Add dates

Paris Catacombs

Paris Catacombs: Our most recommended tours and activities

Paris: Catacombs Entry & Seine River Cruise with Audio Guide

1. Paris: Catacombs Entry & Seine River Cruise with Audio Guide

Experience the fascinating vestiges of Paris' past with a ticket to the mysterious Catacombs. Discover the city's romantic side on a picturesque Seine River cruise. Witness iconic landmarks and uncover the secrets beneath the city.  Begin in the captivating Catacombs of Paris, an intricate underground network nestled beneath the city streets. Walk through the tunnels that house the remains of millions of Parisians to feel how their histories and tales are etched into the silent stones. After your journey through the city's hidden underbelly, ascend to the vibrant cityscape and make your way to the Seine River's banks. Board a comfortable cruiser and set sail through the heart of Paris. Marvel at the stunning sights of Paris's iconic landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, and the Notre-Dame Cathedral, basking in the city's glow.

Paris: Catacombs Skip-the-Ticket-Line Ticket and Audio Guide

2. Paris: Catacombs Skip-the-Ticket-Line Ticket and Audio Guide

Avoid the hassle of ticket counters. Simply show your voucher, start your self-guided tour and explore the 'City of Lights' at your own pace with an informative audio guide. As you discover a world beneath the streets of Paris, see tunnels and rooms decorated with the human bones and skulls of around 6 million Parisians. The Paris Catacombs were originally a quarry with hundreds of kilometers of tunnels burrowed beneath the streets of Paris. When the cemeteries of Paris became overfilled, the city started moving the dead into the Catacombs. 

Paris Catacombs: VIP Skip-the-Line Restricted Access Tour

3. Paris Catacombs: VIP Skip-the-Line Restricted Access Tour

Beneath the streets of Paris, there is another, darker side to the city that few get to see. Twenty meters (and more) below street level, the galleries of the Paris Catacombs extend for over 200 miles - a subterranean maze that many are unaware of as they stroll along the streets above. Initially quarried to provide limestone for the construction of the famous Parisian buildings and bridges, the Paris Catacombs are now home to the bones of more than 6 million former Parisians.  Their remains were carefully moved here in the 18th century, in a discreet operation to transfer them from the unclean and overflowing cemeteries of the city center.  Overcrowding in these cemeteries led to improper burials, open graves, and unearthed corpses, spreading disease (and a few horror stories) into the surrounding areas. Nowadays, wall after wall of stacked bones, and some more slightly macabre compositions, await you as you follow an expert local guide into "The Empire of Death". Fans of the film "As Above So Below" will recognize these never-ending gloomy tunnels.   Along with millions of ordinary Parisians, it is said that the Man in the Iron mask lies here, as do both executioners and their victims, guillotined during the French Revolution. Your guide will lead you through the underground passages and into some very special rooms. Only 200 people are allowed in this remarkable site at any one time, ensuring that you get the most out of this extraordinary place and spend more time enjoying the rooms and interacting with your guide. This special tour also allows you access to parts of the Catacombs that are closed to the general public. Have underground gates unlocked especially for you and your group, and learn the intriguing stories of those who worked, visited, and have been laid to rest here over the centuries, including the secret societies who still visit today.   Past and present Paris and its inhabitants come to life as you explore the city’s gloomy entrails concealed below the surface.

Skip-the-Line: Paris Catacombs Guided Tour with VIP Access

4. Skip-the-Line: Paris Catacombs Guided Tour with VIP Access

Paris is commonly known for its beauty and romance. However, far beneath the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre is an entirely different, intimidating world. In the Catacombs of Paris there is an inscription above a doorway that reads: Beware of the Realm of Death. This is a suitable warning to prepare you for a memorable, once-in-a-lifetime experience. Access to the Catacombs is extremely limited as only 200 people are allowed to enter the site at a time. Consequently, lines can be very long and waits can be up to 2 hours. Privileged, skip-the-line access lets you save time and energy to make the most out of this personalized visit. Nearly 300 kilometers of tunnels and narrow paths stretch below the streets of Paris. Originally, the Catacombs were limestone quarries, hollowed out for the construction of the most famous bridges and buildings in the city. Beginning in the 18th century, the Catacombs served as the final resting place for more than 6 million people, and skeletons, bones, and skulls of exhumed bodies neatly line the walls and arches. Join this exclusive small-group, skip-the-line tour and see Paris in a different light than ever before.

