Of course, Paris is a major tourist destination year-round, and Notre Dame is among its most popular attractions. Don’t expect to get the place to yourself no matter when you visit; the cathedral has a capacity of 2,500 people at a time.

Thousands of worshippers are expected to celebrate Christmas Day masses at Notre Dame cathedral in Paris as part of the celebrations hailing its restoration just over five years after fire nearly destroyed the 12th century monument.

Following an enormous, expensive restoration effort after the devastating 2019 fire, the Paris cathedral has reopened to the world, at once recognizably itself and possessed of a startling new vibrancy.

The Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is now preparing to celebrate Christmas Mass since recently reopened after years of renovations to fix the damage caused by a devastating fire. NBC’s Keir Simmons reports for TODAY.