Full rate: 31€ (audio guide included) Reduced rate: 25€ (audio guide included) Child rate (8 to 17): 15€ (audio guide included) Children under 8 : free admission
The Catacombs of Paris are the city's municipal ossuary, created from 1786 to address the sanitary crisis caused by the overflowing Parisian cemeteries, notably the Saints-Innocents in the Les Halles district. The bones of several million people — estimated at about 6 million — were progressively transferred into disused limestone quarries in southern Paris, 20 metres underground in the 14th arrondissement.
The visitor route extends about 1.5 kilometres through the underground galleries, 20 metres below street level. Descent is via a spiral staircase of 131 steps; ascent via 112 steps in another staircase — no lift is available. The constant 14°C temperature requires a jacket even in full summer. The site is not accessible to wheelchair users, those with claustrophobia, and is not recommended for people with heart conditions.
The experience is unique in Europe: long galleries whose walls are entirely made of bones aligned and stacked in geometric patterns (skulls forming crosses, circles, arches). Latin philosophical inscriptions punctuate the route, giving the ossuary a meditative character on death. Capacity is strictly limited to preserve the site and ensure safety — timed booking is mandatory, often full one to two weeks ahead in high season.
The Catacombs of Paris can be visited year-round except Monday. The underground temperature stays constant at 14°C — bring a jacket even in summer. Weekday mornings (09:45–11:00) are the quietest moments. Online booking 1-2 weeks ahead is virtually essential in high season, the site being regularly full. Children should be warned of the site's macabre nature — not recommended for impressionable young children. Photography allowed without flash. Jacket, closed shoes and painkillers (if sensitive lower back) recommended.