Paris Catacombs Skip-the-Line Guided Tour and Special Access

5. Paris Catacombs Skip-the-Line Guided Tour and Special Access

Meet your guide at the Paris Catacombs and skip the lines to descend 20 meters below street level. Learn how 200 miles of tunnels were mined to solve the problem of the overcrowded cemeteries, and hear about the struggle and ultimate glory of the macabre, sacred site. Get a feel for the amazing chambers as you pass the "Arrete. C'est Ici L'Empire De La Mort" ("Stop. Here is the Empire of Death") sign. Find yourself surrounded by bones and skulls, carefully arranged with reverence and a decorative flourish. Enter special areas closed to the general public as you follow in the footsteps of the 18th and 19th-century French royals.

Paris Catacombs: Skip-the-Line Special Access Tour

6. Paris Catacombs: Skip-the-Line Special Access Tour

Get fast track entry to the underground cemetery of the Paris Catacombs, composed of miles of underground tunnels lined with the skulls and bones of some 6 million Parisians. Join a local guide and explore the catacombs in a small group of no more than 19 people. Each room reveals ever more ornate and macabre bone decorations. Hear the unbelievable story of how the catacombs were built, and the massive project that was undertaken to move bones from around the city to this point. Your special access status means the guards will also open gates just for your group, letting you into areas such as a secret chapel decorated with skulls and femurs. The Paris Catacombs contain bones representing some 2,000 years of history, and their construction was a unique civil engineering project that helped give rise to the modern-day city.

Paris: Small-Group Catacombs Tour with Skip-the-Line Entry

7. Paris: Small-Group Catacombs Tour with Skip-the-Line Entry

Beneath the dazzling lights of modern Paris lie the devilishly dark catacombs. On this small-group tour have skip-the-line entry and exclusive access to restricted areas. Explore the 200-mile maze of remains from roughly 6 million Parisians with an expert guide.  Your Paris Catacombs tour begins with a bone-chilling descent down the complex’s 133-step staircase. Your guide will explain how these tunnels were used in the 13th-century to quarry limestone for buildings as grand as Notre Dame. As you make your way through the narrow tunnels, learn why bad weather in the 1780s forced Parisians to bury their dead here. During the tour, have plenty of time to admire the Catacombs’ disturbingly detailed bone decorations. From religious iconography to hearts, workers found many ways to “beautify” the bones housed in this complex. There is, however, one decoration that will really make your spine tingle. Inside the popular Crypt of the Passion take a few moments to gaze at “The Barrel,” which is constructed out of various skeletal remains. In addition to housing the dead, the Catacombs played an important role during many significant historic events. Your guide will tell you tales of the German Wehrmacht and the French Resistance who both used part of the Catacombs as wartime bunkers during World War II. Also, learn about its relationship to the French Revolution.  If you are not afraid of ghosts, then ask your guide about the grave of the doorman Philibert Aspairt who passed away in the Catacombs in the 18th century. Learn about the cataphiles who have caused a stir in recent years for hosting huge raves, swimming parties, and an extensive network in this underground city of the dead. Keep your eyes peeled for graffiti left by cataphiles on your Catacombs Tour.

Paris: Professional Photoshoot with 400 Photos + 1 present

8. Paris: Professional Photoshoot with 400 Photos + 1 present

Professional photo or video shooting anywhere in Paris. You can choose from some of the most popular places such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe or any other place in Paris. Do not be shy about the photographer, he will take a music column with him, do whatever you want to make the photos lively and filled with smiles. Shooting is carried out on the top equipment. Photographer who has more than ten years of experience in the field of photo and video services. All photos are send on the same day. The number of photos is from 300 to 500 pieces. you can recognize the photographer by the canon camera. We look forward to meeting you and welcome to Paris!!! :) P.S. There are not many reviews because this platform is new to me, but you can always find my company on the Internet by simply typing "Titarstar production" in Google. :)

