Catacombs of Paris Reviews (Paris, France)

Not your usual street tour of Paris

Ames, Iowa

March 1, 2012

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Best of IgoUgo I asked many people to tell me the one thing they remembered the most from their Paris trip. My niece, who was 16 at the time of her visit, was most impressed with the tour of The Catacombes. I convinced one of my friends to go with me. We arrived ...Read more

From journal Three Friends Tour Paris

Unique experience

by jipp05

CA1 1LA, England, United Kingdom

January 5, 2011

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Best of IgoUgo The Paris Catacombs are a unique and pretty macarbe tourist attraction and one that was high on my list of things to see. The Catacombs are an underground ossuary where the bones of thousands of Parisians from the 18th century are stored after the ...Read more The Paris Catacombs are a unique and pretty macarbe tourist attraction and one that was high on my list of things to see.
The Catacombs are an underground ossuary where the bones of thousands of Parisians from the 18th century are stored after the cemeteries of Paris were overflowing and needed stored somewhere. It isn't exactly a tourist site that will appeal to everyone but I found it to be absolutely fascinating.

You will need to plan ahead if you want to visit the catacombs as they are only open for 2 hours a day. The entrance is also quite difficult to find even though it is located near a metro stop it isn't really signposted very well.
Once in and paid you head down a staircase into the catacombs. Be warned that if you suffer from claustrophobia then this is definately not the sight for you as it is extremely dark and being undeground even caused me some discomfort and I don't suffer from claustrophobia.

Once in the tunnels it is a pretty eerie experience to begin with as you see the bones lined up from floor to ceiling. Some of the bones have been arranged in patterns and it really is a sight to behold and again will not appeal to everyone.
After awhile the eeriness dissapears and it really made me think about lifes of the people who were here. I thought it was lovely that these people who had died hundreds of years ago were still a part of the city they lived in instead of rotting away in some neglected cemetery.

The Catacombs under Paris go on for miles and miles but the stretch that is open to the public only goes for a mile or so and you can see the opeings of the some other tunnels during the walk. These are thankfully sealed so that you can't go wandering and get lost which was a relief to me as I wouldn't want to be stuck down there for any length of time.

Coming out of the tunnels into daylight is a pretty weird experience and when you enter onto the busy street it does take some time to get your bearings again.

The catacombs are an absolutely amazing experience and not one that you can experience everywhere. Yes it can be a little macarbe and not everyone will enjoy going down into the tunnels but for me I really enjoyed it and it is something I will always remember for the est of my life. Close

From journal The most beautiful city in the world

Realm of death

by Zhebiton

Moscow, Moskva, Russia

September 20, 2010

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As is often the most interesting thing is far from the tourist crowds. Log into the legendary Parisian catacombs located in the southern part of the city, directly opposite the exit from the subway station Denfert-Rochreau. Unlike the Louvre or ...Read more As is often the most interesting thing is far from the tourist crowds. Log into the legendary Parisian catacombs located in the southern part of the city, directly opposite the exit from the subway station Denfert-Rochreau. Unlike the Louvre or Notre Dame, there are no queues, and admission is free.
The plaque at the entrance warning: the faint of heart and core is not recommended to visit the catacombs (Of course!). Long descent on the spiral staircase, narrow and low, with steep stairs. Several hundred meters along a dimly-lit underground corridors, echoing hear the echo of steps and whispers. Finally come across an ancient tablet, warning: "You enter into the kingdom of death."

This is the same. Oromny underground hall brim filled with human bones. Thousands of them! Look at you its empty eye sockets, rocks in the grin of yellowed teeth. And not a soul near!
Bones are many and very old. How much are they exactly the years, no one knows, as no one knows the names of their respective owners. In times of antiquity, Paris was exceptionally unpleasant place. Every morning on his street is dead-the victim of robbers and drunkenness. The dead were put up for identification in the belly of Paris, after which unclaimed are sent to specially-created for this Innocents Cemetery. Over time the cemetery was enlarged and there are several hundred thousands of unmarked graves. In the late 18 century, it and several other ancient cemeteries, located in the city it was decided to liquidate and transfer the bones buried there kept until the Last Judgement in the catacombs.

