that costs money is the dome, the gallery high above the nave. This guide covers its price, its hours, the nearly 300 steps, where the ticket office is, the rules inside the church, and which tours on this site really include what. If you are still deciding how to get up the hill, read the funicular and stairs guide first.
The quick answer
The Sacré-Cœur basilica is free, open 6:30 to 22:30 every day. The dome costs €8 for adults (16 and over) and €5 for children up to 15, paid at the dome ticket office on site, in the moat to the left of the basilica after the security check. The official page offers no online sale and says booking is not necessary. The dome is currently open 10:30 to 19:30 (last admission 19:00), closes at midday, and the climb is nearly 300 steps with no lift.
Is Sacré-Cœur free to enter?
Yes. Admission to the basilica is free for everyone, from 6:30 to 22:30 every day of the year.
Hours run later on major holy days, for some vigils and for the Holy Hour on the first Thursday of the month. Between 10:30 and 17:00 the official site warns that you may wait 10 to 15 minutes to get into the sanctuary. At least four Masses are said every day, five on Fridays (including one at 15:00), and the front of the nave is kept for prayer.
There is a free audio tour too: scan the QR code at the entrance. One version is by Art, Culture et Foi, another by the Benedictine Sisters, in several languages. Visitors with reduced mobility can use a lift at the back of the basilica, at 35 rue du Chevalier de la Barre, from 8:30 to 18:30.
How much are Sacré-Cœur dome tickets?
€8 for adults aged 16 and over and €5 for children up to 15. Groups of 20 or more pay €6 each, children's groups €4.
The basilica calls the price a “financial contribution”. These are the official figures from the dome page, checked in October 2026:
| Sacré-Cœur dome | |
|---|---|
| Adults (16 and over) | €8 |
| Children (up to 15) | €5 |
| Groups of 20 or more | €6 per person |
| Children's groups | €4 per child |
| Hours (currently) | 10:30 to 19:30, last admission 19:00 |
| Midday | Closed for the hostess's break |
| Where to pay | Dome ticket office on site (window and machine) |
| Booking | Not necessary, per the official page |
The free basilica is the meeting point: a top-rated walk that starts at Place Saint-Pierre, right beneath the steps.
Check dates for the Montmartre highlights walkWhere do you buy Sacré-Cœur dome tickets?
At the dome ticket office on site, at the window or the machine, in the moat to the left of the basilica after the security check.
The official dome page offers no online sale and says booking is not necessary. We found no GetYourGuide listing that sells a dome ticket on its own either, which matches what the basilica says. So the simple plan is: go through security, walk to the left of the basilica, pay at the window or the machine, and climb.
Dome hours vary with the season, the weather and maintenance. They are currently 10:30 to 19:30, last admission 19:00, daily, with a closure at midday for the hostess's break. The official site asks you to check the hours the day before you go.
Want a guide and the dome together? This is the only walk on the site with a dome option. It is a paid option, the guide hands over the tickets, and it has only 34 reviews so far.
Explore the walk with the dome optionHow many steps to the top of Sacré-Cœur?
Nearly 300 steps, by a narrow staircase. There is no lift to the dome and there are no toilets on the way.
The official page advises against the climb for people with limited mobility, during pregnancy, with very young children and for anyone who is claustrophobic. If you came up the hill on foot from the bottom of the gardens, that is another 222 steps before you even start; the funicular saves those for the price of a metro ride.
The dome rises to 83.33 m, on top of a hill that is itself 130 m high, so on a clear day you see a long way across Paris. Pick a dry, bright day if you can.
Which tours include Sacré-Cœur?
Tours sold “with Sacré-Cœur” visit the free basilica. Only one listing we found offers the dome, as a paid option.
One operator writes it out: “free admission to the basilica”. Several other walks list the basilica under not included, which sounds worse than it is: it is free, and you can walk in yourself after the tour. The table shows what the walks on this site really include. From-prices per person in USD; ratings and review counts are GetYourGuide's.
| Tour | Basilica | Dome | Length | Rating | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highlights walk | Starts beneath it; free to enter | Not included | 2 h 20 min | 4.9 (2,842) | $27 |
| Walk with dome option | No ticket needed; free | Paid option | 1.5 hours | 4.4 (34) | $11 |
| Art lovers walk | Listed as not included; free anyway | Not included | 2 hours | 4.9 (719) | $11 |
| Early-morning walk | No ticket needed; free | Not included | 2 hours | 4.9 (56) | $66 |
What is the dress code for visiting the Sacré-Cœur Basilica?
The basilica asks everyone to dress appropriately and to remain quiet. It does not publish a list of banned clothes.
It is a working church, with Masses through the day, so dress as you would for a service and keep your voice down. No phone calls inside. As for “can I wear shorts in Sacré-Cœur?”, the official page gives no clothing list, so we will not invent one: dress appropriately and you will be fine.
- Photos: not permitted in the nave.
- Allowed: in the side aisles and the ambulatory.
- During Mass: no photos at all.
A guided walk will not change any of this; the highlights walk simply starts at Place Saint-Pierre, beneath the basilica, so you can go in afterwards.
Arrive with a guide, leave with the stories: a small-group walk for up to 16 that starts below the basilica.
Check dates for the Montmartre highlights walkWhy is Sacré-Cœur controversial?
It was proposed after France's defeat in the Franco-Prussian War as an act of national penance, on the hill where the 1871 Paris Commune began.
The war ran from 1870 to 1871. Because the basilica overlooks the starting point of the Paris Commune, parts of the French left see it as a symbol of the Commune's repression. That is why a building that looks so serene still divides opinion in Paris.
And the name? “Sacré-Cœur” means “Sacred Heart”, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to whom the basilica is dedicated.
What are two interesting facts about Sacré-Cœur?
It took from 1875 to 1914 to build and was consecrated only in 1919, after World War I; and it is white because its travertine releases calcite in the rain.
- Architect: Paul Abadie, whose design won among 77 proposals.
- Dates: cornerstone laid on 16 June 1875, completed in 1914, consecrated in 1919.
- The bell: La Savoyarde weighs 18,835 kg, the largest bell in France.
- The dome: 83.33 m high.
- The apse mosaic: 475 square metres.
- Listed: a monument historique since 8 December 2022.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need to book Sacré-Cœur dome tickets in advance?
No. The official page says booking is not necessary and offers no online sale. Pay at the dome ticket office on site, to the left of the basilica after security.
Is there a lift to the Sacré-Cœur dome?
No. The climb is nearly 300 steps. There is a lift into the basilica itself for people with reduced mobility, at the back (35 rue du Chevalier de la Barre), from 8:30 to 18:30.
Is there an audio guide at Sacré-Cœur?
Yes, and it is free: scan the QR code at the entrance. Versions are available in several languages.
What does the French word Sacré-Cœur mean?
Sacred Heart, meaning the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Ready to book
Choose your Montmartre visit
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on each option below. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Montmartre Highlights Walk
- Walking tour with a local guide
- Photos taken by the guide at different spots
- Starts at Place Saint-Pierre, right beneath the basilica
Montmartre Walk with Dome Option
The only walk here with the paid dome, as an option
Montmartre for Art Lovers Walk
- Experienced local guide and a trivia walk
- A sketching session on a small canvas
- Montmartre cemetery on the route (free to everyone)