Paris: Lupin-Themed Audio Guide App

9. Paris: Lupin-Themed Audio Guide App

The Catacombs of Paris are world famous, but did you know that an episode of Netflix’s Lupin series was shot there? Some of the iconic scenes about the fictional fan of the ‘gentleman thief’, Arsène Lupin, were filmed in the Catacombs’ touristy sections, but others took place in private no-access tunnel networks. If you’ve ever dreamed of learning about the out-of-bounds parts of Paris’ underground tunnels without breaking the law or having to deal with bones and claustrophobia, then this walking tour through the city’s 14th arrondissement is for you. We’ll stay above ground at street level, where the various scenes from the show's season 2, episode 4 were shot, and I’ll even show you the real location of Lupin’s secret staircase. I’ll also point out the Parisian neighbourhood where Lupin's temporary home was set. But this tour isn’t only about the gentleman thief. I’ll share plenty of interesting historical facts, like why six million cadavers ended up deep in the Catacombs. I’ll also tell you how the city created its own meridian line to try and rival the universal time standard based on Greenwich. On this tour, you’ll have the opportunity to: • Take in impressive buildings with over 400 years of layered history, including the Congrégation des Sœurs de Saint-Joseph de Cluny (the Convent of the Order of St. Joseph of Cluny) and the Cochin Hospital • Hear true stories about jailbreaks from the Centre Pénitentiaire de Paris la Santé (the Santé Prison), some worthy of Lupin, some a tad more violent • See actual buildings that members of the Resistance accessed via the Catacombs to avoid detection by the Nazis during WWII • Find out about the Société des Gens de Lettres, or Literary Society, housed in Hôtel de Massa (Massa Hotel) where Maurice Leblanc worked before penning his Lupin short stories • Follow a small stretch of the Paris Meridian • Learn about François Arago’s invisible statue and where in the Jardin de l’Observatoire de Paris (the Paris Observatory) you can see a real statue of him Allow up to an hour for this fun-filled walk where sound effects are used to reveal what lies behind certain tall walls, or deep under your feet. There are several stops along the way with benches for you to rest and free, public restrooms nearby. Join me on this walk and together, we’ll dive deep into Paris’ macabre past!

Paris Semi Private Walking Tour: Louvre, Eiffel Tower & Boat

10. Paris Semi Private Walking Tour: Louvre, Eiffel Tower & Boat

Ready to discover the best of Paris in a unique small group setting? Our Semi-Private Tour offers the possibility to explore the best of Paris in a Day, in a small group setting of a maximum of 6 participants! Thanks to the small group, navigating through the crowds and exploring the city's main sites will become an even more effortless experience. Starting at Place De Abbesses your day will begin with a walking tour through the charming Montmartre neighbourhood famous for its Moulin Rouge and epicenter of the Belle Époque. One of the iconic sites in this part of town is the Basilique du Sacre Couer, it's stunning white façade and iconic dome are instantly recognizable and draw millions of visitors every year. Next Stop, the world-famous Louvre! Thanks to our pre-purchased tickets we head straight inside to check out all of the museum's highlights in a 90-minute tour of this marvellous museum. Your guide will show you the museum's famous paintings, sculptures, and of course Leonardo Da Vinci's - Mona Lisa. Onwards to the Latin Quarter, your guide will pass by another must-see monument which recently was destroyed in a fire, the Notre Dame. Though we won't enter inside our guide will surely give you an introduction to this beautiful church before crossing the Seine to continue the discovery of the intellectual heart of Paris once frequented by brilliant minds like Ernest Hemingway & James Joyce. Time for the pièce de résistance of this Paris in a Day Tour. Jump on the metro alongside our guide and make your way to your last stop like a local. Your final stop of the day will be at the Eiffel Tower, where you'll Gaze in awe at the sheer magnificence of this structure while your guide regales you with fascinating fun facts and captivating stories. In case you wish to ascend the tower our guide will be happy to advise you where to secure tickets (not included) to conclude your visit to the city of Lights on a different altitude. Ready to give your feet some rest? A relaxing river cruise over the Seine is included in the cost of the tour and you can decide whether you wish to do this part on the day of your tour or perhaps on a different day during your stay in Paris. Enjoy a glass of bubbly as you soak in the city's picturesque views and jaw-dropping landscapes. Keep your eyes open for iconic spots like Musée d'Orsay, Notre Dame, and Eiffel Tower along the tranquil waters.

Available activities

Other Sightseeing Options in Paris Catacombs

Want to discover all there is to do in Paris Catacombs? Click here for a full list.

What people are saying about Paris Catacombs

Overall rating

4.6 / 5

based on 10,537 reviews

Glad I pre booked, I had an early morning slot and the signs were already up to say sold out for the day. One slightly dizzying decent down lots of stairs and I was in a dark, creepy, beautiful and fascinating underground labyrinth of dead people arranged into strangely photogenic patterns. It’s easy to navigate your way around and you can’t get lost, so ignore all the urban legends of tourists vanishing down tunnels never to be seen again! Definitely worth a visit if you like your “dark tourism” or a want to see a completely unique side of Paris. The limited numbers also means there’s plenty of time and space to look around and get your photos without some random person getting in the way of your perfect shot!

We were able to go straight in. The audio guide is free with any ticket so that shouldn't be a selling point. The main thing was that online tickets weren't available but we were able to get tickets through this company. The Catacombs are very unusual and interesting but you'll be bored before the end and ready to move on to the next adventure you have lined up. About 35-45 mins long.

This was a really great experience. I was impressed with the ease of entry and the fact that it was an audio tour, so you could progress at your own pace. The audio tour information was interesting and informative. Overall a really great tourl

Our tickets were uploaded to the app so we just went straight to the gate at the catacombes. It was an easy experience.

Definitely worth the wait in line and the extra for the audio tour.