Sainte-Chapelle or Conciergerie: Do You Need Both?

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This page compares the two monuments on price, time, content, and access, so you can decide before you book. Both are run by the Centre des monuments nationaux, and every price and rule below comes from the two monuments’ own pages. For opening hours, the security line, and the best light for the windows, see the Sainte-Chapelle visitor guide. For the wider set of either/or decisions, start at the Paris travel guide.

The short answer

What each one costs

Prices as of September 2026. Sainte-Chapelle introduced a two-tier price list on 12 January 2026: one price for nationals and residents of European Economic Area countries, and a higher one for everyone else, which includes visitors from the United States and Canada¹.

Sources:¹ for Sainte-Chapelle and the combined ticket,² for the Conciergerie.

The combined ticket is sold on the Sainte-Chapelle ticketing site and at the ticket office; the Conciergerie’s page notes that the EEA-priced version is available only through the Sainte-Chapelle site²³. An audioguide at Sainte-Chapelle costs €4 and is paid on site¹. Tickets are neither exchangeable nor refundable³.

Who pays nothing. Both monuments are free for visitors under 18, for 18-to-25-year-olds who are EU nationals or legal non-European residents of France, and for a disabled visitor plus one companion. Both are also free for everyone on the first Sunday of January, February, March, and November; Sainte-Chapelle adds the first Sunday of December¹². Free visitors still need to book a time slot at Sainte-Chapelle on ordinary days, children included, and should bring a passport or ID card to prove age and nationality. On free Sundays, reservations are not possible³.

The Paris Museum Pass is accepted, but pass holders must still book a Sainte-Chapelle time slot and show the pass at the door³. Whether the pass pays for itself is a separate question: see Is the Paris Museum Pass worth it?.

What you actually see

Sainte-Chapelle

Louis IX, the future Saint Louis, built the chapel in the middle of the 13th century inside his palace to hold the Crown of Thorns and a fragment of the True Cross. It was finished in under seven years. The building has two levels. The lower chapel is low, painted, and quickly seen. The upper chapel is the point of the visit: 15 window bays, each 15 meters (49 feet) high, holding 1,113 stained-glass panels that run from Genesis to the arrival of the relics in Paris⁴. About two-thirds of the glass is medieval⁵.

The monument’s own advice is not to try to read every scene. In its words, the windows “are not necessarily meant to be read but to be seen”⁵. The effect is the light itself, so daylight matters more here than in any museum.

The Conciergerie

The Conciergerie is what remains of the same medieval palace, and later became the main prison of the Revolution. Two things make up the visit.

The first is the Salle des Gens d’Armes, the Hall of the Men-at-Arms, built between 1300 and 1314 under Philip IV. At 1,785 square meters (about 19,200 square feet), it is described by the monument as the largest Gothic civil hall in Europe. It was the staff dining room of the palace, feeding 1,000 to 2,000 people a day, heated by four fireplaces⁶.

The second is the Revolutionary prison. Marie-Antoinette was brought here on the night of 1 to 2 August 1793 and held for 76 days, watched day and night by two gendarmes, before her trial and execution. The site of her second cell is now a memorial chapel⁷.

To show what these rooms looked like in use, the monument lends visitors the HistoPad, a tablet that shows 3D reconstructions of each room in the 14th century and during the Revolution, with a treasure hunt for families⁸. HistoPads are handed out until 4:15 p.m.². If you want one, treat 4:15 p.m. as your real deadline.

How long each takes, and in which order

The Conciergerie’s visit takes between 1 hour and 1 hour 30 minutes, according to the official FAQ³. Neither site publishes a figure for Sainte-Chapelle. The interior is two rooms; the time goes on the security line outside.

That line is the main planning problem. Sainte-Chapelle sits inside a working courthouse, and the monument’s FAQ answers the question “Why is there such a long wait?” directly: the checks are strict and slow. It also warns that visitors without a pre-paid ticket risk a very long wait, or not getting in at all, during school holidays and the Easter weekend³.

