Catacombs of Paris

Catacombs of Paris, Paris

Planning to visit the Catacombs of Paris? Check out our information below!

Information:

The catacombs are a collection of underground cemeteries from the 18th century. In the 18th century, Paris had a serious problem with housing the deceased. Paris was growing so fast that it could no longer dispose of corpses resulting in corpses in the Seine and the spread of foul odours. Additional cemetery space was urgently needed. The answer was the network of limestone mines dating back to medieval times. These were already there and were not being used.

The catacombs are located 25 metres under the streets of Paris. In the catacombs, you will find works of art of piled-up bones of more than 6 million dead Parisians, arranged here in dark, narrow passages under the streets of Paris.

Today, the Catacombs de Paris are open to visitors. It was Louis-Étienne Héricart de Thury who eventually decided to turn the catacombs into a mausoleum that could be visited. He had the bones and skulls arranged.

Opening hours:

The Catacombs of Paris is open year-round Tuesday to Sunday from 09:45 AM to 08:30 PM and is closed on Mondays.

Tips and Tricks!

Here are a few tips worth knowing before you visit the Catacombs of Paris!

To visit the Catacombs of Paris, you have to pay an entrance fee. But children aged 0 to 17 have free entry.

The catacombs are only accessible by stairs, you descend 25 metres (130 steps) per staircase. So if you have difficulty walking, this is not recommended!