Catacombs themselves appeared even earlier. Here, under the ground for several hundred years quarried building stone. Of this, some yellow rocks and built Paris. Dug under the city hundreds of miles of tunnels, total length accurately is still far less well known. At different times, they served as a haven for beggars, bandits, monks, guerrillas, revolutionaries and other vermin. Many of them still roam here.

Foreign tourists are rare here, the French and does not appear, in the catacombs notoriety. It disappeared and people disappear. Place is bad and impure.

To reach out to tramped several miles into the underground, neatly filled with human remains. Around dark, the rustle of snakes and squeak of mice. Sometimes the road crossing the larger rodents. From the ceiling is dripping, squelching underfoot. among the bones moving some my own life.
At any moment can suddenly swim out of the darkness of a two-meter guard albino and ask for no flash photography. Creepy.

A lot of bones. Anyone can take a souvenir skull or tibia. If you are taking, the output may be asked to make an optional donation to pay 5 euros. Inexpensive for a truly unique souvenir from Paris. Close

From journal The most popular tourist destinations in the world.

Catacombes (Les)

by pointofnoreturn

Ottawa, Ontario

July 20, 2007

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Best of IgoUgo One of Paris’ most unique experiences – it is said that the catacombs span more than 300km in length although a small portion of it is open to the unsuspecting public. The Catacombs were established back in the 1800s due to the lack of space in ...Read more

From journal Vive La Paris

Catacombes (Les)

by GreenMermaid

North Palm Beach, Florida

February 25, 2006

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Best of IgoUgo The Catacombs in Paris is a huge maze of tunnels dug under the city. In 1786, all the bodies from the main cemeteries (something like 7 million) were exhumed and moved into these tunnels. At first the bones were just thrown in, but later they were ...Read more

From journal Paris in February

Denfert-Rochereaux Catacombs

by elldub2005

Somerset, Wisconsin

September 6, 2005

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The catacombs are SO COOL! Well, hopefully you think the bones of a few thousand French people are cool (yeah, I know, I'm kind of weird). But it is a cool experience. Here is an explanation of my experience. When you arrive outside the little ...Read more

From journal Paris, France

Les Catacombs

by Clovery

NSW, Australia

April 25, 2005

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From the outside, the building looks like any ordinary one. But for god sakes, who knows? After entered this building, you will plunge 30m without realizing it! It starts with a stairway leading you deeper down. Then comes the tunnel, the space ...Read more

From journal A Fall Idyll in Paris

Catacombs beneath Paris

by wanderer 2005

Phoenix, Arizona

January 26, 2005

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Just across the street from the Denfert-Rochereau Métro stop, there's an unassuming treasure waiting to be discovered. It’s just a few euros to take a walk into the past. There are long, dark tunnels; bones stacked in heart and cross formations; ...Read more

From journal Right or Left Bank?

Les Catacombes

by Corne

Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa

May 16, 2004

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Bring a flashlight to walk through the former Roman quarries that housed Christians during the eighth century, soldiers of the French Revolution, and both Résistance fighters and occupying forces of World War II. The underground tunnels, created by ...Read more

From journal Photography in Paris

Les Catacombs

by noone

New York

March 19, 2004

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The Catacombs occupy only a portion of the Parisian netherworld. Basically, over the last 500 years, cemeteries were emptied and the remains deposited, quite artfully, underground. At the start, we descended a tight, spiral staircase of about 100 ...Read more

From journal Paris in March

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Not your usual street tour of Paris

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Realm of death

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Not your usual street tour of Paris

Unique experience

Realm of death

Catacombes (Les)

Catacombes (Les)

Denfert-Rochereaux Catacombs

Les Catacombs

Catacombs beneath Paris

Les Catacombes

Les Catacombs