Skip to Content

Tips for photographing Notre Dame Paris – and other Instagram landmarks

At the beginning of each year, I plan my travels for the months ahead, often scanning Instagram for ideas and inspiration. The most popular Instagram hashtags include some places I’ve visited, like Notre Dame in Paris, the Eiffel tower, the Acropolis and the Alhambra. Others, such as Burj Khalifa, Machu Picchu and the Taj Mahal are still on my bucket list but I hope I’ll be able to tick them off before too long.

Photographing Notre Dame

When I was last in Paris all our walks seemed to radiate out from Notre Dame in the very heart of the city, so I thought I’d share a few tips on where to get the best images of this beautiful landmark, the ones that will be making your friends jealous when you post them on Instagram!

You may also enjoy: A postcard from Notre Dame in Paris

Update April 2019: After the terrible fire, I hope these photos of Notre Dame will help us remember the cathedral in all its beauty, as the foremost Catholic church in France, the heart of Paris and a place of special significance for the French people.

Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris Photo: Heatheronhertravels.com
Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris

Since it’s free to visit Notre Dame cathedral, this masterpiece of Gothic architecture attracts 14 million visitors a year, so the facade of the cathedral is often difficult to photograph without crowds of tourists swirling in the foreground. If you visit in spring, autumn, or even winter the crowds will be less than in high summer and on a blue-sky day you can get beautiful photos looking upwards at the intricately carved facade.

You may also enjoy: A winter weekend in Paris: the food, the sights, the video

Notre Dame de Paris from Place Jean-XXIII Photo: Heatheonhertravels.com
Notre Dame de Paris from Place Jean-XXIII

With 1.1 million shares on Instagram (just check out the #NotreDame hashtag) this is the 5th most shared landmark in the world! It’s possible to climb the 402 steps inside the towers of Notre Dame cathedral, to get those panoramic shots over Paris, as well as getting close to the famous gargoyles, and reaching the belfry at the very top.

Notre Dame de Paris from Square Jean-XXIII Photo: Heatheonhertravels.com
Notre Dame de Paris from Square Jean-XXIII

If you circle to the back of the cathedral, you’ll find the Place Jean-XXIII which can be a lot calmer and has benches where you can sit and relax or eat a picnic. From here you see the cathedral’s flying buttresses that encircle the chancel, supporting the walls and roof, as well as enjoying the grassy space and floral displays.

Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris Photo: Heatheronhertravels.com
Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris

From Place Jean-XXIII I’d recommend crossing the small bridge of Pont Saint-Louis onto Île Saint-Louis, the smaller of the two islands in the Seine. Stroll along the Rue Saint-Louis, admiring the gorgeous old mansions, shops and galleries while soaking up the village atmosphere. My friend runs Galerie Kara with elegant jewellery and objets from India and Asia, and foodies will want to try the delicious ice cream at Berthillon.

You may also enjoy: A winter weekend in Paris: the food, the sights, the video

Notre Dame de Paris at Pont de l'Archevêché Photo: Heatheronhertravels.com
Notre Dame de Paris at Pont de l’Archevêché

Alternatively, you can walk across Pont de l’Archevêché to the Rive Gauche or Left Bank of the Seine – it was covered with love locks last time I was there. The river provides a beautiful setting for photos to frame the Notre Dame Cathedral, especially if you take your viewpoint on one of the bridges further down river.

Path by the Seine in Paris Photo: Heatheronhertravels.com
Path by the Seine in Paris

If you get a little weary of the crowds around Notre Dame, I’d also recommend heading further down the river to Canal Saint Martin and Bassin de l’Arsenal. They remind me of Regent’s Canal in London, with houseboats in the heart of the city. From here you can access a riverside walk and get further viewpoints along the river, of Notre Dame in the distance.

You may also enjoy: A postcard from Notre Dame in Paris

So what about those other most instagrammed landmarks which you can find on the infographic from CEWE Photoworld?

