A look inside restored Notre-Dame's twin towers

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00:00You think you know her, Notre Dame, majestic, mysterious.

00:09To uncover her secrets, we head to the South Tower, here on the right.

00:16For the very first time, this part of the cathedral is now open to visitors.

00:22This staircase is brand new, and you can still see traces of construction dust.

00:29A double spiral staircase leads us to the gallery of chimeras.

00:36They're monstrous, unsettling creatures straight out of the medieval imagination.

00:41Just a few years before they were made, Victor Hugo published his famous novel,

00:45The Hunchback of Notre Dame, in 1831.

00:48Later, during the cathedral's restoration, these creatures appeared,

00:51and it's tempting to think the architects were inspired by the book.

00:57The hawk-headed demon peers down on Paris.

01:01The Latin Quarter with the Panthéon and the Sorbonne.

01:05Montparnasse Tower.

01:07And if we climb just a little higher, to the very top, another great lady.

01:14A sweeping panoramic view with the ultimate reward.

01:19This spire was completely rebuilt by artisans after the fire.

01:26No one's ever been this close to the spire before, with the apostles of Andes.

01:32A dizzying tour, always in good company.

01:39But you have to earn it, 424 steps up and down again.

01:46At the top, we're 69 metres high.

01:49It takes effort, but it puts you right at the heart of the monument.

01:55The 12th century cathedral is getting a makeover.

01:59Since the fire in 2019, the bell tower, the vast oak forest, and even the bells have been restored.

02:07Behind us is Emmanuel, Notre Dame's great bell.

02:14It's the biggest, the oldest, the most famous.

02:18Cast under Louis XIV, it's marked every major moment in the cathedral's history.

02:25From Napoleon's coronation to the liberation of Paris, each event is punctuated by music.

02:33Nowadays, we can play music throughout the entire heritage site, whereas the first composers could only play for the nave.

02:46Notre Dame is reinventing herself.

02:49Renovations will last until 2030, with plenty more surprises ahead.

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