The Catacombs of Paris
1 Avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy, 75014 Paris
Website – Tel: 01 43 22 47 63.
RER B: Denfert-Rochereau
Metro: Denfert-Rochereau, lines 4 and 6.
Open Tuesday to Sunday: 9:45 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Last entry at 7:30 p.m. Closed on Mondays.
Full / reduced rate: €31 / €25 / Ages 5–17: €12. Free under 5. Audioguide included in adult ticket price, otherwise €5 to rent.
Before entering the underground:
- Due to high demand, online booking of a timed-entry ticket is strongly recommended. Visitor numbers are limited to 200 at a time.
- Duration of visit: about 1 hour.
- The Catacombs are located 20 meters underground. Access is only via a staircase: 131 steps down and 112 steps back up.
- Accessibility: the Catacombs of Paris are not accessible to visitors in wheelchairs or using walkers, due to the underground constraints of the site.
- The visit is also strongly discouraged for: persons with reduced mobility, persons with cardiac or respiratory conditions, sensitive individuals or those suffering from claustrophobia.
- Large bags and strollers are not allowed. A baby carrier is recommended.
- Please dress warmly: the average temperature is 14°C (57°F) and humidity can be high.
- Visitor exit: 21 bis Avenue René-Coty, 75014 Paris.
History
Beneath the bustling streets of Paris lies a hidden world: the Catacombs. Originally, these underground galleries were limestone quarries, exploited as early as Roman times and used to build much of the city’s monuments.
In the 18th century, Paris faced a major public health crisis: overcrowded cemeteries posed serious epidemic risks. In 1786, the decision was made to transfer the remains of millions of Parisians into the disused quarries. Thus, the municipal ossuary was born, soon to be known as the Catacombs.
Over time, the galleries were arranged and structured. Skulls and bones, carefully aligned in decorative patterns, form imposing walls, giving the site an aesthetic that is both solemn and captivating.
By the 19th century, the Catacombs were already intriguing visitors. Writers, poets, and the curious ventured underground, fascinated by this silent realm where the history of Paris is inscribed in stone and in bones.
Visit
Today, the visitor route extends for nearly 1.5 km. At a depth of 20 meters, one enters a unique atmosphere: narrow passageways, philosophical inscriptions, and endless alignments of bones that remind us of the fragility of human life.
Yet the Catacombs are more than just an ossuary: they are a testimony to the evolution of Paris, intertwining urban development, public health, and collective memory. They tell the story of a city built as much beneath the ground as above it.
