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ranked #9 out of 10 attractions | rated 1.98 out of 5 | total 151 votes |
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The Catacombs (Les Catacombs)
Why the Catacombs are a Paris tourist attraction that isn’t worth a visit
There is certainly no reason to spend your precious time in Paris visiting the Catacombs!
While the entrance fee is reasonable cheap with €5, this doesn’t qualify the Catacombs as a nice tourist attraction. In fact the Catacombs are pretty weird.
At the end of the 18th century Paris had too many dead people and the cementeries were overpopulated - the cementeries had become a hygenic problem. Therefore the Parisian city council decided to transfer the bones of almost 6 million dead people to the underground tunnels beneath Paris. For over a year they shipped the bones during the night to the tunnels and made piles of skulls and bones. The skulls are all thrown together in the back and arranged in the front. They even made some sort of art with them and arranged the bones as crosses and faces! How odd is that!
If you’re willing to watch millions of dead people eye to “eye socket”, you have to descend a long spiral staircase for quite some time. Then you reach a small chamber where the tunnels start. The dirt tunnels wind for a long time and you can’t turn back. You’re a long way below ground, you are in an actual grave.
It’s quite cold in there - 52° F (11° C) and you will have the bone dust all over you!
There are some plaques on the walls about the history, but they are all in French.
When you think you can’t stand another pile of bones the approx. 1.25 miles (2km) tour is over and you ascend a spiral staircase. But be aware that you’re now in a completely different place. And they really check your bags to make sure that you haven’t taken some bones with you! How sick can people be that this is necessary?
This tour is spooky and macabre and surly not for kids, faint-hearted or claustrophobics. We recommend this tour only to visitors that have already seen everything in Paris and need some kind of macabre thrill. To all the others, please visit first the amazing sites Paris has to offer, before you even think of visiting the Catacombs. Paris is much too beautiful than to waste your time with piles of skulls.
| Attraction: | The Catacombs (Les Catacombs) | |
|---|---|---|
| Address: | 1, place Denfert-Rochereau, 75014 Paris | |
| Opening hours: | Days | Time |
| Tue - Fri | 02:00 p.m. - 04:00 p.m. | |
| Sat - Sun | 09:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. & 02:00 p.m. - 04:00 p.m. |
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| Admission fees: | Ticket type | Price |
| Tickets | €5 | |
January 9, 2006 @ 7:32 am
Sue said,
Ewww.. this place sounds too morbid for me! I mean, that’s disgusting to have bone dust of 6 million people’s bones all over you… yuk… makes me shudder to think about it.
January 12, 2006 @ 9:05 am
funnybones said,
you actually make it sound quite good!
January 24, 2006 @ 7:04 am
Sarah said,
The Catacombs are still a part of Paris history and the fact that it’s classed as a tourist attraction shows that alot of people don’t share your view. I’d love to see the Catacombs when I visit Paris in a few weeks, it sounds great!!
February 15, 2006 @ 1:18 pm
jesska said,
i have been there that was fun and cool
June 18, 2006 @ 1:26 am
samurai said,
This was one of my favorite stops. Very interesting to see and learn the history about it. True, it’s a bit creepy, but I prefer something out of the norm on my vacations, not just the nice pretty things. To say that Les Catacombs “are pretty weird” shows that this writer must not have much of a sense of adventure.
July 9, 2006 @ 1:18 pm
Jose Bello said,
Paris is a beautifull city with a lot to offer and this is part of Paris’s history. There is nothing ugly about this place, I found it to be very intersting, not everything in life is beautiful and if you are a real person and enjoy history,this place has it all. Just remember, the Parisian had a hygenic problem with the overpopulated cementeries and they had no other choice, if they created this place was to save others from death.
November 14, 2006 @ 10:09 pm
maria tost said,
I dont know who writes this comments but it seems to me that he or she did not find a thing worth seing in Paris. Very narrow minded. Lack of culture….??? Their advise is worhtless to me.
November 29, 2006 @ 12:35 am
may yeung said,
I’m sorry, but i agree with Maria tost. The person who wrote this is too single-minded. This may be “odd” or “weird” to you but now I’m even more interested.
December 4, 2006 @ 11:37 pm
Sweetness said,
I think it sounds really cool and I want to visit someday.
January 10, 2007 @ 3:33 pm
terri said,
This is the one place I wished had been open when we went. I am, however, more interested in the underground bits of Paris that are not on any official tour. Why visit and photograph all the “normal” tourist spots when you can go the road less traveled? I prefer the out-of-the ordinary.
January 14, 2007 @ 4:16 am
Christina Milian said,
I googled for something completely different, but found your page…and have to say thanks. nice read.
February 16, 2007 @ 8:00 am
Amber said,
I actually will be visiting Paris in a few weeks and I really want to visit this place, I saw a special on TV about the catacombs and they sound very interesting!
May 2, 2007 @ 2:02 pm
Katie said,
you make it sound really cool i dont know why you have it in the top ten “bad tourist attractions!” That’s just weird that you are calling it weird!
August 7, 2007 @ 6:22 am
Ronit said,
Wow, you sound like a pampered sensitive idiot. Who wouldnt want to see the catacombs? You can’t deny death.
August 15, 2007 @ 5:47 pm
Jessica said,
I’m going to Paris at the end of September and this just made the catacombs even more appealing! Everyone goes to the “standard” tourist attractions, but in order to fully appreciate the culture sometimes you have to get a little down and dirty.
