Catacombs of Paris
Inspite of being somewhat morbid, the Catacombs are a burial plot with a rich and fascinating history and draw crowds of visitors year round
The Catacombs of France is a tourist attraction for those who like to add a little spookiness to their vacation activities. The catacombs are literally a burial plot of astronomic proportions. However, they are a burial plot with a rich and fascinating history.
Before Christianity came along, it was common practice to bury the dead outside the city walls. Christianity dictated that the dead should be buried in consecrated ground around churches and this time it was difficult to do so since the areas around the churches were already well built up and there was no space to put in large cemeteries. Those that were available soon became overcrowded and a mass burial plot was opened near the St. Opportune church. This burial plot caused a lot of sanitation problems but was still used even when the ground was saturated with human remains.
Eventually the inner city cemeteries were closed and new ones were opened outside the city limits. Even the long abandoned stone quarries outside the city were pressed into use as burial places. The transfer of the dead to these quarries started in 1786 and finished in 1788. The catacombs hold the remains of around six million people. Land was bought from a local property named "La maison de la Tombe Issoire" and many sets of bones were deposited in the underground caverns in this area along with crosses and urns and other memorabilia.
When you visit the catacombs you will travel down a staircase and then through a long tunnel to find yourself faced with a stone portal inscribed with the words Arrete! C'est ici l'empire de la Mort ('Halt! This is the Empire of the Dead'). It is beyond this stone portal that the tour truly begins. There are halls and walls of carefully arranged bones. Some of the bone arrangements are actually really artistic although they are macabre.
If you plan to visit the Catacombs then you will need to know that the site limits visitors to 200 at one time. There are also no toilets or cloakrooms and it is also good to keep in mind that it will be cooler in the underground passages. It is vital that children who are younger than 14 years of age are accompanied by at least one adult and the parents of young children are advised against bringing their children into the catacombs. If you are not very mobile then you may also want to consider other activities as there are many steps to go up and down. You do not need much time for the actual tour as it is only 2km long (around 45 min) but the queues can get rather long and entries can be stopped to ensure the 200 visitor limit is adhered to.
Nearby attractions: Rue Mouffetard Market
Facts For Your Visit
Fee: YesCatacombs of Paris Hours:
Opening hours may differ on holidays
- Monday: Closed
- Tuesday: 9:45 AM – 8:30 PM
- Wednesday: 9:45 AM – 8:30 PM
- Thursday: 9:45 AM – 8:30 PM
- Friday: 9:45 AM – 8:30 PM
- Saturday: 9:45 AM – 8:30 PM
- Sunday: 9:45 AM – 8:30 PM
Address: 1 Av. du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy, 75014 Paris, France
Official Website: Catacombs of Paris
Catacombs of Paris Reviews
Rated out of 5
Many, many human bones! Neat place, worth a visit. Buy tickets in advance. Audio guide tour is helpful, path is clearly marked to choose the correct audio segment to listen at each location. The stairs down to and up from the tunnels are the toughest parts.
Luis Duckworth - in the last week
Tickets can only be booked one week in advance. We wanted to attend during peak tourist time, so we had to get on quite early to grab tickets.
My teens loved visiting here. Only the adult tickets will include the audio guide, and the expereince is much better with the guide. You can purchase additional guides at the beginning of the tour.
The temperature was not as cool as I was expecting. Most of us did not wear jackets (we visited in June)
Overall, we enjoyed our visit. We spent about an hour on this self-guided tour.
Breanna Sampson - in the last week
Very interesting audio tour. Took us about 45 minutes. Could have been a little more for the price. That being said, this is an absolutely amazing historical site. You barely notice that you’re almost 70 feet beneath the Paris streets. Once in a lifetime opportunity. It is well lit and pathways are not really claustrophobic.
EMB - a month ago
Great experience. You absolutely need to buy your tickets in advance though. They go on sale 1 week (?) before (don’t quote me on that) and they sell out in a day or two depending on how busy it is.
Alexandre Bernard - 2 weeks ago
You need to book in advance. Tickets only come available 7 days at a time. I love authentic attractions and loved reading about the history of it all.
I loved seeing the bones and how they were arranged and see some of the bones scenes that I have seen in movies, as I love horror, so it was good to tick that off my bucket list.
I knocked a start off for two things. Firstly, it only took me 30 mins for the price. I was hoping for 45 mins to an hour. Also, considering there are 6 million bones there and so much more to see, it was a shame that more of the tunnels were not available.
I understand that it is so vast that in the past people got lost, but I am sure with better signs, and as I saw paths gated off, more could be made available.
Nonetheless, it was still worth the visit, but maybe they need to reduce the cost for better value.
anger - in the last week
Directions
| Metro / RER Line | Nearest Station | Walking Time |
|---|---|---|
| M4, M6, RER-B | Denfert-Rochereau | 1 minute |
How to get to Catacombs of Paris by Metro / RER
By Metro or RER: exit at Denfert-Rochereau Station and look for the small green building (and probably a queue) directly across the street from the station.
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Photo Gallery
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There are over 7 million of these buried in the Catacombs of Paris cc licensed photo by CHRISTOPHER MACSURAK -
Photo Credit: HarshLight - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: HarshLight - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: HarshLight - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: HarshLight - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: HarshLight - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: HarshLight - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: HarshLight - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: HarshLight - cc license via Flickr -
Photo Credit: HarshLight - cc license via Flickr
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