It's been five years since a devastating fire gutted Paris' Notre-Dame Cathedral - but the wait is almost over.

The 12th-century cathedral, one of the French capital's most beloved and visited monuments, will reopen its doors next week to tourists and to the Catholic faithful.

European correspondent Catherine Field says no one expected the restoration to move so quickly or be completed under budget - but it's been done.

"It's going to have people coming to France just to look at it. France really does invest in its heritage, in its buildings - anyone who was here during the Olympics or saw it on TV saw that they'd cleaned the city up and that sort of heritage is what brings people to Paris."

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