Catacombs

Location
Catacombes de Paris
1, avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy
Place Denfert Rochereau (adjacent to the RER terminal)
75014 Paris
Tél. : 01 43 22 47 63
Fax : 01 43 22 48 17

Métro et RER B : Denfert-Rochereau
Bus : 38, 68
Metered Parking : Boulevard Saint-Jacques

Opening Hours
Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm (Cashier closes at 4 pm)
Closed Mondays and certain holidays.

Attention

Closed for repairs from December 2007 to March 2008.

Rendez-vous at the Catacombs entrance, 1, Avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy, 75014 Paris.

Length of tour
1 1/2 Hours! (in French)

Admission Fee
7 Euros Adults
5.50 Euros Senior Citizens (over 60)
3.50 Euros Age 14 to 26
Free for kids up to and including 13 years old.

Description

The underbelly of Paris has been compared to Swiss cheese (or Gruyere, if you prefer). Whichever cheese you choose, the fact remains, beneath the city of Paris, you’ll find a virtual honeycomb of tunnels. The French resistance used these tunnels during World War II and rave parties flourished during the 90s - despite the fact entering Paris’ underground without permission -is strictly forbidden. The Catacombs Museum at Place Denfert Rochereau in Paris’s 14th arrondissement is one of the exceptions to that rule.

(Note: For those that do not know their way around these tunnels, you could be lost forever - imagine trying to find your way around 300 km of tunnels without a road map - it’s hard enough above ground!)

History

Unlike Rome’s Catacombs, this ossuary of between 6 and 7 million Parisian residents was created for health reasons rather than spiritual reasons. Back in the 1760s to 1770s, when city cemeteries began to ooze into the cellars of neighboring buildings, it was time to find a sollution to the health hazard.
For fifteen consecutive months, bones were carted off from the Right Bank cemeteries and dumped in the 14th arrondissement (which at that time was called Mont Rouge (Denfert-Rochereau) and Mont-souris, which is now Montsouris Park.

Who Will Like this Attraction

If you are fascinated by the macabre, you’ll find this walk through the millions of bones (often neatly stacked and arranged in various designs) to be an unusual experience. The recent renovations in 2007 have improved lighting, but you’ll need to wear comfortable shoes to descend damp steps.

If you are claustrophic or if skeletons or funeral sites make you uncomfortable, you should skip this site. If you have difficult with steps, this may not be for you.

Is it for kids? If your kids love Halloween, this is Halloween on steroids.

Some famous bones are included among the many anonymous bones: Madame de Pompadour and Rabelais for example.

Remember that the Catacombs you’ll visit represent only a small corner of Paris’s underground tunnel system. There are over 300 km of tunneling which spans both Left and Right bank arrondissements. These are the same tunnels made famous by the Phantom of the Opera - he was a Right Bank tunnel dweller. There are over 7 km located beneath the Palais du Chaillot (16th) which at one point was also open to the public for one of the universal exhibitions.

Be sure to visit the site The Catacombs
for a good description of the Catacombs history.

Unfortunately, the Catacombs is currently closed for repairs, but it should be open for visitors by the end of March 2008.