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Skip-the-Line: Paris Catacombs Tour with VIP Access to Restricted Areas
Paris, France
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From $104.74
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Free cancellation
Free cancellation before December 4.
Paris Tours
Attractions
Recommendations
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
Discover the darker side of the City of Lights with this skip-the-line tour of the famed catacombs of Paris. Explore these fascinating underground passageways lined with the bones of thousands of former Parisians and learn the history of the mesmerizing and macabre labyrinth. Bypass the long lines for this popular attraction and enjoy personalized attention in a small group limited to 19 people.
- Small group guided walking tour inside the Paris catacombs
- Personalized small group tour (maximum 19 people)
- Skip the line to enter the catacombs and avoid two-hour queues
- Expert English-speaking guide
What's Included
- Skip-the-line access and visit to the Parisian catacombs
- Small groups to ensure an intimate experience
- Local English-speaking expert guide
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks, unless specified
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Meeting And Pickup
Meeting point
- Catacombs of Paris1 Av. du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy, 75014 Paris, France
Meet at the entrance to the Catacombes de Paris. He/She will be holding a sign. To arrive at the Catacombs by Metro please take Line 4 or Line 6 to the Denfert-Rochereau metro stop and exit using “Sortie 1”; the entrance to the Catacombs can be found directly across the street from this exit.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.What To Expect
The Paris catacombs consist of an extensive underground network of tunnels originally dug as limestone quarries during the building of some of the city’s famous monuments. Beginning in the late 18th century, remains from Paris’ overcrowded cemeteries were exhumed and transported here for storage, with thousands of bones neatly arranged into piles along the walls.
Delve into this eerie underworld with an exclusive small-group tour. Lines to enter the catacombs often exceed 2 hours, but you’ll head to the front of the queue with your knowledgeable guide. A group maximum of 19 people provides a more personalized experience.
Wander through the dimly lit labyrinth that winds beneath the city’s famous streets. Marvel at the stacks of human skeletons that greet you at every turn while your guide illuminates the history of this soul-stirring ‘empire of death.’
Delve into this eerie underworld with an exclusive small-group tour. Lines to enter the catacombs often exceed 2 hours, but you’ll head to the front of the queue with your knowledgeable guide. A group maximum of 19 people provides a more personalized experience.
Wander through the dimly lit labyrinth that winds beneath the city’s famous streets. Marvel at the stacks of human skeletons that greet you at every turn while your guide illuminates the history of this soul-stirring ‘empire of death.’
The Paris Catacombs
Why wait in a long line to see less of the Catacombs? Your guide, an English-speaking local expert, will lead your group straight past the lines and down into the 200-mile labyrinth of bone-lined galleries and former quarry tunnels. An inscription at the entrance reads “Arrête! C’est ici l’empire de la mort”, or “Stop! Here lies the empire of death”. In this eerie empire, you’ll encounter the remains of such dignitaries as Rabelais and Robespierre, among more than 6 million other former Parisians.
While individual ticket holders must remain on the public routes, your guide will lead you off the well-traveled path. As well as other significant remains, like the hidden Gilbert’s Tomb, here you’ll find monuments to those who made their living in the empire of death. In the Port Mahon Gallery, you’ll see sculptures that an 18th-century quarry worker spent five years chiseling secretly from the tunnel walls, before being crushed in a cave-in. You’ll see the Quarryman’s Footbath and the Sepulchral Lamp, whose constant flame reassured the living that there was enough air in the tunnels.
As you wind your way around the Catacombs, you’ll hear all about the history of this parallel city – and the many legends surrounding it. Once you’ve seen what lies just 65 feet below the city, your view of Paris will be forever changed.
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible.
- We regret that we are unable to accommodate pushchairs or strollers on our tours.
- Please note that Special Access areas may be closed on some days.
- Not recommended for travelers with claustrophobia
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 3 days in advance of the experience for a full refund.
- For a full refund, you must cancel at least 3 full days before the experience’s start time.
- If you cancel less than 2 full days before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
- Any changes made less than 2 full days before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
- Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.
about cancellations.
Traveler Photos
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Traveler Tips
Wear comfortable shoes as it’s 2 hrs long and the stairs back up can be challenging - just take it slow.
It is chilly as you're underground, so consider your needs there, and wear good walking shoes.
This tour gets you to skip the line which is important since they really control the number of people in the catacombs and without it you would probably have to wait a long time in line.
Reviews
4.5
878 reviews
Reviews by Viator travelers.
Showing 1-10 of 878 reviews
Great Tour Guide
Melissa_A, Oct 2022
Victoire, our tour guide, did a wonderful job in explaining the history of the catacombs as we went along. She was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic in her story telling. A visit to the catacombs is a must. Highly recommend having a tour guide. Wear good shoes - it’s a lot of walking. It was neat to see the two areas restricted from general public.
Excellent and creepy!
Carolyn_M, Oct 2022
What a great tour. So interesting to hear about the history and see all the world underground. Who knew 6 million skeletons were underneath Paris! Excellent and great for our daughter.
Great fun and great history! Skip the lines
Ruben_s, Aug 2022
Victoire is a great guide! We learned a lot about history, old and modern. This is a must-do when in Paris. And I cannot emphasize how much better is to hire a private tour in popular (crowded!) cities. You will skip the lines and have access to out-of-boundaries locations that the rest of the people can’t go. However I do have an advise: take a sweater with you. No matter how hot is outside, down there it can get very chilly. Great fun for my teenager!
Interesting tour of Paris Catacombs
Larry_B, Aug 2022
Enjoyable tour of the Paris Catacombs. Our guide was friendly and knowledgeable. Good history of the area.
SUPERB!
Lucas_M, Jan 2022
So amazing! Vic was an incredible guide with her vast knowledge of history, folktales, and current events of the catacombs. She spoke brilliant English and had an answer for every question she received. 10/10 recommend!!
A must see
Norm_L, Dec 2021
Their is a line to get in if you go individually. The benefit of a guide is you hear more and have access to a gated area of catacombs that others do not. The guide we had was Ferret and he was a good story teller and knowledge of Paris history.
An unforgettable visit
Steve_B, Oct 2021
My wife and I have talked about visiting Normandy every time we have been in Paris. This year we finally made it. The tour was everything we could have wanted. We had plenty of time to visit the beach at Normandy and to see the German batteries there.
What really made it an unforgettable trip was our driver and guide Adrian. He is very friendly and knowledgeable and we learned quite a lot from him.
We enjoyed talking to Adrian not just about Normandy but also about life in France. As I said before Adrian is very friendly. He’s the type of person you would like to have a beer with and just hang out.
Must see in Paris
Jason_H, Aug 2021
Great tour guide through the catacombs of Paris. Was about 2 hours with a guide that was very interactive and attentive. This is a narrow space at times under Paris with 6 million bones. That said, if you are OK with this, it is a must see and this tour is a very nice way to see parts of the catacombs that a regular ticket will not provide.
Fantastic
Josh_H, Nov 2021
Addie was a great guide, and the catacombs did not disappoint. Highly recommend for any visit to Paris.
Favorite activity of my first Paris trip
Candace_D, Nov 2021
Get out of your hotel room in Paris and do this tour! It is so much more worth it to go with a knowledgeable guide than to go on your own. Not to mention skipping a line and the access to areas that going alone won’t grant you access to otherwise. Really enjoyed hearing the stories/history of the Catacombs. Helps that I actually love morbid/weird things like this to begin with ;-) So glad I finally ventured under the Catacombs and I see Paris in a totally different perspective now than if I hadn’t gone.
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Product code: 3731CATACOMBS
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