On a combined ticket, the booked time belongs to Sainte-Chapelle alone, and entry is guaranteed only within 30 minutes of it³. The Conciergerie has no slot. So the order that works is:

1. Book the Sainte-Chapelle slot first, for the time of day you want the light.
2. Arrive at the time printed on the ticket. The monument asks visitors not to come early¹.
3. Fit the Conciergerie around it. Before works well for a late-morning slot; after works for an early one.
4. Keep the Conciergerie’s closing in mind. The practical-information page gives last entry as 5:30 p.m.; the Sainte-Chapelle FAQ says 5:15 p.m.²³. Plan on 5:15, and on 4:15 if you want the HistoPad.

Hours, as of September 2026: Sainte-Chapelle opens 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. from 1 April to 30 September and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. the rest of the year, with last entry 30 minutes before closing. It closes on 1 January, 1 May, and 25 December¹. The Conciergerie opens 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. all year and closes on 1 May and 25 December².

Bags, strollers, and step-free access

Both monuments apply the courthouse’s security rules. Prohibited: motorcycle helmets, aerosols, knives and any sharp object, scissors, glass bottles, bulky luggage, scooters, skateboards, and rollerblades¹². The FAQ is specific that this covers nail clippers, penknives, and perfume in glass. There is no cloakroom, and confiscated items are not returned³. Leave the picnic knife and the duty-free perfume at the hotel.

Strollers must be small and foldable enough to pass through the X-ray machine¹². At Sainte-Chapelle they cannot go to the upper chapel, which is up a narrow staircase of 33 steps; the monument suggests a baby carrier, and has a covered area outside to leave the stroller³.

Visitors with reduced mobility can reach Sainte-Chapelle’s upper chapel by lift, on request to staff, and one wheelchair is available on loan³. The Conciergerie states plainly that it “is not equipped with PRM access”².

Tours worth considering

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You do not need a tour for either monument. The official combined ticket is the cheapest way in, and a guided tour in French is included free at Sainte-Chapelle at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. when staff are available³. A paid product earns its price in two cases:

• You want an English-speaking guide for the windows. The glass is a 1,113-panel picture Bible with no labels, and the free guided tour is in French only³⁴. Look for a guided visit that covers Sainte-Chapelle and the Conciergerie together, and check that the monument tickets are included in the price. See the guided tour of Sainte-Chapelle and the Conciergerie, tickets included.
• The official site shows no slots for your dates. Tour operators sometimes still have places. Expect to pay more than the official €30 for the same entry, and note that the monument will not handle complaints about tickets bought elsewhere³.

Skip a paid product if you are under 18 or an EU national under 26. Your entry is free, and a reseller’s ticket will charge you for it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Conciergerie worth visiting?

It is worth 60 to 90 minutes if the Revolution or medieval architecture interests you, and the HistoPad tablet is what makes the empty rooms legible³⁸. If you are choosing purely on spectacle, Sainte-Chapelle wins.

Can I visit the Conciergerie and Sainte-Chapelle on the same day?

Yes. They share a complex and the combined ticket is designed for it. The timed slot applies to Sainte-Chapelle only, and the Conciergerie can come before or after³.

How much is the combined ticket for Sainte-Chapelle and the Conciergerie?

As of September 2026, €30 for visitors from outside the European Economic Area and €23 for EEA nationals and residents¹.

Do children need a ticket for Sainte-Chapelle?

Children under 18 enter free, but they still need a booked time slot, “even for the youngest visitors,” and proof of age may be requested³.

Do I need to book Sainte-Chapelle in advance?

The monument strongly recommends it. Without a pre-paid ticket you may wait a very long time or be turned away during busy periods³.

Is Sainte-Chapelle free on the first Sunday of the month?

Only in winter: the first Sunday of January, February, March, November, and December. No reservations are taken on those days¹³.

Is Sainte-Chapelle still a church?

It was built as a royal chapel, was damaged during the Revolution, and became a restoration showcase in the 19th century⁴. Today it is a national monument that charges admission and hosts concerts³.

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