Catacombes de Paris, Paris

'Stop! This is the empire of death.'

Beneath the streets of gay Paris lies an 18th Century Burial ground, during the French Revolution with burial grounds overflowing the bones of on estimate 6-7 million Parisians were transferred into the 3000km Paris underground tunnel network, these are known as the Catacombes.

The tunnels are fairly damp and cramped but as someone who is less than comfortable with confined spaces I was fine, the tunnels open out at points and the ceiling height varies along the way. The entrance to the Catacombes is not clearly signposted and although you come out of the metro right next to it, you could easily miss it situated on the corner of a multi junction roundabout.

Where else can you see the bones of revolutionaries, peasants and the bourgeoisie arranged together in patterns on the walls. Not for the faint at heart but ever so cool.

Bei dieser Sehenswürdigkeit kann man das Grusseln bekommen. Es lohnt sich aber nur lasst die Knochen vor Ort durch den Ausgang schafft ihr es eh nicht damit.

A crepy and nice Place!

If you’re visiting the catacombs you should definitely try and avoid taking the official guided tour and just going with someone you know. There’s so much to explore inside. Hundreds and hundreds of kilometres long (around 400) comprised of underground galleries, leading you to lots of « rooms ». Each room has a name based on its historical use or on the people who built it. Given that these catacombs were for many years used as a form of cemetery there are bones and skulls galore… Definitely worth the experience.

Ok I know i visit cemeterys (see my other review!) but this isnt my idea of fun at all. I was dragged here on a school trip back in 1989 and we were forced down (i slightly exagerated that but it sounds better) to this cave and down all these winding corridoors and steps to look at a bunch of old skulls and bones. Humm, maybe someones idea of a fun day out but not when your 12! take me to the cafes and a boat trip but not this! It did scar me for life i must say.

It is so cheap to go in and then there is a long walk down a flight of steps into the catacombes themselves. You then walk what seems like miles until you get the see the bones but when you do the piles of bones takes you breath away. It’s amazing how many dead people are down there and really fascinating to see. It’s room after room of them and you go on for a good hour before you finish. Not for the faint hearted or for those who can’t walk too far because once your down there the only way out is up a very narrow, very very long spiral staircase

Deep, dark and dank. Going down the narrow staircase and alond creepy passages, it takes what seems like forever to get to the actual catacombs. On reaching them they are quite spectacular. Walls upon walls of bones and skulls laid out in patterns. No photos are supposed to be taken, but camera phones were clicking all over the place. Getting out took as long, and i have never been so glad to see the Paris sunshine

We wanted to visit the Catacombs on a sunny summer weekend, however when we got there (at 11am), the line was very long. It would have taken at least an hour (as it didn’t seem to be moving) and we thought that it couldn’t be that good.

Oh well…Fail!!!

The entrance to Paris’s catacombs is a small, unassuming building opposite the Denfert-Rochereau metro station. Indeed, the only clue that something interesting lies underneath is the queue usually waiting to get in.

Once through the ticket office, you walk down a staircase which takes you under the buildings of Paris to its former quarries. These honecombed the city, until it was at risk of subsiding and they were closed. You walk for about a kilometre through these disused quarries, which is more interesting than it might sound as there is information explaining their history. However, it is towards the end of the walk that you enter the part which attracts most tourists down here: the catacombs.

The closure of the quarries coincided with another problem: Paris’s graveyards had run out of space. The solution seemed obvious - put the bones in the disuses quarries - and that is exactly what was done. However, someone then had the idea of arranging the bones so that visitors could walk through and be reminded of their own mortality. Thus, the disorderly piles of bones are now fronted by walls made of carefully arranged skulls and femurs. Appropriate mottos and quotations are painted throughout.

The catacombs are a strange and fascinating place. However, visitors should be aware that they will need to climb over 80 steps to return to street level. These are in a tight spiral staircase - and it’s surprising what a difference the lack of windows, landings or other features makes, at some point you feel as if the spiral will never end! Accessibility is therefore poor unless you are comfortable with stairs and about 1.5 kilometres of walking on sometimes uneven ground.