View from the Eiffel Tower in Paris
View from the Eiffel Tower in Paris

The Eiffel Tower in Paris

According to the infographic, the Eiffel Tower is the most instagrammed spot in the world, with 3 million shares. It’s one of those landmarks that every visitor to Paris has to visit and photograph, the ultimate selfie spot that says ‘Here I am in Paris!’

My tip: The queues for the lift to the top of the Eiffel tower are always long, so if you’re fit enough, opt for the much shorter queue to skip the lift and walk up. Take your time and get some interesting shots on the way up of the architecture and structure of this Paris landmark.

Read my article about visiting the Eiffel tower here

The Acropolis in Athens
The Acropolis in Athens

The Acropolis in Athens

The Acropolis hill with the Parthenon at the top, comes in at number 10 of the most Instagrammed spots in the world and can be seen from all over Athens. Practically every restaurant, hotel and bar uses their top floor to give you a view of the Acropolis at night, as you sip your iced frappé or cocktail. Find out more on the CEWE Infographic.

My Tip: Don’t miss the amazing Acropolis Museum which contains many of the treasures from the Parthenon and temples on top of the hill. Their terrace cafe is a fabulous place for lunch and boasts – guess what? – a view of the Acropolis.

Read my article about visiting the Acropolis

Courtyard in the Alhambra
Courtyard in the Alhambra

The Alhambra in Spain

Spain’s most popular historic landmark is a UNESCO World heritage site and has been shared on Instagram 675K times. It’s half palace, half fort and set on the hill with beautiful gardens and courtyards so you’ll need to set aside the whole day for your visit.

My Tip: The Alhambra gets heavily booked so plan for your visit and book tickets online a few days in advance. There are some tickets available on the day but they sell out quickly so you may be disappointed.

Read my article about visiting the Alhambra

Need more inspiration?

If you are looking for travel inspiration from some of the other most instagrammed spots in the world, head over to the CEWE Photoworld Infographic where you can find out more about other top spots such as Big Ben in London, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Burj Khalifa in Dubai or Machu Picchu in Peru.

CEWE Photoworld Infographic

About CEWE Photoworld

For more ways to share your travel images check out the gorgeous photobook designs from CEW Photoworld. It’s easy to create a photo book so that you can rekindle favourite travel memories and share them with loved ones – a great present to give to your family or travel companions. There are a range of different size photobooks to choose from as well as calendars, cards and prints that can be created from your travel snaps. Find out more about the CEWE Photobooks here.

CEWE Photoworld Photobook

Pin it

Photographing Notre Dame Paris

Advertising Feature: This article was sponsored* by CEWE Photoworld

* More info on my policies page

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com

Click to subscribe to our monthly newsletter, news and reader offers

Subscribe to Heather on her travels newsletter
Click here to cancel reply.

Notre Dame Paris

Friday 19th of April 2019

It was so sad what happened to this magnificent Cathedral Notre Dame...

Europe train tickets

Wednesday 2nd of January 2019

Hello Heather! It's a pleasure find a blog like this. France is full of amazing cities and Paris is one of them.

Astrid

Wednesday 15th of February 2017

Hubby and I went out this weekend so that I could practice getting the composition of shots with buildings.

They didn't turn out too bad! And I tried to compose with your photos in mind.

We've got stunning buildings here in Pretoria, South Africa where I live. And many of the houses were designed by Sir Herbert Baker. He also designed our Union Buildings. Which is where our Government operates from mostly.

Heather Cowper

Wednesday 15th of February 2017

@Astrid So pleased you found the article useful and hope you got some great photos. I'd love to visit South Africa some day.

Astrid

Wednesday 1st of February 2017

Hi Heather,

I landed here looking for inspiration for my photography hobby. I'm still budding and learning. Most of the time I'm fumbling around with my camera. And some of my shots are terrible!

But looking at these photos I'm especially interested in how to capture buildings and structures just right.

Thanks for the inspiration!

Heather Cowper

Thursday 2nd of February 2017

@Astrid So pleased you found it useful - hope you get to photograph some cool places in Paris