August 23, 2007 @ 8:42 pm
January said,
I can’t wait to visit! Perhaps the reveiwer should have done some research a head of time. Perhaps nobody should visit the Tower of London because of all the people who have been beheaded at that site. This is history!
August 31, 2007 @ 6:02 pm
Kelvin said,
once again, another narrow minded review on one of paris’s most historic and important sites that made paris what it is today. I cannot understand the logic in the person who writes these reviews. Its funny how NOBODY agrees with this article writers reviews. It does make sense though. This person lacks culture and needs to remain back in their trailer.
September 20, 2007 @ 11:50 am
foxhay said,
Do not be put off by the first review. The catacombs are absolutely fascinating and unique, and the chance to experience such a vast subterranean area in a major city such as Paris is a rare opportunity. It really is another world down there. If the first reviewer was put off by the amount of ‘dead people’ down there then maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to chose to visit an underground cemetary- the clue’s in the title! Also, it’s not particularly ‘odd’ that some of the bones were arranged into patterns down there when you imagine the daily grind of piling up millions of bones and what a repetitive and boring task it must have been. It seems the reviewer lacks any sort of imagination.
October 29, 2007 @ 5:51 pm
JOSH SANDERS said,
ZYOUR ALL DUMB CATACOMBS ARE SWEET IT6 DESERVES A 5 NEVER LEAVE A COMMENT HERE AGAIN
October 30, 2007 @ 6:17 pm
eva said,
I think that the original review is taking itself and the exhibit way too seriously. I have been to catacombes and ossuaries all over the world and they are macabre and beautiful. Speaking of wierd art, Cedlec ossuary near Prague is decorated all over with chandeliers and coats of arms made from bones. I think that the way we have treated our dead in times past, and now, is fascinating. And turning the long dead into a beautiful monument to rememembrance is surely more useful and respectful than the sentimental clap-trap spouted over modern boneyards. Worth a visit, unless you are truly claustrophobic. And yes, very suitable for children- they love the weird and wonderful, as Roald Dahl proves!
November 2, 2007 @ 5:20 am
Lesley and Andy said,
My husband and I will be sure to see it on our next honeymoon, sounds sexy! Wonder if they check your body for bones, too? (Look whose got a boner!) lol j/k
December 10, 2007 @ 7:56 pm
Erin said,
oh myyyy gooodnesss. I want to go so bad! and then I’ll keep all of my really good bone dusted clothes and never ever wash them again! I’m so stoked!
February 9, 2008 @ 9:23 pm
Jojo said,
Im going to Paris this September and now i want to visit this place sooo bad! this looks so cool and i cant wait to check it out! i dont see how you could say “there is certainly no reason to spend your precious time in Paris visiting the Catacombs”
March 16, 2008 @ 10:35 pm
Alina said,
Um, narrow minded much? This article is totally crazy. Apparaently it never occured to you that some people (in fact, a lot of people) might like this kind of thing and find the historical value of it. When I go to Paris this is something I definitely want to see. I’m researching the Catacombs for a project and it sounds pretty interesting
March 16, 2008 @ 10:40 pm
Alina said,
Um, narrow minded much? This article is totally crazy. Apparaently it never occured to you that some people (in fact, a lot of people) might like this kind of thing and find the historical value of it. When I go to Paris this is something I definitely want to see. I’m researching the Catacombs for a project and it sounds pretty interesting.
April 1, 2008 @ 1:54 pm
Jesus said,
this is the entrance to hell!!!!
April 22, 2008 @ 6:57 pm
king said,
i went there last week and it literally changed my life. Seeing all the designs and the amount of bones, was amazing it is something everyone needs to see this historical maze
May 12, 2008 @ 9:58 pm
Marty said,
Ignore the article. Go to the catacombs.
May 15, 2008 @ 3:48 pm
terrence said,
I agree when someone is mentioning ‘the single minded’ vision .. It is REALLY fun and different - spooky yes but something else than a rollercoaster. JUST GO!
June 1, 2008 @ 6:08 am
katie said,
whoever wrote this obviously doesn’t appreciate french culture and history. the way that you worded the entire synopsis was in a snobish and dirrogatory way. you don’t know how to appreciate french history and your opininon is a false representation of the american view of france. you need to think about all the stupid things the U.S. did in our history before you put down what other countries have done that you “don’t approve of.” your insulting little description of the catacombs has little affect on the americans who read it, including me. i will be traveling to france with my school in 2 weeks and i will DEFINITELY be visting the catacombs.
June 1, 2008 @ 6:14 am
liz said,
your a dumbass. they are totally worth visiting. you think that people are going to see things from your point of view, but they can’t get thier heads that far up their asses.
June 4, 2008 @ 7:00 pm
Herb said,
You are all being too hard on the writer of this review. The style of writing is indicitive of her age. I don’t know the reviewer, but will assume she is (was) in her late teens, and very concerned with what is considered to be normal. I would be willing to bet (or at least hope) that she has matured during the two years since this review was writen. I will definately visit this site when I visit Paris later this month. I only wish I had the time to explore the rest of the tunnels. I will have to be satisfied with the pictures that can be seen on various Urban Exploration web sites. Thanks for posting the hours for the tours!